BERLIN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday met Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chief of the General Staff of Russian armed forces Valery Gerasimov.
Ulrike Demmer, deputy spokeswoman for the Germen Federal Government, Ulrike Demmer, issued a statement saying that the meeting was agreed last week between Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The focus of the conversation between the two sides was the situation in the Middle East, especially in Syria. The conflict in eastern Ukraine was also discussed, Demmer said.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also attended the meeting. Demmer gave no further detail about the meeting.
The meeting between Merkel and Russian officials came after Lavrov and Gerasimov met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, also to discuss Syria.
