President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Mr President, I would like to welcome you to the city of St Petersburg. Unfortunately, the weather is not ideal, but I am very glad that you came.
This is a busy time. We are holding the [St Petersburg International Economic] Forum, which provides us with additional opportunities to meet, discuss our bilateral relations, and talk about regional problems.
We have many important, high-priority topics to discuss, which are of great concern to everyone: the effects of the global financial and economic crisis, the energy security issues so essential for our countries, and the interesting joint projects. We should also think about preserving the bilateral trade volume we have achieved in recent years. Out trade should only be the results of our deliberate steps, not the ups and downs of the international markets.
I think that our bilateral humanitarian projects are also very important. You have given a great deal of attention to such projects, including ones relating to the promotion of the Russian language. We appreciate this, and thank you for it.
There are other ideas to discuss as well, and so, welcome. I am truly happy to see you here in St Petersburg.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, Mr President. Thank you for your invitation. I am very happy to have the opportunity to meet with you today and to continue our discussions on a wide range of issues.
Our meetings are fairly regular and intense, reflecting the development of relations between our two countries. We appreciate the fact that, as you said, our ties are developing in many areas, including political and economic cooperation. I hope that trade volumes between our nations will not suffer much, despite the crisis.
As far as humanitarian connections, I think that our relations can stand as a paragon, as we have done a great deal already, and we also have many plans for the future.
We have a very wide-ranging agenda and, as usual, we have many topics for discussion, including regional issues, security in our region, as well as oil and gas cooperation, which are gaining particular relevance and importance today. We can once again discuss and jointly design a roadmap for future progress.
It is important that despite the crisis, both Russia and Azerbaijan demonstrate they have sufficient domestic resources to ensure continued progress and development. I am certain that in the future, our cooperation will remain as positive, predictable, and amicable as it has always been.
Once again, thank you for your invitation.
Dmitry Medvedev: Thank you.