26 june 2008

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with the Venezuelan Vice President Ramon Carrizales

Vladimir Putin

Meeting with the Venezuelan Vice President Ramon Carrizales

Participants:
"Our cooperation is developing and is becoming more and more diversified. Already the main areas in the economic sphere have been identified: they are energy and mining. Early Russian investments are flowing into Venezuela. A Venezuelan company has been bought by a Russian investor."

Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Vice President, colleagues,

I am happy to welcome you to Moscow. I had the pleasure of talking with the President of Venezuela, Mr Chavez, the day before yesterday. We expect him here in Moscow.

I am glad to note that our cooperation is developing and is becoming more and more diversified. Already the main areas in the economic sphere have been identified: they are energy and mining. Early Russian investments are flowing into Venezuela. A Venezuelan company has been bought by a Russian investor.

Our major companies, such as Gazprom, LUKoil and Russian Railways, are exhibiting an interest in cooperation with partners in your country. Regrettably, the volume of trade and mutual investments is not yet very large. But I hope that your visit and the visit to Russia by President Chavez will speed up our trade and economic relations. We are very happy to see you.

Ramon Carrizales: Mr Prime Minister,

It is a great honour for us to be received by you in Russia. We know that you are very busy, so it wasn't easy for you.

I bring you warm greetings from President Chavez, with whom you have had a telephone conversation. He mentioned it in his speech during the parade in Carabobo to mark the Day of Venezuelan Armed Forces.

Today we had two fruitful meetings, first a meeting with Mr Zhukov and then a meeting at the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service. We went over the list of agreements we have and the minor problems that exist.