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President Vladimir Putin: Dear commissioner, dear colleagues,

I am very happy to welcome you to Moscow. As far as I understand, your contacts with Russian colleagues are of a stable nature, and I note this with pleasure. I must say that we pay particular attention to the activity of such institutions, which you head in the Council of Europe. This is also important for us – for Russia, for our rather young Russian democracy. It is also important, I believe, for all of Europe. I mean that with the help of such institutions as yours, common principles and norms should be developed. And in this sense, we of course count on serious cooperation with you, and perhaps even assistance in certain areas that are rather sensitive for us.

Alvaro Jil-Robles: Thank you very much, Mr President. For me and for my entire delegation it is a great honour to be received by you today. Since 1999 we have worked with our friends in Russia, and this work is going very well. And, as you said, we often have to work with issues that are quite difficult. But we always try to find the most acceptable and the best decision. And, above all, the work of the Commissioner is addressed to a country that is a country, a member country of an organization where all countries are important. And I believe that the Commissioner’s obligations include providing assistance to the Russian people when the Russian people need it, as they help other peoples when they need it. But this always needs to be done clearly, loyally and from a positive standpoint. Let us look directly at problems as they are, and look for solutions. And I can assure you that I have always found support and cooperation from the Russian authorities to really look at problems as they are, and find the right solutions.

And for me your support of protection of human rights is very important and significant. You said this yesterday at your Address to the Federal Assembly very distinctly and clearly. This is very pleasing. So in this respect our views are exactly the same.

Vladimir Putin: I think the team is very good. They are experienced people. People who have indeed already devoted many years of their life to solving the problems that you just mentioned.

Vladimir Lukin: I don’t know what I should say about this, especially when I am paid compliments. I would like to say that work with Mr. Robles is indeed very constructive – for all our services that are involved with this. It would be far from the truth to say that we always agree completely on everything. We sometimes argue. But it is very important to stress that we see Mr. Robles as a very objective person, who, whether he agrees with us or not, always takes the position that in Russia, a very important, difficult and contradictory process is indeed underway, but that this process is a move towards the creation of democratic institutions, structures and precedents. And here, of course, we very much count on cooperating together.

I must say that we have developed constructive work relations with the President and his administration, although he was appointed to this position independently. We have tried to show in practice that it is an independent position. At the same time we have been able to work in a team.

Ella Panfilova: I would just like to say a few words about the Commission, because you know many human rights activists – members of our President under the President of Russia. They independent, unyielding and serious leaders of human rights organisations, and very often criticize the authorities harshly on many issues. But they have the opportunity to tell the President all their proposals, and their opinions on the most serious problems in the human rights sphere that exist in Russia. And it has so happened that the Commission has naturally become an authorized representative of civil society, because we are guided by a huge number of public organizations in Russia that work in people’s interests, and which are prepared to cooperate on all issues of interest.

Virtually all the proposals that were prepared by the human rights association have been supported by the President – proposals on public control of observance of human rights in prisons, and many others.