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Senior UK diplomat to visit Moscow next week

The Foreign Office earlier reported that Boris Johnson would visit Russia at the end of this year to discuss international security issues

LONDON, December 1. /TASS/. Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alan Duncan will visit Moscow next week as part of the preparations for Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s visit set for December, the Foreign Office reported on Friday.

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"The Foreign Secretary has made clear that, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, the UK must continue to engage with Russia on global security and bilateral issues, though we will continue to challenge Russia’s approach when we disagree," the agency said in a statement, but did not reveal the date of the trip.

The Foreign Office earlier reported that Boris Johnson would visit Russia at the end of this year to discuss international security issues. London also plans to discuss the Iran nuclear deal, regional stability in the Middle East, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and cooperation in the sphere of security ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Johnson initially planned to visit Russia on April 10 this year, but cancelled it one day before due to the developments in the Syrian conflict. In September, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the ministers’ meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on her Facebook page, saying that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had confirmed that his British counterpart had been invited to visit Russia.

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