Vladimir Putin States That Russia Will Stay In Mediterranean

Preservation of Russian presence in the Mediterranean "is stipulated first of all by the interests of international security taking into account the strategic situation of this region and the geographical proximity of Russia to it." This is said in the text of Vladimir Putin's interview with the Greek newspapers Eleftherotypia and To Vima, received from the press service of the president of the Russian Federation. Asked about a possibility of resuming the practice of the 1970s-1980s when the Russian Navy was present in the Mediterranean on a permanent basis, Putin noted that much had changed by now. "Our presence should be viewed as a necessary element of maintaining security and stability in the Mediterranean," the president said stressing that he did not see in this "a direct analogy with the developments of twenty years ago."