Russian President Vladimir Putin received telephone congratulations from the heads of allied states on his 71st birthday and held discussions on foreign policy. The head of the Kremlin spoke on the phone with the presidents of Belarus, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, as well as the head of the government of Armenia. Putin personally met with presidents Shawkakat Mirziyoyev (Uzbekistan) and Kassym-Shomar Tokayev (Kazakhstan) . From their residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, near Moscow, they gave the starting signal for the supply of Russian gas to Uzbekistan, in Central Asia, via transit through Kazakhstan. Putin’s contacts, celebrated in the state media, aim to show Russians that their country is not isolated, despite the war of aggression against Ukraine.
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September 26, 2023 | 43:13 minutes
State agency Tass wrote that it was Putin’s 20th anniversary as president – this does not include the four years in which he handed over the role to Dmitri Medvedev and still managed Russia’s fortunes as prime minister. Officially, it was said that Putin usually celebrated his birthdays privately, with family and friends.