MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Salem Abdullah al-Jaber al-Sabah exchanged congratulatory telegrams on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, confirming their intention to strengthen and expand bilateral ties. This is according to a statement the Russian Foreign Ministry released on Saturday.

"The heads of the foreign affairs departments expressed satisfaction with the achieved level of traditionally friendly Russian-Kuwaiti ties. They underscored the mutual intention to further strengthen and expand them for the benefit of the peoples of Russia and Kuwait, in the interests of ensuring stability and security in the Persian Gulf zone, and achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," the ministry noted.

Soviet-Kuwaiti diplomatic relations were established on March 11, 1963. In December 1991, Kuwait recognized the Russian Federation as the legal successor of the Soviet Union.