Category Nation/CIS
Source RIA Novosti

MOSCOW — Russia hopes that Germany will continue to develop its strategic partnership with Russia after the September 18 parliamentary elections, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

Mikhail Kamynin said that Russia was following the campaign for the Bundestag closely and worked from the premise that, irrespective of the election results, Germany would continue to make partnership with Russia one of its highest priorities.

According to Kamynin, public opinion polls in Germany showed there was fierce competition between Gerhard Schroeder's ruling coalition of Social Democrats and Greens and the opposition Christian Democrats and Liberals.

When talking about the 50th anniversary of the foundation of diplomatic relations between Germany and Russia, Kamynin said this was "a remarkable landmark in bilateral relations and the newest political story of Europe."

"It became the starting point for the establishment of the Russian-German strategic partnership, which 50 years later has become a stabilizing factor in the Euro-Atlantic area," the spokesman said.

Speaking of foreign policy issues of interest for both countries, the diplomat pointed to Russia's cooperation with the European Union in the Middle East, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear file.

"In general," Kamynin said, "the approaches of Moscow and Berlin to key international problems are close or coincide. This, above all, is true of the fight against international terrorism, and other new generation challenges and threats."