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Russian diplomat says date of Lavrov-Tillerson meeting not agreed yet

A diplomat says Sergey Lavrov’s meeting with his US counterpart will take place after Rex Tillerson’s schedule is announced

MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. Moscow considers that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s meeting with his US counterpart will take place after Rex Tillerson’s schedule is announced, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday.

"We consider that after the schedule of trips of the new Secretary of State is known, the issue on arranging the meeting of Sergey Lavrov and Rex Tillerson will arise," Ryabkov said.

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Lavrov tells Tillerson he is ready for dialogue — Foreign Ministry

"This has not been agreed so far as we have no understanding if Mr. Tillerson’s plans for the coming weeks are shaped. He has just taken office and we understand that he has many issues that demand priority and urgent attention," he said, adding that Moscow is absolutely calm about this situation.

Ryabkov has not ruled out that Lavrov and Tillerson could meet on the sidelines of this month’s Munich Security Conference.

"I do not rule out anything, this is quite possible (Lavrov-Tillerson meeting on the sidelines of the Munich conference). We consider that first we need to understand the schedule of trips and events of the US Secretary of State," he said.

The Munich Security Conference will be held on February 17-19. It is traditionally attended by heads of state and government, senior officials from international organizations and leading experts. Lavrov plans to take part in this year's event. Russian representatives have been attending the conference since the late 1990s.

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