Moscow, Dhu-AlQa'dah 12, 1438, Aug 4, 2017, SPA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was first elected to the office 17 years ago, said on Friday that he would consider running for re-election next year, dpa reported. The Kremlin has been coy in recent weeks about whether the 64-year-old head of state would run for another six-year term in the March 2018 election. In early July, his spokesman said the matter was still undecided. Putin was on a visit to the Siberian region of Buryatia on Friday when a veteran practically begged him to consider running for re-elected. Putin replied curtly: "OK, I will think about it. Thank you." Putin served two consecutive four-year terms from 2000 to 2008, then became prime minister until 2012, when he again became president. --SPA 13:54 LOCAL TIME 10:54 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w459814