Meeting at Camp David
"We welcome the growing economic relationship between our two countries. We will continue to work together to expand cooperation in the energy sector. We recognize lower trade barriers and mutual investment will benefit both our nations. American and Russian officials are meeting more often and discussing broad range of issues. Old suspicions are giving way to new understanding and respect. Our goal is to bring the U.S.-Russian relationship to a new level of partnership. I respect President Putin's vision for Russia: a country at peace within its borders, with its neighbors, and with the world, a country in which democracy and freedom and rule of law thrive. Because of the President's vision and his desires, I'm confident that we'll have a strong relationship which will improve the lives of our fellow citizens, as well as help make the world more peaceful."
- George W. Bush
"I have just said that in only six first months of this year, the volume of our mutual trade has increased by more than one-third. We are talking about Russia's balanced policy in the world energy sphere. We conduct a very high level energy dialogue with the United States, including at the very top level. And it's difficult to say what prices would be now -- how high prices for fuel in international energy markets would be now, if we had not had such dialogue. We continue to pursue cooperation in such sensitive areas as space. And it is, indeed, so that upon the results of today's meeting, we have compiled a checklist of different issues on which we have given instructions to specific agencies in our government. That is why our cooperation is not declarative, but extremely concrete and pragmatic ... There is also good grounds for future cooperation in energy sphere. We are also improving cooperation in the sphere of information and communication technologies and in the exploration of space. And in conclusion, I would like to draw the primary result of our negotiations. We have succeeded in reaching substantial progress on the way of forming the relations of real and mutually respectful partnership between Russia and the United States. I would like to thank President Bush for his constructive approach and for his interest in the discussion of all the questions, of all the issues that we have touched upon. This was a very useful meeting."
- Vladimir Putin
