Moscow, Dec 30 (UNI)- Russian President Vladimir Putin has wished Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to foreign heads of state and government, prominent spiritual leaders including Pope Francis and his former counterparts worldwide, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
Putin sent letters of greetings to some European leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said in a statement. He praised the Russia-Serbia relations for “moving in a constructive direction” and reaffirmed his commitment to continuing “constructive and pragmatic” interaction with Hungary. The Russian leader added that Moscow and Ankara had been “quite effective” in developing their multifaceted cooperation.
In the message to Pope Francis, Putin noted the pontiff’s commitment to the values of humanism and justice and expressed hope that “the Pope will continue promoting peace, accord and mutual understanding among nations through his unrelenting efforts.”
Putin also addressed the leaders of South American countries, namely Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, emphasizing the potential of further cooperation and the friendly nature of relations with the countries of the region.
Among the Asian and African countries, Putin congratulated the leaders of Vietnam, India, China, Laos and South Africa.
In his greetings to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Putin reaffirmed that Moscow will continue providing all possible assistance to the settlement of the crisis in Syria and its post-conflict recovery.
“The Russian leader also expressed confidence that further efforts to forge closer friendship and cooperation serve the core interests of the Russian and Syrian people,” the Kremlin said.
Putin also extended greetings to several former foreign heads of state and government, including former French President Nicolas and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the Kremlin said.
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