President Vladimir Putin congratulated German President Johannes Rau and Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on German Unity Day 2002-10-03 00:00:00 The message said, in part: “In the last few years, Russia and Germany have accumulated largely unique experience of multi-faceted fruitful cooperation. United Germany became a reliable and promising partner of Russia; and both countries face the common task of building a genuinely united, safe and prosperous Europe and enabling the international community to reply adequately to global threats and challenges of the 21st century. “I am convinced that long-term and constructive bilateral cooperation meets the basic interests of both nations and helps enhance international stability and progress.”