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German ambassador says Moscow, Berlin seek to maintain high level of ties

The ambassador says the two countries strive to develop and expand relations

German Ambassador to Russia Rudiger von Fritsch Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS

German Ambassador to Russia Rudiger von Fritsch

© Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Moscow and Berlin seek to develop and expand bilateral relations despite disagreements on some issues, German Ambassador to Russia Rudiger von Fritsch said on Thursday at the opening ceremony of the Russian-German Youth Exchange Year.

He noted that good relations between peoples and countries is not just politics.

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Russian-German youth contacts maintain positive dynamic — Lavrov

"It’s a great puzzle many people piece together," the diplomat said.

"At a time when we have a lot of issues we so far cannot reach mutual understanding on, it is especially important that we can look back at the long history of our bilateral relations, and it gives us confidence in the future," von Fritsch said.

"Our countries have a very strong desire to maintain good relations and continue to develop and expand them together," he added. "For that we need inspiration and determination of young people in our two countries."

The Russian-German Youth Exchange Year is held in 2016-2017 under the auspices of Russian and German Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The ministers earlier said in a joint statement that "developing and boosting comprehensive youth cooperation as a solid basis of the Russian-German relations is a common priority for Russia and Germany.".

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