MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Russia took place in a positive atmosphere, Chairman of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky told TASS.

"German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit was clearly a business one and was not politicized. The agenda of her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin included both bilateral and European issues," he said.

The lawmaker pointed out that as for the Donbass conflict, Merkel "made it clear that she will raise this topic during her trip to Kiev as it is Kiev that has been impeding the implementation of the Minsk Agreements."

"The leaders definitely had to touch upon the situation in Afghanistan. President Putin stated that Russia, the US and the EU needed to do everything to pool their efforts to support the Afghan people. We do always call for cooperation in response to crises, be it the coronavirus pandemic or the activities of terrorist groups," Slutsky noted.

He added that Merkel’s visit "took place in a positive atmosphere." "Let us hope that Russian-German relations will continue to move forward because it’s important for the entire European continent," the senior Russian lawmaker concluded.