Putin to take part in FIFA Congress, attend gala concert dedicated to 2018 World Cup

MOSCOW, June 13. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in a meeting of the world’s governing football body, FIFA, on Wednesday in Moscow, the Kremlin press service reported. "On June 13, Vladimir Putin will take part in a meeting of the 68th Congress of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), which will be held at the Expocenter ahead of the beginning of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In the evening of the same day, Putin will attend a gala concert of opera stars on Red Square timed to the 2018 FIFA World Cup," the press service said. Taking part in the concert will be Valery Gergiev, Denis Matsuev, Anna Netrebko and other classical music star, the press service added. Russia selected 11 host cities to be the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara. The matches of the 2018 World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums located in the 11 mentioned above cities across Russia. Two of the stadiums are located in the Russian capital. Putin on FIFA World Cup In his video address dedicated to the 2018 FIFA World Cup made public on June 8, the head of state stressed that Russia had done its best to make sure that all participants and guests feel at home and have an unforgettable experience. "It is with immense joy and a great honor that we receive representatives of the great football family. We want this event to be a celebration, filled with passion and emotions," the address says. "We have done our best to ensure that all of our guests - the athletes, the staff and, of course, the fans - feel at home in Russia. We have opened both our country and our hearts to the world. Welcome to the FIFA World Cup! Welcome to Russia!" the president said. VIP guests Leaders of a number of countries are arriving in Russia these days to attend the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup on June 14 and hold talks in the Russian capital. According to Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry, President of that country Evo Morales will be in Russia on June 13-14 where he expects to meet with his Russian counterpart and attend the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has similar plans. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is likewise in Russia. The country’s Embassy in Moscow earlier reported that, in addition to visiting Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, he plans to meet with Putin on June 13. Earlier reports said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan planned to pay a working visit to Moscow on the occasion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening. Read more