PREVIEW: Activists' murders to overshadow Russia-Germany talks

Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to raise the issue of the two recent murders of human rights activists in the Caucasus when she meets Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday, a government spokesman said in Berlin. Zarema Sadulayeva, a prominent Chechen rights activist and her husband Alik Djibralov, were found shot dead near Grozny on Tuesday. The recent murders come less than a month after that of Natalya Estemirova, also in Chechnya. Merkel would speak with Medvedev on the subject, as she had also raised the issue after Estemirova's murder when she met Medvedev in July, Merkel's spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm told journalists on Wednesday. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry added that 'We are very anxious about the situation of human rights defenders and non- governmental activists in the northern Caucasus.' Merkel is due to meet Medvedev in the Black Sea resort of Sochi where the agenda is also to include energy supplies from Russia, and a prospective EU-Russia partnership agreement. Wilhelm said the issue of energy - Russia supplies a quarter of all gas used in the EU - would be an important part of a renewed EU- Russia Partership and Cooperation Agreement, negotiations over which faltered because of the Russia-Georgia war in 2008. Russia is the EU's third-largest trading partner, and within the EU Germany is often seen as having the most leverage with Moscow, as Berlin has maintained a relatively pro-Russian stance in comparison with other EU partners. Russia and Ukraine have in the past week suffered a diplomatic fall-out, which threatens once more to endanger gas supplies transiting Ukraine to the EU. In January 2009 a disagreement between Russia and Ukraine ended up cutting gas supplies to much of western Europe. Merkel's spokesman also said the two leaders would deal with preparations for the G20 summit due to take place in the US in September, just days before a German general election. Merkel and Medvedev will also likely deal with the issue of Opel, negotiations over the sale of which from General Motors are still continuing. Russia and Germany have backed the bid from Canadian- Austrian parts maker Magna, which includes money from a state-backed Russian bank, although GM has yet to make a decision. In addition, news reports on Wednesday said Russian gas-giant Gazprom was considering buying into bankrupt German shipyard company Wadan Yards, a move which has not been confirmed.