Germany says relations with Russia improving
In an interview published in the newspaper Saarbrücker Zeitung, German Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas said that he sees progress in improving German-Russian relations.
" As you can see, our approach produces clear results: while some are only talking about dialogue, I have long been ensuring its intensification," said Maas.
The Minister recalled that he held discussions on May 10 in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, noting that during the talks they reached agreements not only on joint projects in the fields of science and higher education but also on "the resumption of regular consultations on security with the participation of the Secretaries of State" of both countries.
In addition, Lavrov promised that Moscow would return to the negotiating table of the Normandy Format [consisting of Russia, Germany, France, and Ukraine], which Is currently discussing a solution for the situation in the Donbas, said Maas.
The politician admitted that the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), of which he is a member, is discussing the topic of relations with Moscow. "And I am glad that socio-political debates are also taking place on this topic. I consider them to be extremely necessary in such a fundamental issue," Maas continued.
In his opinion, the participants in these discussions "ultimately want the same thing" - dialogue.
"We have always said that we should maintain relations with Russia to resolve major international conflicts," the Minister explained. At the same time, he noted that "dialogue only for the sake of dialogue is only half the battle." "I want results," Maas said, stressing that for this it is necessary "to call controversial circumstances by their names - otherwise we will not advance further."
Heiko Maas earlier admitted that Russia has recently become a complex partner while speaking of the situation in Syria.