Transcript of the meeting's beginning:
Vladimir Putin: Mrs President, esteemed colleagues, it is my great pleasure to greet you in Russia and Moscow.
I would like to once again underscore the special nature of bilateral relations which have evolved in this format for many decades. And we are very happy to note their current level. This particularly concerns the coordination of our positions, which coincide on numerous foreign policy issues.
India and Russia are conducting successful and fruitful joint work at leading international organisations.
Our economic ties have been developing dynamically. Each year, the bilateral trade turnover expands by one third. Although the overall trade turnover does not yet match our potentials, we have succeeded in expanding it throughout January-June 2009 in conditions of the global financial and economic crisis. This is a rare occurrence in present-day conditions.
We have successfully diversified our trade and economic ties, and I believe has been achieved through the efforts of all our colleagues, including foreign ministries, our ambassadors and Governments.
Our relations in other sensitive areas, including military-technical cooperation, are developing effectively. Naturally, the large-scale and diversified military-technical cooperation has its own problems. I am confident that we will also discuss this issue today.
Naturally, your visit is a key event within the framework of the Year of India in Russia. We are very happy to see you. Welcome.
Pratibha Devisingh Patil (As translated): Esteemed Mr Vladimir Putin. Your Excellency Mr Prime Minister,
I hope that I have correctly pronounced your full name. It is a great pleasure for me to have an opportunity to meet with you and to visit your beautiful country.
This is my first visit to Russia, and I am deeply impressed. I am also extremely touched by the warm hospitality accorded to me and to my delegation.
India highly values strategic partnership with Russia. This partnership is based on shared interests, profound mutual trust between our two countries and on our common perception of the need to establish a multi-polar world order hinging on the principles of international law, sovereign equality between states and non-interference in internal affairs of states.
The people of India have always sympathised with Russia. Your country played a key role when we embarked on the road to independence, sustained economic growth and development. And we will never forget this.
We have reached national consensus that our country must preserve close ties and expand its relations with the Russian Federation. This concerns all Indian political parties, regardless of their ideology.
The preservation and expansion of our ties in the future is not only a high priority aspect of our foreign policy but its cornerstone.
I believe that my meeting with you provides an opportunity to hold talks on various methods that can be used by us for expanding our unique bilateral relations.