German business exports to Russia decreased by 25 percent in 2015 and business representatives expect the dry spell to continue, according to German television channel Pro Sieben.
"We have a lot of good, promising projects. I hope that your interest in cooperation with Russia, with your partners will only increase and you will not miss your opportunities in the Russian market. It would be foolish to jeopardize the accumulated potential of cooperation, miss opportunities that the Russian market provides," Putin said at a meeting with German business representatives.
The Russian leader added that the cooperation between the two countries was diverse, had a wide geography and affected a large number of areas.
"There are today's difficulties but there have always been difficulties. I have to note that even in the worst years of the Cold War, Russia — then Soviet Union — and Germany had been maintaining, developing trade and economic relations, had been carrying out large-scale projects, including one of the most symbolic — gas in exchange for pipes," the president said.
The US, EU, and some other countries including Albania, Canada and Norway imposed sanctions against some Russian individuals and companies over Crimea's reunification with Russia as well as Moscow's alleged involvement in Ukraine's internal affairs.
