PRESIDENT PUTIN RETURNS TO MOSCOW








MOSCOW, MARCH 3, 2001. /RIA Novosti correspondent/ --  President Vladimir Putin has returned to Moscow from official visits to Vietnam and the Republic of Korea. His plane landed at the Vnukovo-2 Airport in the early hours of the day. 


	During the first ever official visit by the Russian  President to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Presidents  Vladimir Putin and Tran Duc Luong signed a declaration on  strategic partnership. The Russian President also had meetings with other Vietnamese leaders. 


	At a brief meeting with the Vietnamese President before his departure from Hanoi Putin said that his visit "exceeded all his expectations." The Russian President was most of all impressed by the cordial reception he felt everywhere. He regarded this as the projection of the good feelings of the Vietnamese people for  Russia. Putin hopes that the important documents, which were  signed during his visit, will form the foundation for further  cooperation between the two countries. 


	Before Vietnam, the Russian President visited South Korea  where he had interesting and extensive negotiations with  President Kim Dae-jung and addressed the parliament of that country. (shi/sol) 


	


	03/03/01    10:13