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Merkel comments on Putin-Trump meeting

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have met on the sidelines of the G20 summit

© Bernd von Jutrczenka/Pool Photo via AP

HAMBURG, July 7. /TASS/. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday she hails direct talks between Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty summit.

When asked by journalists what she thinks about the first personal meeting between the two leaders, she said, "I hail Trump and Putin meeting on the summit’s sidelines."

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Putin and Trump meet on sidelines of G20 summit

Anti-terrorism efforts

The G20 member-countries adhere to a common stance on countering terrorism, which includes the fight against extremist information online, she went on.

"Terrorism is a threat for all of us, terrorism knows no borders. We agreed that the G20 should tackle this issue jointly," she noted.

"We discussed the Internet and terrorism extensively. We emphasized that we expect providers to delete information related to terrorism as soon as possible. That’s the issue of paramount importance," Merkel said.

"As for correspondence in messengers, in case of suspicions [of extremism] we need to have an opportunity to begin checking this," the German chancellor said.

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