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Foreign leaders congratulate Putin on his 70th birthday over phone

Vladimir Putin almost never takes a day off on his own birthday, and most often spends it at work

MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is receiving numerous congratulatory messages and telegrams on his 70th birthday from leaders of foreign countries, heads of international organizations and representatives of public and political circles, the Kremlin press service reported on Friday.

According to its information, the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Turkey and South Africa - Sadyr Japarov, Miguel Diaz-Canel, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Cyril Ramaphosa - congratulated Putin over phone. The Russian leader also received a phone call from Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"The phone conversations touched on the development of bilateral relations, as well as topical international issues," the Kremlin press service said.

Today, Vladimir Putin will also be congratulated by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders, who gathered for an informal meeting. The meeting is to be attended by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Earlier, a spokesman for Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said that the head of state would not be able to attend the summit.

Putin almost never takes a day off on his own birthday, and most often spends it at work. Several major international summits have fallen on October 7 over the years. Periodically, Putin's work schedule brings him to his native St. Petersburg on his birthday, where the president not only receives congratulations, but also conducts business meetings and negotiations.

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