Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has held meetings with his colleagues from Greece, Slovakia and Great Britain on Thursday within the framework of the OSCE 16th Ministerial Council in Helsinki (Dec 4-5). Sources in the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the ministers discussed the bilateral relations prospects.
Lavrov also met EU foreign policy and security chief Javier Solana to discuss Russia-EU cooperation matters, problems of European security in the context of Russia’s initiative on working out a corresponding treaty, the Iranian nuclear programme, as well as the Middle East situation, according to the ministry.
Besides, at talks with the Greek colleague Dora Bakoyannis Lavrov discussed “issues of OSCE activities in light of the coming presidency of Greece in this organisation in 2009, as well as the schedule of coming bilateral political contacts.”
Lavrov’s conversation with Slovakian Foreign Minister Jan Kubis focused on the “problems of the Helsinki forum proper, including the starting debates on a European security treaty proposed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev,” the ministry said. In the words of Kubis, the idea of concluding such a treaty “has been taken with interest in Bratislava.” The parties noted the “both sides’ close interaction in the building of new quality relations between Russia and the European Union.”
The Russian foreign minister exchanged views with his British colleague David Miliband on the Middle East settlement problem, situation around the Iranian nuclear programme. The ministers also touched upon the “collective efforts of countries aimed at combating piracy near the Somalia coast and certain aspects of the situation in Zimbabwe,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
