Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied using his dog to intimidate former German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a meeting at his Black Sea residence in Sochi in 2007.

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin denied on Thursday that he had deliberately used his black labrador Koni to intimidate German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a meeting in 2007 that became a notorious diplomatic incident.

Vladimir Putin denied using his dog, Koni, to intimidate Angela Merkel during a 2007 meeting. Merkel, who is afraid of dogs, asked for Koni to be kept away. Putin apologized, claiming he was unaware of her phobia and sought to create a relaxed atmosphere.

Asked about the incident on Thursday, Russia's Vladimir Putin denied knowing about Angela Merkel’s fear of dogs and said he had later apologised to her.

Angela Merkel, who has a well-documented fear of dogs, recalled a tense encounter with Vladimir Putin’s Labrador in her new memoir.

During news conference in Astana, Russian President said he did not know former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was afraid of dogs saying he apologized earlier and wants to repeat his apology again. Germany's Angela Merkel has recalled tricky dealings with world leaders from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin during her 16-year chancellorship in her frank memoirs,