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Russian diplomat says Moscow and Washington should fight terrorism together

A diplomat emphasizes need to improve the Russian-US relations

MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. Moscow and Washington are bound to positively cooperate, they should fight against terrorism together, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Antonov told reporters on Thursday.

The State Duma (lower house of parliament) Committee for Foreign Affairs earlier upheld Antonov’s appointment as Russia’s ambassador to the United States, a source in the Committee told TASS after a closed-door meeting.

"We all are facing a huge task to improve relations. Nobody speaks about retreating. But we need to convince our US counterparts that equal and good-neighborly relations, based on mutual respect, are in the interest of both countries peoples," the diplomat pointed out.

According to Antonov, participants in the meeting "exchanged views on the form Russian-US relations should take."

"I believe everybody agrees that Russia and the United States are just bound to positively cooperate," the diplomat added. "Both countries are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, we are responsible for global peace and security."

"The global situation is complex, which shows that we should stand together in the fight against the scourge of international terrorism," he added.

According to Antonov, Russia and the United States share many strategic goals and tasks. "Just one example: both Russia and the US stand for strengthening the non-proliferation regime, both countries have been striving to preserve the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, conventions prohibiting chemical and biological weapons, as well as other mechanisms aimed at strengthening global peace," the diplomat pointed out.