Putin: Russia, Germany formed good basis for relations over past decade

EPA/MIKHAIL KLEMENTYEV / RIA NOVOSTI / KREMLIN POOL

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. The friendly atmosphere of relations established between Russia and Germany over the past decade must be treated with care and should not be wasted, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with German TV channel ARD.

'Look at the friendship that has been established between Russia and Germany in the past 10-15 years,' Putin said. 'I don't know if we had ever enjoyed such relations before. I don't think so.'

Asked whether he had made mistakes, the Russian president said that all people make mistakes, but they should be the issues of correction and analysis instead of the dead-end.

'We should understand, correct them and move on towards the solution of problems rather than an impasse,' Putin said. 'It seemed to me that this is the way we acted in our relations with Europe as a whole and the Federal Republic of Germany in particular over the past decade.'

Putin said that he saw the recent atmosphere in relations between Russia and Germany 'as a very good base, a good foundation for the development of relations not only between our two states, but also between Russia and Europe as a whole, for the harmonization of relations in the world.'

'It will be a pity if we let it go to waste,' he added.