Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologised to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for an incident in 2007.
Putin said he did not mean to scare her when he brought his pet Labrador to meet her.
Merkel, who has a fear of animals, recalled the tense encounter in her memoirs published this week. She accused Putin of bringing the pet to the meeting as a "show of force" and playing on her discomfort.
"I didn't know she was afraid of dogs," the Russian president said at a news conference in the Kazakh capital Astana.
"Once again, I address her through the media and say, 'Angela, please forgive me, I didn't mean to cause you mental anguish. On the contrary, I wanted to create a favorable atmosphere for our conversation," he added.
"If you ever - I realize this is unlikely - come again, I will not do it under any circumstances," Putin added.
Footage from their 2007 meeting in the Russian city of Sochi shows Putin's black Labrador retriever "Connie" pacing around as the German leader sits in his chair and smiles nervously.
Merkel recounts the incident in her memoirs, "I could tell by the expression on Putin's face that he was enjoying the situation."
Putin is known to love dogs. He received Connie as a gift from Sergei Shoigu, who later became defense minister. | BGNES
