PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Dear Mr Chairman, dear colleagues!

Allow me to welcome you once again. I am glad to be able to welcome a delegation from the Chinese parliament to Moscow. And we see with satisfaction that members of parliament are increasingly making an important contribution to the development of intergovernmental relations. Mr Hu Jintao and I are trying to keep up with you. This year we will meet at least four more times. And I hope that our next meeting in mid-June in Shanghai will allow us not only to develop the Shanghai Cooperation Organization but will give us the opportunity to analyze the state of our bilateral relations and to plan how they will develop in the future.

We highly value the level of Russian-Chinese economic and political relations as well as the cooperation between our law enforcement agencies and defense ministries. In connection with this, supporting our members of parliament is extremely important for ensuring that we will be able to implement all of our high-level agreements in a successful and timely way.

I hope that both today’s and yesterday’s meeting were successful. I will gladly listen to your opinions on how work in this direction is proceeding.

CHAIRMAN OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE’S CONGRESS OF CHINA U BANGO: Thank you, Mr President, for your warm welcome.

And thank you very much for finding the time to meet with me and my colleagues today. I am very happy to be able to meet with you once again in Moscow. First of all, allow me to transmit a warm greeting from President Hu Jintao. As yourself, he is waiting impatiently to meet with you in Shanghai in June. I was in Moscow in May two years ago. Two years have gone by and I am once again here on a visit. I will tell you honestly that the huge changes that have taken place in your city made a very strong impression on me. We know that Russia’s economy is developing very quickly. And very big improvements are visible in Moscow. I saw four construction sites along the road between the airport and the hotel. I also visited the construction site for the Federation tower. I was told that it will be the tallest building in Europe.

The population’s living standards have also significantly increased. We see social stability and unity in your country. Russia’s role in the international arena is growing. Of course, as Russia’s friend, China is sincerely pleased for its success. We highly value the path you have chosen for Russia’s development, a path that takes into account Russia’s national characteristics. This includes both Russia’s political and economic development. I think that Russia has achieved huge successes, since your country removed all barriers and is decisively continuing to develop according to the wishes of the Russian people.