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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, friends,

I am glad that we have met again, this time on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian Far East. We met in Budapest a few days ago during the World Judo Championships, a sport both of us love.

I am confident that our shared hobby, which plays a major role in our lives, will help us develop a good working and personal relationship.

I do not need to tell you about Russian-Mongolian relations and ties. Mongolia is a long-standing partner and friend of Russia. Today we will discuss practical issues, both current and future ones.

We know everything about the traditional areas of our cooperation and the large enterprises that were built in the past. But we must also take a long view and look for new opportunities.

After a minor decline, our trade has resumed sustainable growth of over 30 percent, more precisely 32 percent. Russia is one of Mongolia’s largest trade and economic partners.

I am glad to have this opportunity to meet with you today, just as we planned, in order to hold detailed discussions of our bilateral relations.

President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga (retranslated): Mr President, I am glad to see you again and to be attending the Eastern Economic Forum. The flight from Mongolia to Vladivostok lasts only 2 hours and 55 minutes.

I congratulate you on organising the Eastern Economic Forum, which is playing a major part in outlining the directions of global economic development.

I consider it my priority to promote the advancement of the Mongolian-Russian relations, including economic cooperation, to a new level. I will continue working to further expand the traditionally friendly and neighbourly relations between our countries and to deepen our substantial economic cooperation.

The development of cross-border and regional cooperation is vitally important for increasing our bilateral trade, because border regions account for 70 percent of our trade. But our top priority is to sign a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.

We are grateful for your support in this matter. Our countries are interested in promoting cooperation in education, culture, literature and tourism.

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