Vladimir Putin will hold a series of telephone conversations with foreign leaders on October 7, when he turns 74. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the conversations are mainly related to the Russian president's birthday, but his schedule also includes other events.
US President Donald Trump said that he has a scheduled conversation with Putin. According to him, one of the topics will be a possible case of pneumonic plague at a Russian scientific institute in Siberia. This is a report of a possible case, not a confirmed epidemic.
Putin leaves for meetings in Turkmenistan
The Kremlin announced that Putin will visit Turkmenistan on October 8 and 9. There he will participate in the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State and the Caspian Environmental Summit. The Russian president is also expected to hold talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
In his recent public appearances, Putin has also emphasized technological development. At the opening of a production cluster for electric batteries, he said that Russia should focus on modern technologies, and the state, business and scientific organizations should join forces to localize production.
Lavrov: Moscow is concerned about the situation in the Persian Gulf
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Turkmenistan for a meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers. Before his departure, he said that Moscow was concerned about the situation in the Persian Gulf, as it negatively affects the global economy.
„We hope that the situation will remain in a political and diplomatic channel“, Lavrov said.Maria Zakharova announced that the ministers would take a preliminary assessment of the CIS's activities during the year and discuss the prospects for cooperation. According to her, special attention would be paid to the 35th anniversary of the organization's establishment.
Dmitriev made new criticism of the West
Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, said that the West had probably reached a “point of no return“. He linked his assessment to what he described as systemic lies and an inability to address the roots of domestic problems.
“You can't blame others for your own problems forever,” Dmitriev wrote.He cited migration, energy policy mistakes, military conflicts and growing social polarization as factors. His statement was published in connection with video footage of clashes between police and protesters in France.
Sources: interfax.ru, apnews.com, ordomundi.ru