Mr Putin spoke in detail about the outcome of the talks held by Alexander Losyukov, Russian special representative, in Pyongyang. The President said Russia believes the meetings in Pyongyang have laid a good groundwork for a productive dialogue with North Korea to reduce tensions and negotiate political settlement of the North Korean nuclear problem.
The Presidents reached agreement that the foreign departments of the two countries would continue negotiating on the issue.
Discussing the Iraqi problem, Mr Putin said the findings of international inspectors were the main criteria for assessing the situation; they would be submitted to the UN Security Council in the near future.