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Putin arrives in Milan to take part in ASEM summit

The ASEM forum will open on Friday morning

© Michail Metzel/TASS

MILAN, October 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived from Belgrade in Milan to attend a summit of the Europe-Asia Meeting (ASEM) forum, on the sideline of which he is to meet with a number of foreign leaders, including his Ukrainian counterpart.

Thus, Putin is to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, said that the two leaders were expected to exchange views on bilateral relations with a special focus on the situation in Ukraine. They will discuss the implementation of the Minsk agreements on ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, on ensuring uninterrupted Russian gas transit to Europe in the coming winter. The German chancellor confirmed that the agenda would include a range of issues related to Ukraine, such as gas supplies and observance of the Minsk agreements.

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Japanese PM hopes to meet Putin at ASEM summit

Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told TASS that due to changes in the schedule the meeting had been postponed. He said he hoped the time would be agreed by the end of the day.

Later on Thursday, ASEM leaders will have a dinner on behalf of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. After the dinner, Putin is expected to meet with the Italian president.

The ASEM forum will open on Friday morning. The summit has been convened every two years since 1996 as a forum for dialogue and co-operation between nations of Europe and Asia. This year’s summit is going to be a record-breaker in terms of participating heads of state and government - 51. It is expected that along issues of economic recession, efforts against traditional and new threats, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, participants will address the problem of Ukraine. That country, which is not an ASEM member, will be represented by President Petr Poroshenko.

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Putin, Merkel discuss preparations for ASEM forum in Milan

On Friday morning, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will give a breakfast for Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Francois Hollande of France, Petr Poroshenko of Ukraine, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They might be joined by British Prime Minister David Cameron, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherinin, who will take over the post of the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Apart from that, Putin plans to have bilateral meetings with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Austria’s Chancellor Werner Faymann.

Tags

Foreign policy Vladimir Putin Angela Merkel Dmitry Peskov

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NATO has no plans to deploy nuclear forces in Poland — Stoltenberg

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Top Russian security official praises Republika Srpska’s principled position on Ukraine

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The Kiev regime’s attempted terrorist attack on facilities in Russia’s territory with the use of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle was thwarted

Russia seeks to break down barriers for its food exports — MFA

Sergey Vershinin recalled that Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea initiative for the export of grain and food due to the fact that it could not be implemented in the original volume

Weapons for new US package for Kiev yet to be found — Ukrainian ambassador

Oksana Markarova explained that $4 billion worth of weapons that was to be provided under the previous decisions still remained undersupplied

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Russia ready to cooperate with all interested partners to ensure security — Putin

The Russian leader expressed confidence that the the 12th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues "will bolster cooperation for the mutual benefit of our countries and peoples"

MGIMO to host third international forum ‘Russia - Africa: What Next?’

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Yury Chikhanchin pointed out that the perpetrators of the attack were provided with money, weapons, transportation and ammunition