MOSCOW, March 30 /TASS/. Russia and the United States are sharing common concerns with the strengthening of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda positions in Libya and Yemen, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian deputy foreign minister and the Russian president’s special envoy for the Middle East and Africa, and Thomas Shannon, the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, held consultations at the Russian Foreign Ministry on March 30," the Russian Foreign Ministry said after the talks, which had focused on the Middle East and North Africa, including Yemen and Libya.

"After a substantive exchange of views, the sides noted that Moscow and Washington held concurrent approaches to the aforesaid problems. Both sides, for example, stressed the need to find political and diplomatic solutions to the crises in Yemen and Libya through an inclusive national dialogue on the basis of relevant international legal decisions and with the world community’s assistance," the Russian Foreign Ministry went on to say.

"The diplomats voiced common concern with the humanitarian situation in Yemen and Libya and the increasing activities of the Islamic State [banned in Russia], Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in those countries. They also stressed the importance of organizing effective counteraction to extremists’ plans to turn these two countries into the bridgeheads for their subversive activities," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

Thomas Shannon also met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Wednesday to discuss the Russian-US bilateral relations and urgent international problems, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"Bilateral relations and a number of international problems were part of agenda," the ministry said.