Washington: Citing scheduling reasons, US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo abruptly cancelled a visit to Germany, where he was scheduled to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“Unfortunately, we must reschedule the Berlin meetings due to pressing issues,” US state department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.
“We look forward to rescheduling this important set of meetings. The Secretary looks forward to being in Berlin soon,” she added.
The secretary, who was in the midst of an overseas trip, was due to meet Merkel and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas about “issues of mutual concern,” including Russia, China and Syria, reported CNN.
Meanwhile, Pompeo is likely to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on May 14 in the Southern Russian city of Sochi, reported TASS news agency. Pompeo could be received by Russian President Vladimir Putin after the talks.
This will be the second meeting between the two top diplomats this month. The two met in Finland on Monday where they held discussions on Venezuelan standoff.
The development holds prominence as Russia and the US have taken diametrically opposed stands in the Venezuelan political crisis. The two countries have traded warnings against each other’s interference in the country’s affairs.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]