MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. German Ambassador to Moscow Geza Andreas von Geyr expressed his hope that Russia and Germany would be able to restore the mutual trust they have lost recently in his speech, dedicated to the German Unity Day, published on the German Embassy’s website Friday.
"We celebrate our national holiday at a time when Russian-German relations are, in words of Foreign Minister [Heiko] Maas, are under ‘dark clouds.’ I would like to say clearly today: yes, the governments of our countries have significant disagreements on very substantial issues. During the last years and months, a lot of trust has been lost. I very much hope that it would be possible to restore it soon," the envoy said.
He noted that good cooperation is in the interest of both nations, who need common approaches for solving pressing issues and conflicts in the world.
"Reliable respect for human rights and international law remains a necessary condition [for that]," he added.
Meanwhile, von Geyr pointed out the special closeness and mutual sympathy of the people of Russia and Germany, which he observed repeatedly during his service as an envoy. The diplomat also added that the two countries are connected by close economic, scientific and cultural ties: over 4,000 German companies work in Russia, providing over 140,000 jobs; besides, over 1,000 partnership agreements have been signed between the two countries’ universities.
The unification of the two Germanies took place on October 3, 1990. Starting in 1991, this day is celebrated as a national holiday - the German Unity Day.