VLADIVOSTOK, June 8. /TASS/. The times when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov could be called a chain-smoker are a thing of the past, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday in reply to the question how Lavrov manages to do without a cigarette during marathon negotiations.

"Sergey Lavrov has cut down on smoking to literally a couple of cigarettes a day. That is why, nowadays it is more like a tradition than a daily necessity," Maria Zakharova said.

"The times when he could be called a chain-smoker are a thing of the past," she summed up.