MOSCOW, June 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced satisfaction with the development of relations between Moscow and Berlin despite the recent difficulties and expressed the hope that the positive trends will persist.

"Our relations are developing at the national level despite certain difficulties," he said at a meeting with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in the Kremlin. Putin noted that "the trade turnover is growing, it has grown substantially this year for the first time." There are other positive trends too, the Russian president noted.

"We are happy about this, we need to consolidate this. I hope that your visit will contribute to that as well," Putin told Gabriel.

The Russian leader spoke highly of the Russian-German Partner City Conference underway in Krasnodar the German minister took part in. "We were greeted with a storm of applause when we said that, contrary to political disagreements, we should promote rapprochement rather than divide people," Gabriel said speaking about his impressions of the forum.