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Agencies: Russia's Putin says regrets Annan's departure

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he regretted Kofi Annan was leaving his role as international peace envoy for Syria and called a situation there "a tragedy," Russian news agencies reported.
"Kofi Annan is a very respectable person, a brilliant diplomat and a very decent man, so it's really a shame," Putin said in London, according to Interfax. "But I hope that the international community's efforts aimed at ending the violence will continue."