[Economic restrictions] is one of the elements that is destabilising the world economic order that was at one time created largely by the United States itself at the dawn of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade that was later transformed into the World Trade Organisation.

There is no uniform, global model for democracy.

We had a very good situation in 2005. The common budget had a volume of 80 billion dollars per year. Thousands of jobs were created in Germany by Russian investments. At the same time, a large number of German companies invested in Russia. There were countless cultural and social contacts.

[Egon] Bahr even said: If Russia agreed to the NATO expansion, he would never come to Moscow again.

I assume that our colleagues from both the United States and the European Union will proceed from current humanitarian law and ensure political freedoms and rights of all people, including those who are living in the territory of Baltic states after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

We have good personal relationship with President Obama, our relations are quite frank and business-like. And this is quite enough to do our job.

I'm convinced that a person in my position must provide a positive example to people.