MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/. Cooperation in combating the coronavirus pandemic was in focus of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s online meeting with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.
"The ministers discussed issues of cooperation amid the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. They discussed current and possible joint measures to consolidate our countries’ resistance to such challenges. The Russian side informed in detail about its ongoing and future assistance to the partners to help them combat the novel coronavirus infection. Sergey Lavrov thanked his counterparts for reciprocal support," the ministry said.
Apart from that, the ministers discussed issues of regional stability and security. "They reiterated common approaches to the threats coming from international terrorist organizations, illegal drug trafficking, foreign militants and terrorists returning from zines of combat operations. They noted the importance of the exchange of experience in these spheres between Russia and the Central Asian countries," the ministry noted.
The top diplomats exchanged views on issues of cooperation in the economic, transit transport, energy, logistics, and cultural-and-humanitarian spheres. "The ministers discussed integration processes in the region and focused on the efficient realization of the advantages stemming from cooperation between our countries within common integration associations," the ministry noted. "The foreign ministers confirmed their interest in continuing regular trust-based exchange of opinions on matters of mutual interest.".