On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his American counterpart, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was their first personal meeting, and the conversation lasted about two hours.
REYKJAVIK (Sputnik) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden will find ways to further improve Russian-US relations.
The remarks were made by Lavrov following his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Reykjavik.
Lavrov reportedly told Blinken that Moscow was ready to discuss any issues with Washington, but stressed that dialogue must be held in an honest manner and on the basis of mutual respect.
The Russian foreign minister added that Moscow and Washington must decide what they should further do with their bilateral relations.
During the meeting, the two also discussed the work of Russian diplomatic missions in the US, and US ones in Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gesture as they arrive for a meeting at the Harpa Concert Hall, on the sidelines of the Arctic Council Ministerial summit, in Reykjavik, Iceland, May 19, 2021
Upcoming Putin-Biden Summit
Lavrov and Blinken agreed to come up with proposals for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and America’s President Joe Biden before their bilateral summit.
A summit between the Russian and American leaders is expected to take place in early summer.
Joint Efforts in Regional Conflicts, Deals
Lavrov also indicated that he had discussed with Blinken how to make joint efforts on the Iran nuclear deal, Afghanistan and other issues more effective.
According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, the discussion also touched on issues like finding a long-term solution to end the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US State Secretary Antony Blinken during their meeting on the margins of the Arctic CouncilThe Russian foreign minister noted that an agreement was reached that the two countries “must cooperate in the areas of mutual interest and where we can gain a positive outcome, for example on conflict situations, but – most importantly – on strategic stability issues.”
Blinken also highlighted that “there are many areas where our interests intersect and overlap”, including the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea and other issues.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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