We have to keep talking to each other, even at times that are politically difficult. It’s the only way of maintaining trust. It’s the only way of solving problems peaceably.

I’m flying to Russia today to open the German-Russian town-twinning conference in Krasnodar together with my counterpart Sergey Lavrov. In spite of all our political differences, we should not forget how close and varied relations between Russians and Germans have become since the end of the Cold War. The twinning arrangements between our towns and regions play a crucial role in this regard. We have every interest in further expanding this kind of interaction between our societies.

We will only be able to overcome the major international conflicts of our times if we work together in a spirit of mutual trust. We need a constructive Russia – in Syria, Libya and Afghanistan, and likewise in eastern Ukraine. That too I will talk about with my interlocutors in Russia.