Bishkek, Shawwal 09, 1437, July 14, 2016, SPA -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Thursday for an end to tensions with Russia and for boosting ties between the European Union and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union after years of conflict between the EU and Moscow over Ukraine. "It's true that we have some work ahead of us, but I support this in principle," Merkel said on a visit to Kyrgyzstan designed to bolster economic relations with the Central Asian nation ahead of a Eurasian summit in Mongolia this weekend. "If there is goodwill all around, then we can do it, and then we will focus on other topics again," Merkel said. Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev agreed, saying, "as a Eurasian country, we feel the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis between Russia and the EU, and we want all sides to find a compromise as soon as possible," according to the Interfax news agency. Kyrgyzstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, a Moscow-dominated trade bloc of several former Soviet republics. Atambayev told Merkel that there should be a common economic zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok, encompassing the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. --SPA 17:36 LOCAL TIME 14:36 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w