By IRNA,
Berlin : The ongoing Georgian crisis may trigger a new Cold War between the US and Russia, German Foreign Minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier warned in a interview with Saturday’s edition of the Duesseldorf-based Rheinischen Post newspaper.
The objective must be to turn the “very fragile ceasefire into a lasting truce,” said Steinmeier.
However, there was a still a long way ahead to reach such a durable ceasefire, he added.
The German government warned earlier this week against US-led efforts to isolate Russia over its military action in Georgia.
Talking at a routine weekly press briefing in Berlin, deputy government spokesman Thomas Steg stressed his country had “no interest in isolating Russia.”
Germany is not only Russia’s “strategic” energy ally but remains also the leading trading partner with a total trade volume of 57 billion euros last year.
Moscow and Berlin have also deepened cultural ties over the past years, especially in the sphere of civil society.
Germany has faced mounting pressure by the US and several East European European Union members states, notably Poland, to enact a hardline stance towards Russia as a result of the Georgian crisis.