Official website of the President of Russia

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President Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,

I am very much pleased to meet with you today, and I want to say that meeting representatives of influential American Jewish organisations is becoming a good tradition. And so I was pleased to hear several of my guests greet me not just with the words “hello” or “good afternoon”, but “nice to see you again”. I want to return the favour.

This is a good chance to discuss interaction between our public organisations, and I hope that your Russian colleagues and my friends have informed you in detail how Russian Jewish organisations work, what problems they have, and how they solve them.

You have probably been told a great deal about the Russian Jewish community. I must say that we are proud of several new buildings, such as the new synagogue in Moscow, which was opened a short time ago, and is combined with a cultural centre. It is quite a unique building, the only one in Eastern Europe, and perhaps even in the whole of Europe. For us, for Russia, which is a multi-national, multi-religious country, the support and agreement of the inter-religious and international peace is a task of primary importance. We have certain problems with this, but I am certain that we also have a lot to be proud of in this area.

I enjoy exchanging ideas about Russian-American relations with you. We are also interested in discussing issues connected with the situation in the Middle East. I will also be interested in your opinion. Especially as today, about half an hour ago, I talked with Prime Minister Abu Mazen and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. I want to pass on to you the very best wishes from Mr Sharon.

Thank you.