Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) for an incident in 2007 when he brought a dog to a meeting despite the Chancellor’s corresponding phobia. He didn’t know that “she was afraid of dogs”said Putin on Thursday, when asked about a passage in Merkel’s recently published memoirs. “If I had known, I would never have done this,” affirmed the Russian president.
When the two met in Sochi, southern Russia, 17 years ago, Putin suddenly let his black Labrador into the room. The dog named “Koni” ran up to the then Chancellor to sniff her. A famous photo from the meeting shows the big black dog in the middle of the room. In the picture, Merkel, who was once bitten by a dog, looks at the animal with a worried expression, while Putin watches the scene with a smile.
In her memoirs, Merkel writes that Putin “liked the situation” and may have wanted to demonstrate his power or see her in distress. The Merkel emphasized that the Russian president knew very well that she was afraid of dogs.
Putin assured on Thursday that he wanted to create a “relaxed and pleasant atmosphere”. “I turn to her again: Angela, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause you any distress,” the president said.
Putin is known to be an animal lover. Knowing this, Merkel’s team expressly asked the Kremlin that Putin not bring his dog to their meetings, the former head of government explained. Accordingly, Putin respected this wish at their very first meeting in Moscow in 2006. Instead, he gave her a gift: a black and white stuffed dog. Putin told her that he wouldn’t bite and she put a “good face on the bad side,” Merkel wrote. (AFP)
