Merkel arrives in Russia’s Sochi for talks with Putin

World May 02, 2017, 13:57

SOCHI, May 2. /TASS/. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arrived in Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi where she is due to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian and German leaders will meet on Tuesday to discuss war on terror, the situation in the Middle East and the implementation of the Minsk peace deal on Ukraine.

The formal reason for the chancellor’s visit to Russia after a two-year hiatus is preparations for the G20 summit to be held in Hamburg in July. However, the meeting will focus on the key international issues.

The two leaders who met fairly often prior to the 2014 Ukrainian developments will discuss in detail for the first time in three years the current state and prospects for bilateral relations, including cooperation in the energy sector, trade, economy, cultural and humanitarian spheres. "It is planned to raise key international problems, including the fight against terrorism, the situation on the Middle East, the implementation of the Minsk agreements aimed a resolving the Ukrainian crisis," the Kremlin press service said.

For his part, German Government Spokesman Steffen Seibert said ahead of the visit that Merkel is going to discuss with Putin the situation in Ukraine, the conflict in Syria and the political situation in Libya. He also noted that the two leaders would hold two rounds of negotiations and will talk to the media.

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