Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: Mr Sidorsky, ladies and gentlemen. I'm very glad to meet you in Moscow. As agreed, we are having this meeting today following the effective completion of joint efforts on a large package of documents that is to become the cornerstone of the Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Nevertheless, there are some very sensitive issues for the economies of our two countries that, as agreed, are to be addressed in a bilateral format so that the entire package on the Common Economic Space could be made real. I hope very much that we will finalise these issues during our consultations today. I'm glad to see you and welcome.
Sergei Sidorsky: Thank you. Mr Putin, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for the opportunity to have this meeting today. We have been keeping in touch with the Russian and Kazakh governments on the preparation of the package of documents on the Common Economic Space. We issued our latest instructions at the meeting in St Petersburg and the experts are at the final stages of their work. Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeyev are currently in Moscow, too, and are working on the documents. Naturally, this package includes certain issues that are to be discussed bilaterally – between Russia and Belarus and with Kazakhstan. These issues will form the basis of this agreement, the basic package of documents that exists.
In addition, there is a number of issues related to the supply of hydrocarbon raw materials and natural gas in 2011. I would like to request, Mr Putin, that you find the time for a meeting to look into these issues so that our economies could start implementing these programmes from the beginning of 2011. Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you today.
Vladimir Putin: For how long has your deputy been working with his Russian counterparts already?
Sergei Sidorsky: For a week. We had a meeting on November 30 and on December 1 we agreed that the experts should continue their work. So, they have been working for a week. Yesterday we had another meeting and discussed the situation once again. I can say that we have made significant progress on many issues. As for our trilateral agreements, we seem to have no disagreements at all.