MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has discussed with his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov mutual expansion of diplomatic presence, the Russian Foreign Ministry said after the meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro.

"They have touched base about the schedule of upcoming contacts, and discussed several topical issues of foreign policy cooperation in the development of agreements reached during Ryzhenkov's official visit to the Russian Federation on June 9-10. In particular, the process of mutual expansion of the diplomatic presence and preparations for the upcoming joint meeting of the boards of the Foreign Ministry of Russia and the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Belarus in November 2025 in St. Petersburg was considered," the statement said.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the parties confirmed "a consistent commitment to close coordination and mutual support on the international arena, including strengthening cooperation within the BRICS framework and integration associations with the participation of Russia and the Republic of Belarus."