BERLIN, Aug 20, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit

Russia's Vladimir Putin in Moscow in the twilight of her reign on Friday,
with Afghanistan set to be the final twist in their long and thorny
relationship.

  From alleged cyberattacks to the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, Merkel and
Putin have rarely seen eye to eye during the chancellor's 16 years in power.

  Her return to Moscow for what is likely a farewell visit comes on the
anniversary of the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny -- which sent
relations plunging to a new low as Germany pinned the blame on Russia.

  Now, as Merkel prepares to bow out of politics following an election in
Germany on September 26, the crisis in Afghanistan could be the latest
subject to drive a wedge between the two leaders.

  While Merkel has described the Taliban's return to power as "bitter",
Russia has taken a more conciliatory tone.

  Moscow is seeking contact with the Taliban, with top diplomat Sergei Lavrov
calling it a "positive signal" that the Islamists are "declaring and in
practice showing their readiness to respect the opinion of others".

  The trip will be the 20th visit to Russia for Merkel, a Russian speaker who
grew up behind the Iron Curtain in the former communist East Germany.

  German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Afghanistan would
"obviously" be up for discussion, along with Ukraine.

  - Ukraine assurances -

  The German leader will also travel to Ukraine on Sunday, where she will
meet President Volodymyr Zelensky amid continued tensions over Moscow's troop
build-up on Ukraine's borders.

  Efforts to secure peace in Ukraine have been one of Merkel's flagship
projects and she will want to avoid creating the impression that the peace
process has "become a political zombie", Fyodor Lukyanov editor-in-chief of
the Russia in Global Affairs magazine, told AFP.

  Merkel may also seek to provide Ukraine with assurances over Nord Stream 2,
the controversial gas pipeline set to double natural gas supplies from Russia
to Germany.

  The pipeline had been delayed due to objections from several EU countries
and the United States for bypassing Ukraine's gas infrastructure, depriving
the nation of badly needed transit fees.

  But the United States and Germany struck a deal in July to allow its
completion, including a promise of sanctions on Russia should it use energy
as a weapon against Ukraine.

  Seibert said the "still unresolved" Navalny case would also feature during
talks on Friday and had placed a "heavy burden on the relationship with
Russia".

  The Kremlin critic was treated in a Berlin hospital after mysteriously
collapsing on an internal Russian flight last year, and was jailed when he
returned to Russia in January.

  To mark the Navalny anniversary, the Kremlin on Wednesday accused the
German government of a "propaganda campaign" against Russia and said Berlin
was "interfering in the internal affairs of our country".

  Navalny, meanwhile, dictated an explosive letter from prison in which he
called on global leaders to stamp out corruption and impose sanctions on
members of Putin's entourage.

  Other points of contention have included alleged espionage and cyber
attacks, with Merkel declaring she was personally targeted by Russian
hackers.

  In a particularly dramatic case, a Georgian of Chechen origin was shot dead
in broad daylight by a passing cyclist in a park in Berlin -- a murder that
Germany has accused Moscow of orchestrating.

  And just last week, a British man named as David S. was arrested on
suspicion of spying for Russia in exchange for cash while working at the
British embassy in Berlin.

  - 'I trust her' -

  But despite the many tensions, Merkel has always sought to maintain a
dialogue with Putin.

  Lukyanov predicts that Putin will give Merkel a "warm reception".

  "In a way, Merkel is close to him. The two of them have been through so
much together," he said.

  In previous meetings, the Russian leader has sought to charm the chancellor
by giving her flowers or helping her into her coat.

  But he also invited his huge black labrador Konni to a meeting in 2007 --
hardly a welcome gesture for Merkel, who has admitted being nervous around
dogs.

  "I trust her, she is a very open person," Putin has said of Merkel. The
chancellor is not known to have made similar remarks about Putin.