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German president congratulates Putin on winning presidential election

Berlin hopes the two countries will continue dialogue to overcome disagreements in Europe

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier Victoria Jones/PA via AP

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier

© Victoria Jones/PA via AP

BERLIN, March 19. /TASS/. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has congratulated incumbent Russian head of state Vladimir Putin on winning Russia’s presidential election. According to the German president’s press service, Berlin hopes the two countries will continue dialogue to overcome disagreements in Europe.

"I congratulate both you and Russian citizens on your re-election," the message reads. Steinmeier also hoped that "[Moscow and Berlin] will be able to counter alienation" both in Europe and "in relations between residents of Russia and Germany." "To do so, we need to continue trust-based dialogue," he noted.

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Putin garners record amount of votes that tops all recent Russian presidential elections

"The bilateral relations between our countries have traditionally been close, relying on a solid foundation. We have always seen close cooperation between Russia and Germany after the end of the Cold War as an important pillar for common European efforts to establish and strengthen a long-term common world order on our continent," Steinmeier’s press service quotes him as saying.

Incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin is headed for a landslide victory in the presidential race having garnered 76.66% with 99.84% of ballots counted, Russia’s Central Election Commission reported on Monday.

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