It will be Putin’s first visit since Abe took office in December 2012, although Abe has been to Russian Federation several times.
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The group of 11 Eton schoolboys beat prime minister Theresa May, who’s travelling for the G20 meeting next week, to meeting and shaking hands personally with Putin in the Kremlin.
He said a Russian Orthodox monk Archimandrite Tikhon, who acts as the president’s spiritual adviser, set up the meeting after giving a speech at the world-famous boarding school.
The school, which was founded in 1440 and has educated 19 British prime ministers, said in a statement: “This was a private visit by a small group of boys organised entirely at their own initiative and independently of the college”.
“That’s why we, I mean Russian Federation, are paying increasing attention to the Asian vector of our cooperation”, Putin said.
The Kremlin has declined to comment, according to the newspaper.
Another reportedly posted on Facebook that Putin is “small in person but not in presence”.
Russian Federation watchers and analysts say Putin wants to see Europe fracture to strengthen Russia’s position in the geopolitical arena. I hope that the decision will be found.
Putin gave his support to Turkey during the July 15 coup attempt and said he stood by the elected government in Ankara, offering his condolences to the victims of what Erdogan called the “most heinous” armed coup attempt in modern Turkish history.
An informal meeting between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and exporters outside the group is due to take place in Algeria later this month.
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However, any concessions by Putin on the islands would carry political risks for him, potentially hurting the image he has crafted for himself at home as a leader who stands up for Russian national interests in the face of outside aggression.
