The Russian President and the British Prime Minister discussed the prospects of cooperation in trade, the economy and energy between the two countries, as well as international issues, including the situation in Syria.
* * *
Statements to the press following the meeting
Prime Minister of The United Kingdom David Cameron: Thank you everyone for coming. It has been very good to welcome President Putin back to Number 10 Downing Street, and to see this steady growth in British-Russian relations.
We have discussed cooperation over these Olympics and the Sochi Olympics in 2014, which we hope will be a success. We have discussed our commercial relationship, where British exports to Russia have been increasing rapidly over the last two years, and we want to see further growth in trade, investment, and exports.
We have discussed cooperation in areas such as energy, in addition, and we have also had a discussion about the situation in Syria. While of course there have been some differences in the positions that we have taken over the Syrian conflict, we both want to see an end to that conflict and a stable Syria. We will continue to discuss with our foreign ministers how we can take this agenda forward.
Today has been about a further strengthening in our relations and having these important dialogues, even in areas where we do not always agree, so that we can understand each other’s positions.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: For my part, I want to thank the Prime Minister for his invitation and the opportunity to come to London to meet with him and attend a judo competition.
I would like to begin my statement by congratulating the British people, the Prime Minister and all our colleagues on the magnificent, fantastic spectacle staged at the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games. It was very impressive. This wonderful celebration was a present for all of humanity.
We are currently preparing for the Olympic Games in Sochi. Of course, such large-scale events often entail a lot of problems, so it is particularly interesting for us to study the experience of our British colleagues.
We devoted most of the time today to economic issues, and I think such discussions are highly valuable in these dramatic times in the world economy.
Trade between our countries grew by around 35 to 40% last year. We have agreed to seek new areas for joint efforts to develop our trade and economic ties.
We also gave considerable time to the situation in Syria. We noted that our views on certain aspects are nearly identical. We agreed that we will work together to find a solution to this crisis and give an additional impetus to our Foreign Ministries to work together and find acceptable solutions.