Official website of the President of Russia

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President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Mr President,

I am pleased to see you again. We met here in Moscow during the celebrations of the 65^th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War and World War II. I am grateful that you came here then.

Exactly a year ago now we met in Slovenia and discussed various aspects of our current relations. That was a good and friendly meeting, though the Russian delegation felt some mixed emotions at that moment, because our national football teams had just played a match against each other.

I hope that today will give us the chance to discuss all areas in our bilateral relations – our economic, political, and cultural and humanitarian ties. We will discuss the international situation too, of course, and the European affairs that are important to us both as European countries. In short, we will exchange views on various developments.

Once again, I wish you a warm welcome.

President of Slovenia Danilo Turk (retranslated): Thank you very much, Mr President. It is a great pleasure to meet with you at the Kremlin today, and I am very pleased to have this chance to hold interesting talks with you on the various matters that concern us.

I want to thank you for the invitation to attend the parade that was held to mark the victory over fascism and Nazism. In Slovenia, we lovingly preserve the memory of all the victims in the war against Nazism and fascism, and consider it part of our history, part of our life today.

In May this year you proposed a new celebration in memory of the victory over fascism and our hopes for a better future. These were good and symbolic words. 

Recalling our meeting a year ago, your belief in resolving problems through legal means, and your commitment to the principles of supremacy of the law and rule of law made a strong impression on me. We in Slovenia are working hard on these very principles because, as a country in the process of transition, we must make a great effort to strengthen our legal system and its institutions. 

I will not dwell at length now on our past meetings, but just want to say that they offer hope and grounds for future cooperation.

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