MOSCOW, November 18 (Sputnik) – The Russian delegation was greeted warmly at the G20 summit Australia and the summit itself was very useful, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.
“The Australian partners have created a very friendly atmosphere for our work, very cordial, I would say, and it encouraged us to search for solutions to problems that the global economy is facing,” Putin said at a congress of the All-Russian Popular Front, answering a question by one of the forum's participants about the statements made by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott prior to the G20 Summit.
Ahead of the summit in Brisbane Abbott promised to have blunt discussions with Putin over the Malaysian passenger jet that crashed Ukraine in July, threatening to "shirtfront" the Russian President: a term used in Australian football to describe a player knocking another down to gain control of the ball.
The Russian leader said that he was aware of Abbot's statements but attributes them to the political culture. Putin stressed that nothing of a kind had happened during the Summit.
"I repeat: nothing like that happened in life and in work. We discussed very constructively not only the topics that we came to discuss, but also very complicated issues regarding the crash of the Malaysian Boeing – thoroughly and constructively. I assure you that everything was not only in a very civilized manner but also very benevolent," Putin said.
"You know that I missed the last breakfast, but we have practically completed all work," Putin said. "I think it all was very constructive, very useful, our stance was heard."
The Russian president also noted that ordinary Australians greeted the Russian delegation warmly on the streets.
Over the weekend, the city of Brisbane has seen world leaders and around 4,000 delegates in a bid to find a solution to a number of world issues. Global financial recovery, the Ebola virus epidemic and climate change were among the challenges discussed during the two-day summit.
