MOSCOW, January 23./TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be on a working tour of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia on January 23-26, Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Wednesday.
"On January 23-26, the Russian foreign minister will make a working trip to Maghreb countries, during which he will visit Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia," the diplomat said. "Meetings with representatives of the countries’ top leadership as well as talks with the foreign ministers are scheduled," Zakharova added.
"Discussion of bilateral relations, exchange of opinions on key issues of the regional and international situation are on the agenda," she said.
These three countries "pursue an active foreign policy, make a substantial contribution to multi-lateral efforts towards finding the answers to new challenges and threats, including global ones," she stressed. "Deepening coordination with them fully meets the Russian interests," the diplomat stated.
"And of course, we pay specific attention to coordinating on a regular basis positions on the settlement of the problems existing in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the Sahara-Sahel region," she added.
"We are guided by Russia’s fundamental positon that the peoples living in this region can and must independently shape their future without any interference from outside, settling internal tasks through a broad national dialogue," she went on to say.
"This refers in full measure to an early management of the conflicts in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Mali and end to violence and sufferings of civilians there," Zakharova said.