MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in his New Year's greetings to U.S. President Barack Obama that achievements of this year should help improve Russian-U.S. cooperation.
"Putin said with satisfaction in his letter of greeting to U.S. President Barack Obama that relations between Russia and the U.S. have seen further development in the outgoing year, and the two countries have managed to attain important results in a number of areas by combining their efforts, including the enactment of the New START treaty and the completion of the negotiating process on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization," the Russian government press service said in a statement.
"In the Russian prime minister’s view, the positive groundwork that has been laid enables [the two countries] to continue their work on expanding Russian-American interaction in all areas," it says.
"I am convinced that we can achieve a lot if our dialogue is based on equality and real respect for each other’s interests," Putin said.
Putin also sent his Christmas and New Year’s greetings to British Prime Minister David Cameron. "Putin expressed the hope that Russian-British interaction will be strengthening in 2012 in all areas, i.e. politics and economy, trade and investments, science and high technology, education and culture," it says.
In his letter of greeting to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Putin mentioned the start of a number of large-scale joint projects, including the first phase of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. He said he was sure that the upcoming year will open up more opportunities for productive joint work, which should be further promoted by a year of Russia in Germany and a year of Germany in Russia.
Addressing Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Putin stressed significant results of Russian-Italian partnership, mentioning, in particular, the successful organization of events within a year of Russian culture and language in Italy and a year of Italian culture and language in Russia.
"In his letter to the president of the French Republic, the head of the Russian government sincerely thanks Nicolas Sarkozy for his invariable support for bilateral relations. Putin spoke for even more active and constructive interaction between Russia and France in the best interests of the two peoples and stability and security of the whole of Europe," it said.
Addressing his French counterpart Francois Fillon, Putin said he hoped 2012 will see even stronger Russian-French strategic partnership and more productive interaction in the political, economic, scientific, educational, cultural and other areas.
Putin also sent his Christmas and New Year’s greetings to the heads of state and government and other prominent policymakers and public figure of a number of other countries, the government press service said.
