MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. Brazil is interested in bringing relations with Moscow to a new level, as it is especially important in the current challenging international situation, Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franca said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the "two plus two" meeting of Russian and Brazilian foreign and defense ministers, which is being held in Moscow for the first time, he said: "Thank you for the opportunity to be here in Russia. We are glad to use this opportunity to raise relations between our two countries to a new height, especially in the current international situation, this is especially important for our two countries. We want to take advantage of this opportunity to further strengthen our relations, respecting the sovereignty of each country, international law, norms of international law, and further develop our strategic cooperation, bringing it to a new stage."

The top diplomat also expressed hope that Russia and Brazil would continue joint work both in a bilateral format and within the framework of BRICS, the UN, and various international organizations.