President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Mr Prime Minister.
I am glad to have this opportunity to get acquainted with you and to talk about Russian-Turkish relations, about how they have evolved and developed and about their prospects. In my opinion our relations are very good: suffice it to say that trade has recently increased considerably and now amounts to nearly 25 billion dollars.
There are other aspects of our relations that we can discuss.
Our relations have significant regional and international dimensions, and of course nations as close as we are, countries that enjoy very good, warm relations, should synchronise watches in the event of problems, of which there are unfortunately quite a number these days, and here I mean in particular the recent aggression by Georgia in South Ossetia.
We have much to discuss. I am glad to welcome you. Please, go ahead.
Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Erdogan (as translated): Mr President, let me express my profound gratitude to you for this welcome. The Russian Federation and Turkey are friendly countries, and especially in recent years relations between our two countries have developed rapidly in every sphere, particularly in politics, trade and military cooperation.
This meeting will give us an opportunity to assess the situation in South Ossetia.
On this occasion, we will also have an opportunity to discuss relations between our countries.
In this region, Turkey's solidarity with the Russian Federation is of great importance. I hope that in the future this solidarity will be further strengthened.
Along with this solidarity, the development of tourism has also contributed to the rapprochement between the peoples of Turkey and the Russian Federation.
At the present time Turkey exports more to Russia than anywhere else and therefore your country has a huge significance for us.
Let me express my gratitude to you once again.