President Vladimir Putin of Russia has sent condolences to the mother and to the wife of the late Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan, who was killed by a gunman on Friday.
Putin’s message called Abe “an exceptional statesman, who … did a lot for good neighborly relations” between Russia and Japan during his tenure in office.
Putin said that, during his contacts with the Japanese politician, he fully appreciated his personal and professional qualities.
“A fond memory of this wonderful man will stay forever in the hearts of everyone who knew him,” he said.
Earlier the Russian foreign ministry described the shooting as a “terrorist act” and called for the culprit to be held accountable. Meanwhile Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, called Abe a true patriot of Japan.