Important international issues can be resolved only with Moscow's participation, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said before departing to Moscow, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
At the same time, he noted that currently Germany has "principally different positions with Russia on many issues." "We need to discuss this," Maas said, explaining that they will achieve results on important international matters only with Russia's participation. "For this, we need direct and open dialogue," TASS cited him as saying.
The German foreign minister urged Russia to play a constructive role in efforts on Ukrainian settlement. According to him, they have "hope for the light at the end of the tunnel" when it comes to issues of ceasefire, disengagement of forces and implementation of the Minsk Agreements. "Now all sides need to demonstrate readiness for dialogue and action, or people will continue to die in this conflict," Maas stressed.
Among other topics on the agenda for Moscow talks will be the situation in Syria, developments in the Persian Gulf and the future of arms control.
