Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: I am very glad to see you, Mr Massimov. Yesterday I had an opportunity to speak with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. We discussed our cooperation in trade and the economy, at least those issues that could be discussed over the telephone. We are very happy to welcome you in Moscow today. Now we can discuss all areas of our work together in detail.
Of course, during the economic downturn our trade turnover fell to $13 million, that is, by a third. But on the whole, $13 million is not so bad. And Kazakhstan has reliably been our third most important trade and economic partner.
Our two countries have done much to promote integration in post-Soviet space, and Kazakhstan is an obvious leader here, especially through the formation of the Customs Union (CU).
For the first time, we have established an important, supranational body, which has already been granted many of the responsibilities of a country. It is important not to lose this momentum and establish a common customs area by July 1 and a common economic area by January 1, 2012, as we agreed.
There is a lot of large-scale work to be done that affects all of us. But this must be approached multilaterally. Here we will work through the CIS and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Moreover, we also have much to do on a bilateral level. Cooperation in the energy industry, nuclear power and several high-tech sectors are the most important issues in relations between Russia and Kazakhstan at present, and I would like to discuss all of these issues with you today in greater detail. We will also discuss our traditional cooperation in space.
We are very glad to see you in Moscow. Welcome to Russia!
Karim Massimov: Thank you very much, Mr Putin.
First of all, I would like to convey President Nazarbayev's best regards to you.
Your first deputy [Igor Shuvalov] visited Kazakhstan yesterday and was also received by President Nazarbayev. They discussed a number of issues, including bilateral cooperation in integrating institutions.
I have been informed that the CU Commission met last week. Our first deputies are involved in this effort.
We have made substantial progress towards our goals, and I believe that we will be able to establish the common customs area by July 1, as we have agreed.
On May 21 our prime ministers will meet in Moscow. Intensive preparations for this meeting are underway.
As you have correctly pointed out, this is the first real integration association, with multilateral agencies that are able to address the necessary issues.
I have also been informed about your travels around the country. Energy issues, which you focus on, are very important for us as well, all the more so since Russia and Kazakhstan have a number of joint ventures that can and probably should work together to address shared challenges for both our countries' power industries.
Our work together in space and nuclear power also holds great promise. All projects we agreed on are making progress, and today we can give them an additional push.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.