Media: Putin may come to Berlin in October for the wedding of ex-Chancellor Schroeder
Russian President Vladimir Putin may arrive in Berlin in October to attend a wedding of the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Korean woman Kim So-yeon, the Bild newspaper reports.
"Putin may soon return to Germany on a private visit. Rumours are circulating in Berlin that in October, he may attend the wedding of his friend Gerhard Schroeder," writes the newspaper in an article about the Putin’s visit to Berlin to meet with Angela Merkel.
According to the publication, the wedding ceremony of Schroeder and Kim So-yeon is scheduled for October 5 in one of the Berlin’s central hotels.
Schroeder served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. Today he holds the position of the chairman of the Rosneft board of directors and the chairman of the Nord Stream AG shareholders committee, which is the owner and operator of the Nord Stream pipeline.
Schroeder has consistently criticized European sanctions against Russia.
On August 18, Putin attended the wedding of Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl in Vienna. His visit caused a wave of criticism in the country.
A representative of the Austrian Foreign Ministry called the Russian president's visit to the country a working visit and noted that this would be a "personal visit to a private celebration, from which one should not conclude that Austria's foreign policy position has changed."