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Russia hopes incoming US administration to restore communication mechanisms

Russia’s ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov stressed the importance of cultural and humanitarian ties and contacts between non-governmental organizations

WASHINGTON, December 21. /TASS/. Moscow would like to hope that during term of office of the United States’ incoming administration the mechanisms of contacts between Russian and US officials will be restored and efforts will begin to be exerted to eliminate annoyances in bilateral relations, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, told TASS in an interview.

Asked about what steps he would like the new US administration to take first thing in Russian-US relations in the short and medium term, Antonov replied "it is essential to gradually restore the ruined mechanisms of communication."

"After power in the United States changes hands the paramount task will be to restore channels of regular interaction between the security councils, foreign and defense ministries, secret services and legislators. It is also necessary to move towards the resumption of ‘two-plus-two’ meetings," Antonov said.

The ‘two-plus-two’ format Antonov mentioned provides for joint meetings of foreign and defense ministers. This mechanism of Russian-US consultations was created in 2002 in accordance with the joint declaration on new strategic relations. The latest one took place in Washington in August 2013. No such talks have taken place since due to a sharp worsening of Russian-US relations.

"We believe that alongside this it will be crucial to work for the elimination of numerous annoyances in the bilateral sphere," Antonov said. "The return of diplomatic properties, which were illegally confiscated from us, and an end to the ‘visa war’ are the most sensitive issues."

Also, Antonov stressed the importance of cultural and humanitarian ties and contacts between non-governmental organizations.

"Since 2010, following a US court’s decision to sustain a lawsuit filed by the religious organization Agudas Chassidei Chabad against Russia in the Schneerson Collection case all exhibition exchanges [between Russian and US museums] have been paused," Antonov recalled.

In this connection he expressed the hope that "a future administration will pay attention to the need for promoting all-round exchanges between Russian and US citizens."

"It is necessary to go keep in the limelight the common historical destiny of our peoples. In particular, this concerns the relations of alliance during World War II, when our countries presented a common front against Nazism. It is important to encourage Russian-US interaction in science. In particular, in such spheres as peaceful uses of outer space, Arctic exploration, and, what is of particular importance, the development of effective means of struggle against the pandemic," Antonov said.