The 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazism will be celebrated next year. Russia and China will carry out a series of ceremonies commemorating this event. In your opinion, what does the joint celebration of this date by the two countries mean for preserving the historical memory, suppressing the attempts to deny the results of World War II, and contributing to global peace?

A remarkable date will be celebrated in Russia on May 9, 2015 - the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

On September 3, 2015, ceremonial events commemorating the end of World War II and the victory of the Chinese people, who forced out the invaders, will take place in Beijing.

In the course of negotiations in Shanghai, which took place this May, we agreed with PRC President Xi Jinping that we would celebrate these memorable dates together, as noted in our joint statement.

During the war, the Soviet Union and China were allies who struggled against a common enemy, shoulder to shoulder.

Our countries have withstood the severe test with honor and borne the brunt of resistance against the aggressors.

At the concluding stage of the war, tens of thousands of our compatriots sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Northeast China.

I would like to thank our Chinese friends for their careful attitude toward the memory of heroes, the bed of honors, and the war memorials.

Our brotherhood in arms and mutual aid of the peoples of our countries have provided a solid foundation for the present-day Russian-Chinese relations.

Today, Russia and China are interested in enhancing global stability and developing broad cooperation on the basis of international law and the key role of the UN.

We oppose the return to the ideological confrontation in world affairs and strongly condemn any attempts to falsify the history of World War II.

I am sure that the upcoming celebration of the victory's anniversary in Russia and China will enhance bilateral understanding and cooperation even more.

Which factors do you think have led to the fall in global oil prices? Will this process have a significant impact on the Russian economy? How is Russia tackling its negative effects?

Of course, the obvious reason of the decline in global oil prices is the slowdown in the rate of economic growth, which means energy consumption is being reduced in a whole range of countries.

Moreover, both strategic and commercial oil reserves in developed countries are at their highest levels in history.

There is also the impact of innovations in the technology of oil production, which led to the new volumes of hydrocarbon entering the regional markets.

In addition, a political component is always present in oil prices. Furthermore, at some moments of crisis, it starts to feel like it is politics that prevails in the pricing of energy resources.

Another negative factor is the lack of a distinct, direct link between the physical oil markets and the financial platforms where the trade is conducted.

At the same time, the derivatives greatly increasing the volatility of oil prices are being actively used.

Unfortunately, such a situation creates the conditions for speculative activity and, as a consequence, for manipulating the prices in someone's interests.

The steps taken by us are of a comprehensive and long-term nature.

They envisage further diversification of the structure and growth sources of the Russian economy, as well as the decrease of overdependence on the European hydrocarbon market, among other things due to the growth in oil and gas exports to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

Alongside that, we intend to optimize budget spending and monetary and fiscal policy.

It is obvious that the risks connected with the new situation of the global oil market affect quite a wide range of states and companies.

That is why we support a constant dialogue on this issue with the leading producers and consumers of energy resources.