MOSCOW, March 9. /TASS/. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said ahead of talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Germany fears a new arms race in Europe.
"We have a concern that a new spiral of the arms race may emerge in Europe," he said. "It is too early to say now how and in what direction we could advance to prevent this."
"Germany has shown that it is a reliable partner," Gabriel added. "We say and do what we say. This concerns both complex solutions and the decisions, on which we have similar stances again."
"Germany keeps its promises, and this is necessary for the entire Europe," Gabriel noted. "The German-Russian relations are very important for us."
Sergey Lavrov said Moscow attaches great importance to dialogue on international affairs with Berlin, particularly on Ukraine and Syria.
"We recently met in Bonn and Munich. Today we have a good opportunity to continue dialogue in a more specific way, an opportunity to see how we can help promote trade and investment," he said.
"We attach great importance to cooperation with Germany in international affairs, be it Ukraine, Syria or some other issues discussed at the UN, the G20," Lavrov noted. "In light of this, today’s visit and talks are very important."
The German foreign minister noted he expected to discuss "multiple conflicts." "We have a problem of the surge in violence in eastern Ukraine and also how to make progress on Syria within the framework of the Geneva talks," he said.