MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A long-term decline in Russia's relations with Germany will not only have a negative effect on both nations, but also the entire Euro-Atlantic region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Handelsblatt in an interview.
"Obviously, a long-term decline in Russian-German cooperation would have negative consequences not only for the two countries and their economies, but for the entire Euro-Atlantic region," Lavrov told the German daily.
In an interview billed as "Russia Beyond the Headlines," Lavrov underscored the risk of renewed "alienation" between Russians and Germans as a particular cause for concern.
"I am confident that with good will, it is within the power of our joint efforts to reverse the current adverse trend and get back to working on further developing equal and mutually beneficial partnership. We are open to any reasonable initiative on the German side to improve the situation," Lavrov said.
He underscored the important role of the two nations' capacity to improve relations, including within the framework of the German-Russian Petersburg Dialogue forum.
Russian Foreign Minister also noted that German executives working in Russia are concerned over the European Union's "sanctions spiral" and are willing to keep working in the country.
"Heads of leading German companies operating in Russia do not hide their concern with the sanctions spiral wound by the European Union [and] confirm their readiness to continue working with Russian partners," Lavrov said.
"This is fully true for the 'Cold War' period, when the the famous 'gas for pipes' deal, essentially laying the foundation of our energy partnership," Lavrov said, adding that the "logic of mutually beneficial cooperation will prevail in this day and age."
"It is this approach that meets the vital interests of business communities, the people of Russia and Germany, and the European Union as a whole," Lavrov said.
Lavrov said it was regretful that Berlin has suspended a number of significant joint projects and areas of cooperation under the pretext of Ukraine's domestic crisis.
"For the first time in many years, Russian sources have registered a 6.5-percent drop in trade to $70.1 billion," Lavrov noted.
Russia's top diplomat stressed the objective importance of the two nations' business communities in preserving an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding, promoting a positive agenda and creating a foundation for future bilateral relations in light of a significant decline in political dialogue.
"For our part, we are conducting regular talks with the business community in Germany, discussing prospects for collaboration and specific projects. In the past six months, I have met with the 'captains' of German business twice in Moscow and Munich," Lavrov said.
In July 2014, the European Union and the United States advanced from asset freezes and travel bans aimed at individuals and entities to measures against entire sectors of the Russian economy.
In response, Russia has restricted the import of food products from countries that had imposed sanctions against it the following month.
Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations of its interference in the Ukrainian conflict, advocating instead a speedy settlement to the country's year-long internal crisis and criticizing sanctions as baseless and unlawful.
