MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is to receive new German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday. Later in the day, Steinmeier will have talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said a schedule for further political contacts between Moscow and Berlin would be drawn up at the Russian-German negotiations.

"One of the main goals of the upcoming meeting is to 'restart' the mechanism of bilateral interstate consultations with key ministers from both countries," Kamynin said.