German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a warm welcome to French President Nicolas Sarkozy who arrived in Berlin Wednesday afternoon on his first trip abroad just hours after he was sworn in as French president.

At a joint press conference before their working dinner, Merkel described Sarkozy's visit to Berlin on the day of his inauguration as a sign of a continuation of the "great friendship" between the two European powers.

Merkel, who also made her first foreign visit as German chancellor to France, was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Sarkozy on his election on May 6.

The German chancellor said on Wednesday that she is ready to work together with the new French president to strengthen bilateral relations as well as to bring forward the European integration project.

The top issue at their discussions will be how to make progress on the stalled EU constitutional treaty which was rejected by French and Dutch voters in referendums two years ago.

During election campaigns, Sarkozy has proposed the idea of a "mini treaty" comprising the essentials of the ill-fated constitution to allow the institutions of the 27-nation bloc to function fully.

Merkel, who is holding EU's half-year rotating presidency, is apparently in an agreement with Sarkozy on the simplified plans in a bid to rescue the core of the constitutional proposal.

Apart from bilateral and European issues, Merkel and Sarkozy are expected to discuss international issues including EU-Russia relations and Iran nuclear issues.

Source: Xinhua