German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday on the sidelines of the 2019 Petersburg Dialogue, a two-day bilateral civil society forum being held this year in the German town of Königswinter, near Bonn.

Maas and Lavrov's attendance is the first time since 2012 that high-ranking government officials from both countries have taken part in the event.

The German Foreign Ministry said the discussions were centered on the preservation of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, the future of arms control and the situation in eastern Ukraine. Relations between Russia and Germany have been strained over Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The conflict and annexation have drawn international condemnation, along with sanctions against Russian companies and oligarchs.

Maas said that although Germany and Russia have different positions on eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, the two countries need to "work together on the political level" to find solutions, adding that the "constructive participation" of Russia was necessary to solve international issues.

"Without Russia, we will not find answers to the pressing issues in global politics," said Maas.

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Sergey Lavrov and Heiko Maas meeting at the Petersburg Dialogue on July 18

Preserving Iran deal

Maas and Lavrov also discussed the Iran nuclear deal, which was signed by eight countries including Russia and Germany, and was hobbled after the US dropped out in May 2018.

The German minister pointed out that Berlin still adheres to the deal, and that the US withdrawal was "unexplained."

"No one wants to see escalation in the region," said Maas.

Lavrov called the nuclear deal a "breakthrough" for the region, and accused the US of violating international law by dropping out, but urged Germany and the EU to take a "more principled" stance on the issue.

"All of the participants need to be involved in the process of helping implement and maintain the plan of action," said Lavrov.

The EU has been trying to salvage the nuclear deal, but has been unable to circumvent the crippling effect of US sanctions on Iran's economy. Iran has responded by enriching more uranium. Maas said on Thursday that Iran's actions were not acceptable.

Read more: Iran calls EU efforts to save nuclear deal inadequate

Tensions easing?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin were invited to the Petersburg dialogue in March, sparking high hopes for a reset in bilateral relations.

Although the two leaders decided not to attend, over 300 representatives from both countries did come to promote ties between Russian and German civil society.

"Today we have seen the potential of both our countries and societies in many areas," said Maas.

"Even though we currently have fundamentally different views on many issues, dialogue with Russia remains necessary. We will not find answers to urgent international issues without Moscow. What is more, we can only achieve lasting peace in Europe if we work together."

Read more: Germany faces backlash over Russia's return to European rights council

Problems remain

But despite the positive rhetoric, sanctions against Russia are set to continue until at least 2020, and Moscow is still accused of violating the Minsk agreements, a set international rules aimed at solving the Ukraine conflict.

Lavrov told the Rheinische Post newspaper on Thursday that the sanctions regime against Russia was doing damage to European budgets and job numbers. Some German politicians in the east of the country have even called for the sanctions to be lifted.

Read more: Russia sanctions debate deepens Germany's east-west divide

There is also concern in Germany over the emergence of Russia's "soft power" apparatus, either through state-controlled media, or oppression of free speech and civil society.

Ronald Pofalla, chairman of the Petersburg dialogue and a former CDU cabinet member in Merkel's government, welcomed Maas and Lavrov's meeting at the dialogue as a positive step in relations. However, Pofalla told DW on Wednesday that the "illegal annexation" of Crimea by Russia, the deadly violence in eastern Ukraine and the oppression of civil society will "never be acceptable."

Read more: Vladimir Putin interview: Liberal idea has 'outlived its purpose'

"We will continue to work on rebuilding trust among people, trust that was called into doubt by political differences," said Maas in a press release.

The first Petersburg dialogue was held in 2001 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, after which the dialogue is named.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel: Through good times and bad Up-and-coming leaders In 2002, Angela Merkel was the head of what was then Germany's main opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Putin was the fresh-faced president of a new and modern Russia. After meeting Putin in the Kremlin, Merkel reportedly joked to her aides that she had passed the "KGB test" of holding his gaze — an allusion to Putin's earlier career in the Soviet security agency.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel: Through good times and bad New chancellor in town Putin had built a friendship with Angela Merkel's predecessor, Gerhard Schröder, and the two men remain close to this day. By late 2005, however, it was clear that Merkel was set to dethrone the Social Democrat Schröder. Talking to Merkel in Russia's Berlin embassy, Putin pledged to expand the ties between the two countries. Merkel described the dialogue as "very open."

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel: Through good times and bad A friendly ear for Putin About a year later, Putin shared his impressions of the woman who had since become Germany's chancellor: "We don't know each other on a very personal level, but I'm impressed by her ability to listen," he told Germany's public broadcaster MDR from Dresden, adding that listening was a rare skill among female politicians.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel: Through good times and bad A gap in Merkel's armor The German chancellor has a well-known fear of dogs. Still, Putin let his black lab Konni wonder around the Sochi venue when he welcomed Merkel there in January 2007. Was he trying to intimidate her? Merkel seems to think so: "I believe the Russian president knew very well that I wasn't thrilled by the idea of meeting his dog, but he still brought it with him," the chancellor said in 2015.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel: Through good times and bad Too thin-skinned on media By 2012, Vladimir Putin had taken on a harsher course towards the press and political dissenters. When asked about media freedom while in Saint Petersburg, Merkel responded with a barely hidden jab at her fellow leader: "If I were to get sulky every time I opened a newspaper, I wouldn't last three days as chancellor," she said.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel: Through good times and bad Talks continue into the ice age Relations between Moscow and the West took a steep plunge after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. However, Putin told German media that he still maintained a "business-like relationship" with the German chancellor. "I trust her. She is a very open person. She, like anyone else, is subject to certain limitations, but she is honestly attempting to solve the crises," he told Bild, a German daily.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel: Through good times and bad No insult intended but ... "I don't mean to insult anybody, but Ms. Merkel's statement is an outburst of a long-accumulated anger over limited sovereignty," Putin told the press in Saint Petersburg in 2017, commenting on an election campaign address that the German leader had given in Munich. Merkel's so-called "beer tent" speech saw her urge Europeans to rely on themselves amidst disputes with US President Donald Trump.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel: Through good times and bad Rolling with it Just a month after Putin's remarks on sovereignty, the two leaders were photographed talking at a G-20 summit in Hamburg. While the topic remains a mystery, both Merkel and Putin used strong gestures. At one point, as Putin wags his finger Merkel looks away from him and rolls her eyes. The moment quickly went viral.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel: Through good times and bad 'We have to talk to each other' When Merkel arrived in Sochi in 2018, Putin welcomed her with a bouquet of flowers. An offer of peace? An act of gallantry? Sexism? The rationale didn't really matter in the big picture. Appearing alongside Putin, Merkel said dialogue needed to go on. "Even if there are grave differences of opinion on some issues, we have to talk to each other, because otherwise you just sink into silence." Author: Jan D. Walter, Darko Janjevic



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