MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated the heads of the G7 Group of industrialized nations with Christmas and the coming New Year, the Kremlin press office reported on Friday.

The congratulatory messages address the leaders of the United Kingdom, including the British Queen, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the United States. Moreover, according to the congratulatory address, Putin congratulated the American people in the person of US President-elect Donald Trump rather than outgoing US President Barack Obama.

At the same time, Putin conveyed congratulations to Obama in a special statement on Russia’s response to a new wave of Washington’s anti-Russian sanctions.

With good wishes

In his congratulations addressed to British Queen Elizabeth II and UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Putin "confirmed his conviction that the positive development of bilateral relations and partnership interaction in solving topical international problems meets the interests of the peoples of Russia and the United Kingdom."

In his message to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Russian president stressed that "the outgoing year has confirmed the need for Russian-German interaction for solving essential regional and international problems, and also for countering threats and challenges to global security."

"The Russian president expressed the hope for joint efforts to preserve and multiply the positive potential of bilateral cooperation accumulated over decades in various spheres in the interests of the peoples of the two countries and the entire European continent," the Kremlin said.

In his message to French President Francois Hollande, the head of the Russian state noted such negative factors in the outgoing year as the unprecedented migration crisis by its scope and a considerable growth in terrorist activity.

Putin "expressed the hope that Russia and France will preserve and multiply the positive potential of bilateral cooperation and will continue constructive interaction in solving topical problems of the European and global agenda."

In his address to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Putin noted with satisfaction that the Russian-Japanese dialog had considerably intensified in 2016.

"The constructive negotiations in Russia, Peru and Japan have allowed making considerable progress in solving important issues of the bilateral agenda," Putin said, expressing the hope for the continuation of the joint work for building truly partnership relations between Russia and Japan.

Congratulation for US President-elect

The Kremlin press office also said that a congratulatory telegram was addressed to US President-elect Donald Trump who takes office on January 20.

"In his congratulatory message, the head of the Russian state expressed the hope that after Trump takes office as the US president, the two states acting in a constructive and pragmatic way will be able to take real steps for restoring the mechanisms of bilateral cooperation in various fields and bring the interaction on the international scene to a qualitatively new level," the Kremlin said.

"Serious global and regional challenges our countries have to face in recent years vividly confirm that the Russian-US relations remain an important factor of ensuring stability and security in the contemporary world," Putin’s message to Trump says.

Meaningful interaction

Putin has congratulated BRICS partners with the coming New Year, according to the Kremlin press office. The president expressed confidence that Russia and its partners in the informal association will continue meaningful interaction on a bilateral basis and within the framework of various organizations and forums. Putin also invited the President of Brazil Michel Temer to take advantage of an "invitation available with him to visit Russia with a state visit," the Kremlin’s press service said.

The Russian leader "recalled with warmth the bilateral meeting at the BRICS summit in Goa and confirmed readiness to continue the meaningful dialog and constructive joint work to strengthen the Russian-Brazilian strategic partnership," press service of the Kremlin said.

Vladimir Putin noted in congratulatory messages addressed to President of India Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister of the Republic Narendra Modi that the outgoing year was successful for relations between Russia and India. Putin appreciated the hospitality rendered by the Indian party at the BRICS summit in Goa and expressed hope that the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations’ establishment between Russia and India falling on the year of 2017 "will be marked by new successes in scaling up productive bilateral cooperation in many spheres."

The Russian leader highly praised the status of Sino-Russian relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction in the congratulation to the President of China Xi Jinping. Putin expressed confidence in more dynamic development of mutual interaction to the benefit of both nations and for the sake of strengthening international stability and security.

The Russian - South African meeting during the BRICS summit in Goa confirmed that bilateral relations were successfully developing in the spirit of comprehensive strategic partnership, the Russian president said in the congratulation to the President of South Africa Jacob Zuma. Putin expressed confidence "Russia and South Africa will continue meaningful interaction on a bilateral basis and within the framework of various international organizations and forums."

International organizations

Putin has sent New Year’s greetings to heads of international organizations and several former heads of state. According to the press service, Putin wished a happy New Year to outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General-designate Antonio Guterres, the head of the International Monetary Fund and the president of the International Olympic Committee.

"In his message to Guterres, Putin expressed hope that the UN Secretary-General-designate would take advantage of his vast professional experience and extensive knowledge to effectively manage the organization which has been the main pillar of the system of international relations," the press service said. "The Russian president noted that Guterres visited Moscow in November 2016, and confirmed Russia’s readiness to further boost meaningful cooperation with the United Nations."

Putin also sent holiday greetings to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino, Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Faseland and International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer.

Besides that, Russia’s leader wished a merry Christmas and a happy New Year to a number of former heads of state and prime ministers, including Helmut Kohl, Gerhard Schroder, Juan Carlos I, Silvio Berlusconi, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Tarja Halonen and Nicolas Sarkozy.

Common humanitarian values

President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Pope Francis I on the occasion of the New Year, the Kremlin press service said.

"Vladimir Putin congratulated His Holiness Pope Francis I on the occasion of the New Year and expressed the hope for a further fruitful and constructive cooperation between Russia and the Vatican on the basis of close approaches to the particularly acute problems of our times and respect for common humanitarian values," the report said.

Also, Putin sent a message of congratulation to Prince Albert II of Monaco where he said he was "recalling with great warmth the recent meeting on the occasion of the Days of Monaco in Russia."

"Putin praised Prince Albert II’s personal contribution to the strengthening of mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Monaco and voiced the hope for further unimpeded development of bilateral relations in the coming year," the report said.