Putin completes one year in office, quotes Nehru

MOSCOW, DEC. 26. The Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, has summed up his one year in office quoting Jawaharlal Nehru -``we have as many problems as we have people''.

``There is a similar feeling here. I never forget that an enormous number of citizens live difficult lives, poor lives and this feeling never leaves me,'' he told the State-controlled TV channels ORT and RTR.

Mr. Putin will be completing a year as President on December 31.

``We must get rid of imperial ambitions on the one hand, and on the other hand clearly understand where our national interests are, to spell them out clearly and fighting for them,'' he said.

``In the Soviet days we so much scared the world that huge military and political blocks emerged. Did we really benefit from this? Of course not. But 10 years ago for some reason we decided that everyone heartily loves us,'' he said, referring to Russia's honeymoon with the West at the beginning of the post- Soviet era.

In 1999, Mr. Putin visited 24 countries, including India, China and G-7 nations, the immediate neighbours and Soviet-time allies such as North Korea, Mongolia and Cuba.

Mr. Putin said Russia would not bow to western pressure on issues of Russian nuclear and military cooperation with Iran.

``There are some specific things about this region, which prompt us to take into account international security concerns,'' he said, referring to both Iran and Iraq.

``Being a UN Security Council member and a G-8 member we should take into account these concerns,'' he added.

Mr. Putin appeared undisturbed at the forthcoming change of guard in the U.S. .``I find it difficult to agree that we should expect any deterioration in US-Russian relations,'' he said.

- PTI

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