Berlin, Aug 13 (IANS) German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the outskirts of Germany's capital at the weekend, it was announced on Monday.
Merkel would welcome Putin on Saturday at Schloss Meseberg, the official state guest house 65 km north of Berlin, German government's spokesperson Steffen Seibert was quoted as saying by Efe news.
Among the topics up for discussion would be the conflict in Syria and the situation in eastern Ukraine.
The German government insists on the need to maintain an open dialogue with Russia, despite differing points of view, Seibert said.
The two leaders would give a brief press conference ahead of their talks, which are expected to wrap up at around 4 p.m., according to the agenda.
The meeting comes after Merkel travelled to the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi, where she and Putin held talks and came out in favour of maintaining the Iran nuclear deal, despite the US having withdrawn from the pact.
