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Russian President Vladimir Putin: Sergei Nikolaevich! Let me begin by wishing you a happy birthday: please accept my very best wishes for good health and success.

Obviously we are going to talk about current affairs.

Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States Sergei Lebedev: Thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for your kind wishes.

I want to say in recent weeks there have been some important events in the life of the CIS: 28 March there was a meeting of the Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs, and on 4 April a meeting of the Economic Council, at which issues of economic cooperation were discussed.

All these activities were focused mainly on the preparations for the meeting of the Council of the CIS heads of state to be held in Minsk on 23 May. It is very important that at this meeting issues relating primarily to the economic state of the CIS countries and improving economic cooperation be discussed. These issues are very important.

We are currently working on preparing a strategy for the economic development of the CIS countries and on 23 May we will be reporting on it.

We also hope to hold the business forum of CIS countries in St Petersburg under the auspices of the St Petersburg Economic Forum.

Of course cultural cooperation is also an important area. In Minsk on 25 April there will an important event to improve cooperation in this sphere.

Thank you for your expression of support on 22 February with regards to the Mir television company. We are now actively working to improve the performance of this company.