Germany's Economic Minister looks forward to Russia's return to the G8
Germany’s Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Sigmar Gabriel, hopes to restore an atmosphere of trust and open dialogue with Moscow. According to Deutsche Welle, he said this during an interview with the Russlandkontrovers website.
According to Gabriel, Russia is still the main partner of Germany.
“The strength of German-Russian relations lies in overcoming critical situations and, even in a difficult period, continuing to cooperate,” he added.
Gabriel also expressed hope that Russia will once again join the “big seven” to restore the G8 format.
According to him, Moscow has previously and repeatedly shown its readiness to engage in dialogue and to contribute towards finding a resolution to problems.
Gabriel also added that “the resumption of the NATO-Russia Council meetings is extremely important”.
“It is imperative that we leave the lines of communication open and that we work towards creating an atmosphere of trust and transparency in our relations,” he concluded.
It was previously reported that the German government is updating the security strategy of the country. In reference to this, Germany’s recognized threats include terrorists, the migration crisis, hackers and Russia.