On the evening of Dec. 9, 2005, 17 days after Gerhard Schröder left office as chancellor of Germany, he got a call on his cellphone. It was his friend President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

Gerhard Schroeder: The former chancellor who became Putin’s man in Germany

Werner Mueller, the founder of German chemical group Evonik and a former economy minister, has died aged 73, the company said on Tuesday.

Mueller, who also set up the RAG Foundation, stepped down as chairman of RAG and Evonik's supervisory board last year due to ill health.

The foundation is a majority shareholder in Evonik and was set up by Mueller to help deal with the costs of winding down the hard coal mining industry in western Germany and to try to reduce the impact on the Ruhr industrial region.

He also served as economy minister under Social Democrat Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Werner Mueller, the founder of German chemical group Evonik and a former economy minister, has died aged 73, the company said on Tuesday. Mueller, who also set up the RAG Foundation, stepped down as chairman of RAG and Evonik's supervisory board last year due to ill health.

Werner Mueller, the founder of German chemical group Evonik and a former economy minister, has died aged 73, the company said on Tuesday. Mueller, who also set up the RAG Foundation, stepped down as chairman of RAG and Evonik's supervisory board last year due to ill health. The foundation is a majority shareholder in Evonik and was set up by Mueller to help deal with the costs of winding down the hard coal mining industry in western Germany and to try to reduce the impact on the Ruhr industrial region. He also served as economy minister under Social Democrat Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Founder of Germany's Evonik, Werner Mueller, dies aged 73

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Gerhard Schroeder: The former chancellor who became Putin’s man in Germany

Founder of Germany's Evonik, Werner Mueller, dies aged 73