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The meeting came after Merkel's visit to Sochi in May. Before
holding talks at the Schloss Meseberg outside Berlin, the two leaders
addressed reporters.
"I am of the opinion that controversial issues can only be
addressed in dialogue and through dialogue," Merkel said.
On the planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline to transport Russian gas
to Germany, Merkel said Ukraine must continue to play a role in the transit of
gas to Europe once Nord Stream 2 is in place. She welcomed the start of
discussions among the EU, Ukraine, and Russia on the issue.
"I would like to stress that the main thing is that the
Ukrainian transit -- which is traditional for us -- meets economic
demands," Putin said, adding that Nord Stream 2 was exclusively an
economic project.
The US opposes the pipeline project as he believed that it will
increase Germany's dependence on Russia for energy. Ukraine fears the
pipeline will allow Russia to cut it off from the gas transit business.
Putin also urged Europe to intensify humanitarian aid to Syria
so that refugees could return home. He warned Europe that millions of
refugees from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey would be potentially a huge burden
for Europe.
For her part, Merkel said it was first of all to avert
humanitarian crisis in Idlib, Syria and the surrounding region, and said she
and Putin had already discussed the issue of constitutional reforms and
possible elections when they last met in Sochi.
On Iran, the Russian president said he would discuss with Merkel
the Iran nuclear deal between world powers and Iran.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters no agreements
were reached, but the meeting had simply been intended to "check the
watches" after Merkel's meeting with Putin in the Black Sea resort of
Sochi in May.
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Source: NDO
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