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Medvedev plans to attend opening ceremony of Olympic Games in London

The source specially noted that Medvedev plans no tete-a-tete meeting with his British counterpart David Cameron

MOSCOW , July 17 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will lead the Russian delegation to the Summer Olympic Games that open on July 27 in London, a source in the Russian government said on Tuesday.

“It is planned that in late July Dmitry Anatolyevich [Medvedev] will come to London to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,” the source said.

“It is a must for us, it is our obligation, because, as a matter of fact, we are picking up the baton and will host the next Olympic Games,” the source noted. “As future hosts, we must demonstrate our respect to the Olympic movement and to view this event directly from London.”

“It is a private trip as concerns its format, while in terms of its content it is a working trip,” the source said. “We are showing respect to the Olympic movement and as future hosts we want to win the support of our colleagues who will be present there: rather representatives foreign delegations are expected there and we plan to meet with some of them on the sidelines.”

The source specially noted that Medvedev plans no tete-a-tete meeting with his British counterpart David Cameron but did not rule out that the two might meet at some official events.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to attend the Olympic Games. As he himself said, he would like to watch judo competitions. But “in any case, it will be private trip,” he said.