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In particular, the meeting participants examined various aspects of cooperation in the economy, energy, medicine and culture, as well as in the fight against terrorism.

Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe agreed to hold the next meeting on the sidelines of the G8 Summit, which will be held in Sochi on June 4–5, 2014.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, colleagues and friends,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Russia – this time to the southern part of the country, the city of Sochi.

Russia and Japan are natural partners. Japan is our good neighbour and our relations have been developing steadily and successfully. We work together at a number of international venues, and our joint efforts are very successful and fruitful.

We have established new channels for interaction at the political level, both through the Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry, which is very important as it increases the level of trust in our relations.

The Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation has been working steadily, and trade and economic ties between our countries are expanding. We saw a 6% increase in trade last year. All this creates excellent preconditions for addressing the most complex interstate issues.

Mr Prime Minister, you came to the opening of the Olympic Games in Sochi, and we are very grateful to you for your attention to this event. We saw Japan’s large and impressive team, and I want to wish your athletes the best of luck in the Sochi Olympics.

Thank you.

Prime Minister of Japan SHINZO ABE (re-translated): First of all, I want to say that yesterday's opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was outstanding, and I am very happy I was able to attend it.

I was deeply moved by the fact that the opening ceremony showcased Russia’s greatest achievements in art and high technology, and the entire structure of the ceremony was wonderful.

I am aware that 12,000 units of video and audio equipment produced by Japan’s Panasonic have been installed at the stadium and at other Olympic venues, including the latest large-screen displays. I'm very glad that these technologies will contribute to the success of the Olympic Games’ opening ceremony, and I am pleased that we were able to take advantage of Russian-Japanese cooperation in this area as well.

I would like to thank you for finding the time for this meeting over lunch despite your very busy schedule as the host of the Olympic Games. Let me sincerely wish you success in the Olympics.

We have already met four times in the past. This is our fifth meeting, and I believe that we were able to open a new chapter in the development of our bilateral relations. I would like to make certain that our meeting today will be equally successful and we will be able to continue working together and developing our bilateral relations.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

I would like to congratulate you on Japan winning the right to host the Olympic Games in 2020.

Japan has a wide range of opportunities that go far beyond Panasonic, which is so well represented here. We have also made use of Japan’s other great achievements in technology and organisation of major events. I think that your experts will also be interested to see how the Sochi Olympic Games were organised. Apart from Russian specialists, we involved professionals from all over the world in this project.

Once again, I want to thank you for your attention to the Sochi Olympic Games. Thank you for taking the time to be here today.

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