Official website of the President of Russia

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President Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, dear Mr Prime Minister, dear colleagues.

I am very glad to welcome you here.

We are very happy about your visit. In recent years, relations between our countries have been developing, and developing well.

We can feel this. We feel that the regulations of the basic agreement that we signed some time ago are working. Goods turnover between our countries is growing. I know that you have discussed economic issues with Russian Prime Minister Mr Fradkov in detail. And I know that there are problems in this area, which essentially come down to the fact that we must improve the structure of this goods turnover.

But on the whole, the climate is good, and there are good prospects of development. Russian entrepreneurs who work successfully on the Romanian market tell us about this. But I am sure, dear Mr Prime Minister, that with your support, other companies besides those which already work successfully in Romania, other Russian companies, would be glad to do business in your country.

Adrian Nastase: Mr President, for me personally and for my colleagues, it is a great honour to be here. I can appreciate the way our relations are developing in general after the signing of the major political agreement. It may be said that the process of normalising bilateral relations has finished, and a new stage is beginning, which without doubt will be more dynamic.

I have had an excellent opportunity to talk to Mr Fradkov about economic issues. We have results, but we also have problems. We found a whole series of solutions for issues that we discussed. And we hope that as a result of these talks, Romanian export to Russia will grow, the same way as Russian investment in Romania.

I believe that the processes taking place in Romania that are leading to political stability and political consolidation will allow us to look also in the direction of consolidated partnership with your country, which in my opinion will be a very favourable context for the development of our bilateral relations.

We are witness to very interesting changes in Europe, in South-East Europe and in the Caucasus around the Black Sea – all this may also be a topic for our interest and cooperation.

This is why I believe that this visit may be a moment to renew economic, but at the same time political and cultural relations between our countries.