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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, friends, let me wish you a warm welcome.

You have an extensive agenda in Russia: I am sure that yesterday you have discussed all the aspects of our cooperation with Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.

At the beginning of our meeting I would like to note that, despite all the difficulties the global economy faces, and we have our problems too, our trade turnover with Serbia is unexpectedly growing, and supplies of Serbian agricultural products to the Russian market has increased by 40 percent in one go. This is a good indicator.

Also, we have many other issues that are of mutual interest, as the diplomats say.

We are very happy to see you. Welcome!

Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic (retranslated): Mr President, on behalf of the Serbian Government I would like to thank you for the warm welcome and hospitality. Today is our third day in Russia.

Together with Prime Minister Medvedev and your colleagues, we have discussed economic issues and our political relations, I would say – a certain outlook for the future, for an accelerated development of our bilateral relations.

On behalf of the Serbian Government, I would like to thank you for the support you have given us both in the UN, UNESCO and other organisations where Serbia is trying to protect not only its territorial integrity but also its liberty-loving spirit and its way of living.

I would like to note that the situation in the world at large is complicated; the situation is just as complicated in the Balkans. In Brussels, we have signed an agreement with Pristina (from 2008 – the capital of the partially recognised Republic of Kosovo); we have signed many documents, but today, the President of Kosovo stated that they do not plan to implement the most important of them at all – and that is very sad news for us.

In any case I want to once again thank you for the warm welcome and hospitality, and I hope we will be able to discuss all these issues more thoroughly and in greater detail.

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