Dmitry Medvedev and Angela Merkel dine informally

On Monday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev started his working visit to Germany with a dinner with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the shore of a forest lake on the outskirts of Hannover.

Merkel welcomed the Russian president at the highly popular Village House restaurant, which frequently hosts weddings and family celebrations. A German spokesperson told journalists that she had probably chosen the venue because it has a magnificent view of the forest and lake.

An unexpected downpour nearly spoiled the event but it ended several minutes before Medvedev’s arrival, and the German chancellor was able to welcome the visitor out in the open.
Dmitry Medvedev and Angela Merkel had a good laugh after noticing that they were wearing almost identical light-blue blazers. The Russian president wished her a happy birthday and complained about the storm his plane ran into near Hannover.

Only informal talks were scheduled for the first day of the visit. Dmitry Medvedev and Angela Merkel maintain an extremely warm and friendly relationship, the Russian president’s spokeswoman Natalia Timakova said.

The Russian president and the German chancellor went for a walk along the lakeshore.

Dmitry Medvedev and Angela Merkel talked to each other without an interpreter during their walk.

Apart from German, Angela Merkel is fluent in Russian and English. Dmitry Medvedev speaks English well.

Food was served under a large willow. The German side declined to comment on the dinner’s menu.