President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev: Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich!
I am very glad to see you in Bishkek. And we hope that your first official visit to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan will be a strong impetus for relations between Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
I would like to start by thanking you for your condolences, which you sent after the earthquake in the south of the country, where many lives were lost and a great deal of destruction occurred, and for the assistance that has already begun to arrive.
As for relations between Kyrgyzstan and Russia, they are developing steadily and dynamically. I hope that both the issues and the agreements we will discuss and sign today will prove to be a good foundation for further effective cooperation.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev: Dear Kurmanbek Salievich!
I am also very pleased to be here as your guest. Thank you for the invitation. This meeting is not the less important for having been scheduled in advance.
Of course I would like to begin by repeating the words of condolence that we have already expressed. What happened to your country on October 5 was a real catastrophe. And we hope that all the difficulties it created will be overcome. If you need anything, we are always ready to provide support to our friends in need.
With regard to our relations, at the moment these are strategic relations that are very good in every area. This is true in the economic sphere, which we will discuss in detail just now in an extended format because of the work done by the intergovernmental commission. They have prepared a whole package of good agreements, touching on general questions and on very specific ones. I hope that the implementation of these agreements will further benefit our economies, our nations and our peoples. There are good projects in the cultural and educational spheres and good plans in the social sphere. We will certainly discuss all of these things with you. We will also talk about interregional cooperation and exchange views on the international situation.
Yesterday I was in Evian [France], where I attended a conference. Of course there exist now many difficulties, primarily financial and economic ones, and we should work together, as immediate neighbors and allies, to determine how we can face these challenges together.