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Russian and UN senior diplomats talk about Afghan issue at General Assembly session

According to the foreign ministry, the Russian senior diplomat also held talks with UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, focusing on cooperation in the field of material and technical support of UN peacekeeping operations

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin

© Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, September 22. / TASS /. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo addressed regional conflicts, in particular, the recent developments in Afghanistan on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.

"[The sides] exchanged views on a wide range of issues on the UN agenda, focusing on regional topics before the UN Security Council, including the situation in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and the Palestinian-Israeli issue settlement," the Russian foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The diplomats also touched upon the interaction between Russia and the UN Secretariat’s Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

Furthermore, Vershinin met with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The sides addressed the cooperation between the UN, Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). "We talked through the prospects for the development of UN peacekeeping as well as Russia and the CSTO’s participation in UN Peacekeeping," the Russian foreign ministry stated. "Also, a number of regional topics have been discussed including the situation in Libya, the Central African Republic and Mali."

According to the foreign ministry, the Russian senior diplomat also held talks with UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, focusing on cooperation in the field of material and technical support of UN peacekeeping operations. "[The sides touched upon] the interaction between Russia and the UN Secretariat in terms of material, technical and logistical support of UN peacekeeping operations, <…> as well as cooperation as part of the medical evacuation of the UN Secretariat staff to Russia, including for countering COVID-19," the ministry mentioned.

The meetings took place on September 21 in New York.

The UN General Assembly’s 76th session opened on September 14 in New York. On September 21, the assembly’s High Level Week began, with the leaders of many countries, heads of government and ministers arriving in New York. It is expected that Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov will deliver his speech on September 25. Earlier, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Lavrov would hold about 25 meetings with foreign colleagues, in particular, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

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