Д.Медведев.Совместная пресс-конференция.27.06.08.Part 4

Joint Press Conference following the Russia-European Union Summit.Part 4
June 27, 2008
Khanty-Mansiysk

Совместная пресс-конференция с Генеральным секретарём Совета Евросоюза Хавьером Соланой, Председателем Комиссии Европейских сообществ Жозе Мануэлом Дурау-Баррозу и Председателем правительства Словении, Председателем Совета Евросоюза Янезом Яншей по итогам саммита Россия Евросоюз
27 июня 2008 года
Ханты-Мансийск

During its six months' presidency of the EU, Slovenia has sought to contribute to the realisation of our goals. We have tried to establish a common vision for the development of our partnership. Now the mandate to negotiate on behalf of the European Union will pass to the European Commission. The European Commission President, my friend Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, is a polyglot and he knows what a powerful weapon language is. I am therefore confident that he will appreaciate the symbolism of this summit, at which for the first time Slavic languages have been heard on both sides. In this spirit, let us hope that in the future the EU and Russia will find a common language.

DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Thank you. I would like to thank you in particular for this eloquent assessment of the current situation. Let's try and move further east with a view to promoting the concept of a giant Europe that stretches from Vancouver to Vladivostok.

Mr Barroso, please, you have the floor.

CHAIRMAN OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOSE MANUEL BARROSO: Thank you very much. Unfortunately, I don't speak any Slavic languages very well, so I will speak in English.

First of all, I would like to say that this is the first EU-Russia summit involving President Medvedev. The summit was very good and very constructive.

We are beginning talks on a new agreement. I am confident that, with the adoption of a new agreement, our relations will begin a new chapter. Negotiations will begin next week in Brussels. We in the European Commission are grateful to our member states for the mandate they have given us. And we will do everything possible in order to successfully implement it, because this is a very important agreement for the future as it will help bring about full cooperation between the EU and Russia.

During our meeting, I listened carefully to Mr Medvedev's point of view on the future of Russia and of our strategic partnership. In particular I welcome his recent discussion of the need to strengthen the rule of law to facilitate cooperation between important members of the international community, such as Russia and the EU, while addressing global problems such as climate change, energy security, food security and financial instability. All these problems are global in nature. They are near the top of the list on our agenda, and we examined them in the light of our cooperation in these areas.

For example, we talked about energy. As you know, this is a significant part of our trade and investment relations. Measured by value, two thirds of our imports from Russia involve energy. I would like to say categorically that Russia will remain a major supplier of energy for the EU. And the EU will remain a major export market for Russia. In the future I think we will become even more interdependent. Therefore, our common goal is to make this situation beneficial to both sides. We think that the new agreement should reflect the principles of the Energy Charter and the principles which were agreed at the G8 summit in St Petersburg.

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