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News of the meeting is likely to annoy Moscow, which rejects the
finding of German, French and Swedish experts that Navalny was
poisoned with a nerve agent in Russia last month. Russia has
repeatedly criticised Germany over what it says is a failure to
share information on the case.
"It was a personal visit to Navalny in hospital," Merkel's
spokesman Steffen Seibert told a regular news conference,
declining to disclose details of what was said or how long the
meeting lasted.
Germany still expects an explanation from Russia on the case,
Seibert added.
Navalny wrote on Twitter that it was "a private meeting and
conversation with the family". He added: "I am very grateful to
Chancellor Merkel for visiting me in hospital."
The Navalny case has further worsened relations between Moscow
and a number of Western countries. Merkel has faced calls to
halt the nearly-completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline bringing
Russian gas to Germany.
Navalny was flown from Russia to Berlin last month after falling
ill on a domestic flight. He received treatment in the Charite
hospital for 32 days before being discharged last week.
(Reporting by Caroline Copley in Berlin and Anton Zverev in
Moscow; Writing by Aleaxander Marrow; Editing by Mark Trevelyan,
Peter Graff and Gareth Jones)
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