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Kremlin says Putin’s present for Austrian foreign minister’s wedding ready

The forthcoming event is not unique —Putin had repeatedly visited private parties abroad

© Mikhail Klimentyev/Russian presidential press service/TASS

MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has prepared a present for Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl and Wolfgang Meilinger, whose wedding he will attend on Saturday, August 18, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.

"I cannot say anything at this point. We will let you know," Peskov said, when asked what the present was. It is well-known that Putin selects private gifts himself with a good sense of humor and they always have a special meaning for the recipients.

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Peskov said that the Russian leader on his way to Berlin (for talks with the German chancellor) will make a stop in Austria.

"The president was to Vienna recently and it was there that he received an invitation from the foreign minister and gladly accepted it," Peskov said.

The forthcoming event is not unique, he said, as Putin had repeatedly visited private parties abroad. Peskov did not mention any examples, though. "Such things did happen. I will not tell you when right away, though," he said.

Asked if Russian media, including journalists from the Kremlin pool, will be present at the wedding ceremony, Peskov said the event’s format did not imply this.

"It is going to be a private event. There is no protocol or schedule. The framework of the working visit to Berlin will be observed," Peskov said, when asked for how long Putin would stay in Austria.

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