MOSCOW, February 2 (Itar-Tass) – Moscow and Washington reaffirmed their position that disagreements and problems should be resolved on the basis of equality and respect for each other’s interests, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after his talks with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Munich on Saturday, February 2.
“The general conclusion is that there will always be problems in relations between the two major countries and they should be solved on the basis of equality and respect for each other’s interests, while trying to avoid creating problems artificially. This is what was reiterated,” he said.
Lavrov drew Biden’s attention to the fact that “they [the United States] took steps that met a rather sharp reaction in our society”. “I hope that there will be no more such situations,” he added.
“There is the understanding that along with disagreements on which we should work towards mutually acceptable solutions, we also have many converging interests in such areas of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the fight against terrorism, illegal drug trafficking and organised crime,” Lavrov said.
“The situation in Afghanistan, and it is very important for us to cooperate closer with each other there because NATO is leaving and our Central Asian neighbours remain there,” the minister said.
“It is important for Moscow to understand how the transition will go from the current NATO-led mission to the presence that will be in Afghanistan after 2014. And there was also an understanding that we should discuss things closely and transparently, look for consensus and coordinate our approaches,” Lavrov said.