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MOSCOW, Oct. 25-- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed readiness on Wednesday to improve bilateral relations amid divergences. "Despite the well-known political difficulties, Russian-German relations are not treading water and we are willing to work together to further develop them," Putin said at a joint press conference here after talks with Steinmeier. Germany remains one of Russia's leading foreign economic partners and a key investor in the Russian economy, he said, according to a Kremlin transcript of the conference. Putin said the two presidents support industrial cooperation in energy sector as well as exchanges in scientific and cultural spheres. "We agreed to facilitate the further expansion of inter-regional cooperation and contacts, including through non-governmental organizations," he said. Steinmeier said Crimea and the Ukrainian conflict among other issues are burdening German-Russian ties. Although a single meeting can not solve the problems, Steinmeier said the two countries should work to reduce discrepancies of the past years with greater predictability and restore a certain minimum of confidence. | 
