Even with the help of anti-Russian propaganda in the mass media, Germany has not succeeded in damaging this sympathy.

I consider the decision of my colleagues and friends to be the best birthday present.

Today, terrorism threatens a great number of states, a great number of people - hundreds of thousands, millions of people suffer from its criminal activity. And we all face the task of joining our efforts in the fight against this common evil.

Some years ago our Japanese counterparts asked us to resume the discussions of the issue and so we did meeting them halfway. Over the passed couple of years the contacts were practically frozen on the initiative of the Japanese side, not ours. At the same time, presently our partners have expressed their eagerness to resume discussions on this issue [the Kuril Islands].

If we had joined efforts some time ago [with U.S], we could have avoided many problems the world is facing now, I believe.

Even if we do not always agree on every aspect, nobody should take this as an excuse to declare us as enemies.

The sooner the Iraqi people are able to take their country's destiny in their own hands and establish their own control over it and its national resources, the sooner the process of pushing the forces of international terrorism out of Iraq will be able to begin. And the sooner the process of consolidating Iraqi society itself will also be able to begin.