Putin not to attend former Japan PM Shinzo Abe's funeral scheduled for July 12: Kremlin

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian President Vlimir Putin will not be attending funeral of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was killed on July 8. "Putin - no. rest depends on protocol rules," Peskov told  TASS news agency, when asked about Russian President's participation. Earlier, Kremlin h condemned incident and also expressed its condolences after death of Japanese leer. "We are deeply sdened by news from Japan. We resolutely condemn attack on former prime minister, Mr Abe. We expect Russian President Vlimir Putin to send a telegram of condolences shortly. Our deepest condolences to people of Japan," Peskov stated. 

Kremlin spokesperson furr stated that Abe was a true patriot of Japan who actively pursued diplomatic solutions while constantly defending national interests. "This is why he h very good relations with Russian President Vlimir Putin," Peskov noted, as per TASS. According to reports, re were more than 25 tete-a-tete meetings between Putin and Abe. In 2018 and 2019, y attended opening and closing ceremonies for years of cultural interaction between two nations. Besides, both leers also attended a gala banquet for "Stars of White Nights" music festival outside St. Petersburg and spoke with International Space Station (ISS) crews through video links. y reportedly met last in 2019. 

Abe's funeral likely to take place on July 12 in his hometown

According to Kyodo News, funeral of slain Japanese leer is expected to take place on Tuesday, July 12, in his hometown of Shimonoseki -- located in Yamaguchi prefecture. On July 8, a gunman opened fire on Abe from behind while he was delivering a campaign speech on a street in Japan's Nara prefecture. Following incident, he was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. On Saturday, July 9, his body was brought to capital city, Tokyo.

QU leer hailed  Abe as a 'transformative leer'

It should be mentioned here that several leers across world paid ir condolences to Japan and to Abe's family following tragic incident. Meanwhile, QU leers also expressed shock over assassination of Japan's tallest leer. In a statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed Abe as a “transformative leer”. QU leers also acknowledged Abe’s “formative role” in founding Qurilateral Security Dialogue in 2007.

Image: AP