Washington: US President Barack Obama called
Russia`s president-elect Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on
his victory in the recently held elections, the White House
said.
Obama highlighted achievements in US-Russia relations over
the past three years with President Dmitry Medvedev, including
cooperation on Afghanistan, the conclusion and ratification of
the START agreement, Russia`s recent invitation to join the
World Trade Organisation and cooperation on Iran, it said.
"President Obama and President-Elect Putin agreed that the
successful reset in relations should be built upon during the
coming years," it said, adding Obama said that he looked
forward to hosting Putin at the G-8 Summit in May at Camp
David.
The two leaders outlined areas for future cooperation,
including strengthening trade and investment relations arising
out of Russia`s pending accession to the WTO, the statement
said.
Obama and Putin also agreed to continue discussions on
areas where the US and Russia have differed, including Syria
and missile defense.
"President Obama and President-Elect Putin agreed to
continue their efforts to find common ground and remove
obstacles to better relations."
PTI
