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Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Prime Minister and I held very productive talks, not just in the work sense but also in the human sense.

But first of all, I would like to thank his Royal Highness for the invitation, and the people of Thailand for their warm and hospitable reception.

During today’s talks, we discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, and many important problems of international politics.

On the whole, we are satisfied with the development dynamics of cooperation with Thailand. Our political dialogue and interaction in the trade and economic sphere are developing actively. There are good prospects for expanding ties in the scientific, technological and humanitarian spheres.

We have noted that the volume of our trade and economic ties does not match our capabilities. And in connection with this, we agreed to assist the expansion of trade and economic ties in all possible ways. The documents signed today are also directed towards this. I am sure that they will promote the development of a legal basis for Russian-Thai relations.

Furthermore, the exchange of opinions showed that on key issues in the life of the world community, our positions are very close or coincide. There is a common idea of methods to solve many international problems. This also concerns strengthening the central role of the UN in providing security and ways to solve international issues. And of course, we are united in the war on international terrorism, international crime and drug trafficking.

Russia knows well that Thailand consistently fights drug trafficking. And we highly assess the Prime Minister’s large personal contribution to this very important and difficult matter.

We also discussed various aspects of interaction between Russia and Thailand in the Asia-Pacific region, including within the framework of the APEC, the regional ASEAN forum and Russia-ASEAN dialogue.

The Russian delegation is satisfied with the results of the talks. The talks showed that Russian-Thai relations not only have a firm basis, they also have good prospects for the future. Both parties are prepared for this work. I am sure that our joint work will allow us to achieve the goals we have set and solve our long-term tasks.

And in conclusion, I would like to congratulate the Prime Minister and all his colleagues on successfully holding this major international event, the APEC summit. This is always a considerable burden on the staff and city residents where the event is held. Our Thai friends dealt with this task brilliantly and there is no doubt that this success will benefit the Thai people and international relations. We are very grateful to the leadership of Thailand for this.

Thank you.