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Russia ready to boost bilateral relations with Ireland, Lavrov says

This is the first meeting at the level of foreign ministers in six years, according to Russia's top diplomat
Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov  Mikhail Japaridze/TASS
Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
© Mikhail Japaridze/TASS

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Russia is interested in developing and deepening bilateral relations with Ireland, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney on Tuesday.

"The meetings at this [foreign ministers] level have not been held for six years. However, the ministries maintained ties at the level of deputies and directors of departments," Lavrov noted. "There is an interest in establishing and deepening contacts between other structures within our governments. We are ready for that."

Lavrov recalled that ties between the parliaments of the two countries have been developing intensively. "We welcome this," he noted.

"Today there is an opportunity to consider what else we can do to cultivate bilateral relations despite the well-known hurdles in relations between Russia and the European Union," Lavrov said. "Certainly, our dialogue is always interesting in terms of exchanging views on European and international issues, which are of interest for all of us now."