German chancellor meets Russian FM & military chief in Berlin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Berlin on Tuesday. The meeting was also attended by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov, Reuters reported, citing Germany’s deputy government spokeswoman. Participants of the meeting, which was agreed last week by Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussed Syria and the situation in the Middle East, the spokeswoman said in a statement. The conflict in eastern Ukraine was also on the agenda, she added. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the talks focused on creating conditions for the return of Syria’s refugees.