MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. Russia is always ready to continue military-technical cooperation with Equatorial Guinea, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, opening talks with Equatorial Guinean Foreign Minister Simeon Oyono Esono Angue.

"We are always ready to continue military-technical cooperation. We have a good tradition of it," Lavrov said. "We are always open to listening to you and meeting your defense needs as best as we can."

The Russian foreign minister also noted that "very intensive political relations have developed between the two countries, and dialogue at the highest level is regular."

"We communicate on a regular basis, and much is being done in the area of cultural and humanitarian ties," he added. "I hope that today we will look at how we can elevate our trade and economic relations to the level of political dialogue."