BERLIN, May 16. /TASS/. The upcoming meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi will provide an opportunity to bring the two countries closer together, Chairman of the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations Wolfgang Buechele told TASS on Wednesday.

"We welcome the chancellor’s visit to Russia, the first in a year," he said. "The meeting with President Putin will come at an important moment," Buechele noted, adding that "given the highly difficult global situation, there is a chance to bring Germany and Russia closer together in light of mutual political and economic interests, which particularly refer to the maintaining of the Iran nuclear deal, the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and the criticism of the new US sanctions on Russia and their impact on German companies," he noted.

"The chancellor’s visit will follow the visits to Russia that [German] Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Economy Minister Peter Altmaier have recently made," Buechele added. "The number of visits shows that the new German government places much importance on dialogue with Russia," he said.

"We hope that Russia will appreciate Germany’s efforts and the meeting in Sochi will give a new impetus to the search of a solution to the Ukrainian conflict and the implementation of the Minsk Agreements," Buechele stressed. He pointed out that resolving the conflict "is crucial for putting an end to the harmful spiral of sanctions."