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While opening the forum, Mr Putin said that recent years had seen the most rapid strengthening of Russian-German relations.

Reliable relations should rest on three pillars—politics, trade and economic partnership, and cultural and humanitarian links. If one of those pillars is weakened, the entire construction may crumble. That was why tremendous efforts had been made in the preceding years to guarantee the steady and dynamic development of all aspects of Russian-German relations, Mr Putin said.

The formation of an effective European security system and the situation in Iraq were discussed at the forum. The United Nations should be the main force in settling the Iraqi problem. Moscow and Berlin regarded that as the main goal, Mr Putin said.