The Prime Minister [Shinzล Abe] also highlighted the need to address general humanitarian issues. We already mentioned one of these issues: visa-free travel by Japanese citizens to the South Kuril Islands.
Vladimir PutinWe have already begun taking concrete steps to change the structure of our economy and, as we have discussed a great deal, to give it a more innovative quality.
Vladimir PutinPeople in Russia say that those who do not regret the collapse of the Soviet Union have no heart, and those that do regret it have no brain.
Vladimir PutinThings are different in the international relations between states. In this respect, I am neither a friend, nor bride or groom [of the West].
Vladimir PutinIf we do it, if we work to achieve all this [cultural exchange with Japan], we can and should talk about joint efforts toward ensuring international security, and not only in the Far East.
Vladimir PutinWhen Saddam Hussein was eliminated, the Iraqi statehood and thousands of people from the former Baath party were also eliminated. Thousands of Iraqi servicemen, who were part of the state's Sunni elite, found themselves thrown out into the street. No one gave a thought about them, and today they end up in the ISIS army.
Vladimir Putin