MOSCOW, September 19. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has received new U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Tefft.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the diplomats discussed "pressing issues on international and bilateral agenda of relations between Russia and the United States in the context of Tefft's prospects on his new post."

The new U.S. ambassador arrived in Russia on September 5.

“I am very happy to come back to Russia. Looking forward to interacting and working with Russians representing all strata of society,” the U.S. embassy cited Tefft in a Tweet.

John Tefft is a professional diplomat, in contrast with his predecessor Michael McFaul who was a political appointee.

On July 10 President Barack Obama nominated Tefft as a new ambassador to Russia.

Tefft served as an ambassador in Ukraine, Georgia and Lithuania. From November 1996 to September 1997 he was in charge of the U.S. Embassy to Russia as charge d’affaires ad interim.

The 64-year-old worked in the State Department operations centre in Washington and also abroad, in Rome, Budapest and Jerusalem.

He retired in 2013 and worked for the RAND Business Leaders Forum as executive director.