She said it on Friday in the town of Gustrow, the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the territorial branch of the Christian Democratic Union held a congress.

BERLIN, June 3. /TASS/. Germany’s Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel has supported the intentions to set up a common economic zone on a space from Lisbon to Vladivostok.

Some sanctions to be lifted from Russia when Minsk accords implemented — US ambassador

"I’m in favor of a gradual rapprochement between Russia and the European economic area so that we could get a common economic zone from Vladivostok to Lisbon in the final run," she said.

Merkel indicated along with it that the EU could not go back on its own principles in the wake of the situation in Ukraine and that is why it introduced the sanctions against Russia.

She pointed out the importance of strict compliance with Minsk accords, the adoption of a Ukrainian law on local elections in Donbass and the provision of access to the borderline for the Ukrainian forces in the places where they do not have it.

"When these conditions are fulfilled, there’ll be an opportunity to lift the sanctions immediately," Merkel said.