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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Your Majesty, friends, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to Russia and to Sochi.

Next year will mark 25 years since our countries established diplomatic relations. I am very happy to see that the ties between Russia and Bahrain have developed over this time and that we now have regular and ongoing contacts.

Your Majesty, I am very pleased to have this chance to discuss our bilateral relations with you and talk about the situation in the region.

I hope that you will like the way we have organised the Formula One competition, which Russia is hosting for the first time ever. Welcome!

King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa (retranslated): Thank you very much.

I am very pleased to have taken up this invitation to visit Russia and I note your hospitality and the excellent organisation of my visit and the reception I have been given. This is nothing surprising given your level, Mr President, and the heritage that we have in our bilateral relations.

We cooperate in many different fields, including in culture and the economy, and you could say that our relations have a strategic nature. Indeed, Russia and Bahrain are really very close and it took us only three hours to get here.

I must say too what a beautiful place Sochi is. It is really very good, an excellent resort. I will tell my brothers and my colleagues in Bahrain and recommend that they also come here and see it for themselves. Looking yesterday and today at how clean the city is and how well-organised everything is, I started thinking about the possibilities for investing here. It is this that I will speak about.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

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