The talks focus on Afghanistan, Belarus, the peace process in eastern Ukraine and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Moscow today for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, TASS reported.
According to a preliminary statement from the Kremlin, the two leaders will discuss bilateral co-operation and current international and regional issues.
The Berlin clarified that the topics will include the pandemic of the new coronavirus, the conflict in Ukraine, the situation in Belarus and Afghanistan, as well as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
This is the first face-to-face meeting between Merkel and Putin since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The two last met on January 19, 2020 in Berlin at an international conference dedicated to Libya.
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This is probably Merkel’s last visit to Russia as chancellor. She has already announced that she is leaving politics after the September 26 parliamentary elections in Germany.
After arriving in Moscow, Merkel laid a wreath in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in Moscow’s Alexander Park, after which her motorcade headed to the Kremlin for talks with Putin.
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Prior to the meeting, the Russian president presented a bouquet of flowers to the German chancellor and said that “this will not be just a farewell visit”, but “a visit filled with serious and businesslike content”.
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Prior to the meeting, the Russian president presented a bouquet of flowers to the German chancellor and said that “this will not be just a farewell visit”, but “a visit filled with serious and businesslike content”.
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Germany remains one of Russia’s main trade and economic partners in Europe and the world, Putin said, which he said was also a credit to Merkel during her 16 years as chancellor. The Russian president pointed out that last year there was a big decline in bilateral trade with Germany, but in the first half of this year it doubled.
Then the formal negotiations began in a small group. On the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Assistant to the President Yuri Ushakov, and on the German side, government spokeswoman Stefan Seibert and Uta Christina Bainhof, who heads the Chancellery’s foreign policy and security council. After the protocol part, the negotiations continued behind closed doors, TASS reported.
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