Novo-Ogaryovo (Russia): Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will
continue to co-operate with the United States on important international affairs
despite the two countries' differences over Iraq.
"In the political sense, the US and Russia are the biggest nuclear powers in the
world, and the special responsibility for the protection of international peace
rests upon us," he told reporters, who were hastily called April 3 to his suburb
residence of Novo-Ogaryovo.
"In solving any problems of a global character, including crisis situations, we have
always co-operated, are co-operating and will co-operate with the US."
Putin said Russia and the United States are working together to combat terrorism and
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Putin emphasised the importance of the US economy to Russia, saying trade turnover
in 2002 was $ 9.2 billion and was expected to approach $ 10 billion this year. He
noted that both Russia's Central Bank reserves and the savings of millions of
private citizens were kept in Dollars, making any fall in the US currency a blow to
Russia and Russians.
"The economy and currency of the US have a global significance and their development
directly influences the development of the economies of Russia and Europe," he
said.
Speaking on a day when a leading Russian Mufti declared "jihad" against the US,
Putin pledged that Russia would not be "pulled into the Iraqi crisis in any form"
despite strong emotions produced by the conflict. He did not comment directly on
Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin's call for Russian Muslims to raise money to buy weapons for
Iraq.
