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1/2 Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office With former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. June 21, 2012 Full captionFull caption|||Minimise

• Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office| With former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.|St Petersburg|June 21, 2012|http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/media/events/photos/big/41d3f8ced71c9314ad91.jpeg|http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/media/events/photos/medium/41d3f8ced7258427a0d8.jpeg
• Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office| During meeting with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Yevgeny Primakov is second from right.|St Petersburg|June 21, 2012|http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/media/events/photos/big/41d3f8ced3613b9b1231.jpeg|http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/media/events/photos/medium/41d3f8ced36a2e900d0a.jpeg

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PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Mr Kissinger,

I am very happy to see you again in Russia, in St Petersburg this time. I am truly glad that you never forget Russia, visiting us often and participating in discussions.

The Russian public is certainly interested in your opinion on the development of Russian-American relations and the situation in the United States of America as the presidential election draws near.

Welcome.

HENRY KISSINGER: Mr President,

It is always a great privilege to see you. I have followed with great respect the efforts that you have made in your country and the efforts to establish a good and strong relationship with the United States. And I’m glad to read that a dialogue was held with President Obama, because I believe that strong relations between the United States and Russia are of crucial importance to world peace.

You have given me the privilege, for over ten years, of exchanging ideas with you, and I greatly appreciate it, both on the human and on the substantive level.

VLADIMIR PUTIN: It is true that I had a very good, detailed and sincere discussion with President Obama in Mexico.

As for our personal relations, they began while I was working as deputy mayor of St Petersburg, back in the mid-1990s. You came here as the head of the Russian-American commission. I am very glad that we have maintained these relations to this day.

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