May 2, 2017
17:00
Sochi
Press statements
and answers to media questions following meeting with Federal
Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel.
President of Russia
Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,
I would like
to begin by thanking the Federal Chancellor for coming
to Sochi and for the opportunity to have
a meaningful conversation on preparations for the upcoming
July G20 meeting in Hamburg, and review urgent matters
on the bilateral agenda, as well as exchange views
on current international issues, including the Syria crisis
and the situation in Ukraine.
First, I would like
to note that Russia seeks to promote mutually beneficial cooperation
with the Federal Republic of Germany based on the principles
of respect, equality and consideration of each other’s
interests.
Despite the well-known
political challenges and fluctuations in the global economic
situation, the Federal Republic of Germany remains one
of Russia’s leading foreign trade partners. In terms
of bilateral trade, we were pleased to note that trade has started
to grow. In fact, bilateral trade surged by 43 percent
in January–February 2017.
We also noted that Germany
is a major destination for Russia’s natural gas exports, since
Russian gas accounts for 35 percent of Germany’s market.
Germany is the number
one investor in the Russian economy with investment exceeding $16
billion. German businesses benefit from all the opportunities
and privileges available for working on the Russian market.
There are about five thousand companies with German capital in Russia with
a total turnover of more than $50 billion.
It is encouraging that
the Russian-German Strategic Working Group on Economic
and Financial Cooperation has resumed its work recently. It was designed
to resolve specific issues for streamlining business-to-business ties
and helping companies implement major joint projects.
We hope that this year
German businesses will play a more prominent role at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
