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Schroeder Helps Putin and Gazprom to Improve the Image
Berlin hosted a high-profile Russian-German meeting on Wednesday, discussing Germany’s turn in presiding at the G8. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian presidential aide Igor Shuvalov topped the bill at the meeting. The two insisted that Gazprom is the most reliable energy supplier for Europe and Vladimir Putin is the most democratic ruler in Russia in its centuries-old history.
The summit headlined “Strategic Partnership Germany-Russia: Looking Back on Russia’s G8 Presidency and Looking Forward to Germany’s” was organized by the German Council on Foreign Relations and Russia Profile, an English-language magazine aimed to enhance Russia’s image abroad.
“Russia’s presidency at the G8 has been effectient and successful,” the meeting’s major speaker Gerhard Schroeder opened the meeting. “Russia is the most reliable and best energy supplier for Europe no matter what.” Igor Shuvalov, the Russian presidential aide on economy, echoed. “Russia has never halted supplies deliberately, it never has,” he said. “We will keep meeting our obligations in full.”
The two speakers were anxious to dispel fears over curtailing democracy in Russia. “President Putin is developing Russia in the democratic direction,” Mr. Schroeder said. “It is simply foolish to look at the young Russian democracy as many people in the West do.” Igor Shuvalov took his turn, saying that the chief sign for the state of democracy in Russia is the fact that Vladimir Putin “is going to refuse to run for the third term” and a new man will take his place in 2008. Schroeder said that the West should support Russia’s way towards democracy instead of constantly criticizing it.
Speaking about last year’s high-profile murders of Anna Politkovskaya and Alexander Litvinenko, the presidential aide said that the two killings had been planned by Vladimir Putin’s enemies. “Polonium and Politkovskaya – these things are linked,” he said. “There are strong groupings out there which are constantly attacking the policy of the president.”
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Jan. 19, 2007
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