MOSCOW, September 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will on Tuesday receive the letters of credentials from 24 newly arrived ambassadors of foreign countries, including unfriendly ones. The head of state is also scheduled to hold talks in Moscow with Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Tuesday.
In particular, the ambassadors of Cyprus, New Zealand, Portugal and South Korea will hand their credentials to Putin, the Kremlin press service said earlier. At present, all the EU countries are on Russia’s list of unfriendly countries, which also includes New Zealand, South Korea, and a number of other states.
Putin will also receive new envoys from some former Soviet republics, namely new diplomats from Armenia, Belarus and Moldova. Serbian Ambassador to Russia Momcilo Babic will also be present at the ceremony.
Also, the Russian president will receive credentials from envoys of Asian countries (Mongolia, Nepal and the Philippines), Africa and the Middle East (Algeria, Egypt, DR Congo, Kuwait, Libya, Mali, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda), as well as from Latin America’s Venezuela, Colombia and Uruguay.
Last time Putin accepted credentials from 20 foreign ambassadors in December 2021. Traditionally, in his address to foreign diplomats the president gives his opinion on major trends in international affairs and bilateral relations with specific countries.
Meeting with Dodik
On Tuesday, Putin will also hold a meeting in Moscow with Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik. On the eve of talks, this information was confirmed to TASS by Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
In an interview with TASS ahead of his visit, Dodik said he was planning to discuss with Putin the project to build a gas pipeline and moves to expand cooperation in culture. The politician, among other things, mentioned the initiative to set up a new Russian-Serbian Orthodox center. During his visit, Dodik plans to invite Putin to Banja Luka.
The two last time met in person on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June, when Dodik announced that Russian companies would build a gas pipeline and two power plants in Republika Srpska. He also thanked the Russian leader for the price for natural gas, saying there is no alternative to Russian energy resources. Late last year, the politician said he had agreed with Putin to keep gas prices for Republika Srpska at around $290 per 1,000 cubic meters.