Putin says his meeting with Obama not a goal in itself
BALI, Indonesia. Oct 8 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that a meeting with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama is not a goal in itself, reaffirming, however, his interest in further promoting cooperation between the two countries.
"Our contacts continue through the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry. In my opinion, the situation is quite satisfactory. Of course, there is still a lot to do to make our work more effective, especially in the economy. Our mutual trade has been declining for the second year in a row. Given our vast untapped potential, we still have a lot of work to do," Putin said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"As far as this meeting is concerned, I do not think that meetings should be held just for the sake of meeting. We have been engaged in regular, stable and quite effective work. I am certain that such a meeting will take place when the need arises," the Russian president said.