During a meeting with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin brought his black Labrador, Koni, into the meeting room, scaring her. The incident became a notorious diplomatic incident.
Koni the dog walks around during a meeting between Russian President Putin and former German Chancellor Merkel in 2007. (Photo: Getty Images)
When asked about the incident, Russian President Putin confirmed that he was unaware of former German Chancellor Merkel's phobia and later apologized to her.
“I told Mrs Merkel that I did not know that she was afraid of dogs. If I had known, I would never have done that. On the contrary, I wanted to create a comfortable, pleasant atmosphere,” Mr. Putin said at a press conference on November 28.
The Russian President once again made a public and solemn apology to former Chancellor Merkel, and affirmed that in case she visits again, he "will definitely not do so again".
"Once again I address her. Angela, please forgive me! I did not want to cause you any unpleasant feelings," Mr. Putin said.
Putin's dog Koni makes Merkel uncomfortable. (Photo: Getty Images)
In her new memoir Freedom, former German Chancellor Merkel wrote that she knew Russian President Putin sometimes brought his pet to meetings with foreign guests, so she asked her assistant to ask Putin's team not to bring Koni to the meeting of the two leaders because she was afraid of dogs.
Ms Merkel said that during a meeting in Moscow in 2006, Mr Putin respected her request and then gave her a large stuffed dog, saying it did not bite.
During a meeting in Sochi a year later, Mr Putin's pet dog Koni wandered around the meeting room and went straight to Mrs Merkel, making the former German Chancellor uncomfortable.
The former German Chancellor described the incident as a challenge: "I tried to ignore the dog, even though it moved almost next to me. I saw the expression on Mr. Putin's face as if he was very comfortable with this situation."
"Was it a small act of power? I just thought: stay calm and focus on the photographers, and the dog will go away," she wrote.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ong-putin-xin-loi-cuu-thu-tuong-duc-merkel-ar910355.html
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