Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, has said unification has been for the most part a success in the past 20 years even though there are major gaps between the east and west.

Ms Merkel, who was raised in Communist East Germany, said in an interview yesterday that many easterners initially felt a certain estrangement in reunited Germany.

"All in all, I'd say the results of 20 years of unification have been for the most part positive," Ms Merkel said ahead of the 20th anniversary of reunification on 3 October. "There are so many eastern success stories."