SOCHI, August 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed discussing the current situation in the Middle East during his meeting with King of Jordan Abdullah II. "The Chairman of the Palestinian Autonomy, Mahmoud Abbas, called me today and asked me to give his best regards to you," Putin said. The King of Jordan confessed he envied Putin, who had carried out a five-hour flight on board the Tu-160 strategic bomber Tuesday.
When the talks started, Putin said, "I know that at the beginning of your working visit [to Russia], you attended the [MAKS-2005] aerospace show [in Zhukovsky]. As far as I know, you did not leave it empty handed, but signed some contracts."
King Abdullah II said the two previous days at the aerospace show were evidence that the two countries' good relations are continuing developing.
On August 17, the second day of the show, the King of Jordan signed a more than $100-million contract to buy two Il-76MF aircraft.
"We agreed with the King to supply the planes in 2007. In the near future, Abdullah II will give us the technical task of equipping the cockpit with last-generation avionic devices that will comply with ICAO [the International Civil Aviation Organization] standards. Jordan is planning to use the planes for transportation," Director General of the Ilyushin Aviation Complex Viktor Livanov told a Wednesday news conference.
