(radioliberty) - Energy security and efforts to revive stalled negotiations on a new EU-Russian cooperation pact are expected to take center stage at upcoming talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Merkel, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, meets her Russian counterpart on January 21 at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Merkel's meeting with Putin is part of a long-planned working visit. No major breakthrough is expected from the talks, although the leaders are likely to touch on several hot-button issues, reports Trend.
Merkel is expected to press Putin for guarantees on Russian energy deliveries to the European Union following a bitter energy pricing dispute between Russia and Belarus.
The row briefly disrupted oil deliveries to several European countries, including Germany, and caused jitters over the reliability of Russian supplies.