Mr Putin gave Mr Chirac his warmest wishes on his birthday.
Mr Chirac also received a written message of congratulations from Mr Putin today, which reads in particular:
“Your inherent wisdom as a statesman, and your will and creative energy make a full contribution to developing the entire range of Russian-French relations and deepening our strategic partnership.
I would like to stress how greatly I value the personal relations that we have built up. The trust that we share and your readiness for dialogue and openness to discuss all problems on the agenda enable us to find joint solutions to even very complex issues”.