Moscow, 20 August 2021: Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on arrival in Russia.
The Federal Chancellor laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier by the western wall of the Kremlin.
On behalf of Germany, she remembered the victims of the invasion of the former Soviet Union by Hitler’s troops on 22 June 1941.
Afterwards the Federal Chancellor was welcomed into the Green Drawing Room at the Kremlin by President Vladimir Putin.
On the agenda for the face-to-face discussions were a range of bilateral and international issues. These included trade relations and questions of international collaboration, as well as opportunities for non-governmental organisations to work in Russia.
The dramatic developments in Afghanistan brought this issue to the forefront of the encounter between the two leaders.
Following the takeover by the Taliban, the Federal Chancellor stressed the importance of preventing the Islamist group from carrying out acts of vengeance and atrocities against the civilian population.
Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, making its participation essential in any political solution to the conflict. Merkel also stressed that joint action was a way of confronting the resurgence of the so-called Islamic State’s (IS) terrorist activities.