MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Meaningful dialogue between Moscow and Washington would serve to ensure global stability and settle regional conflicts, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Bosnia’s Osloboenje newspaper.
"As Russian President Vladimir Putin has already said, Russia and the US - being the largest nuclear powers - shoulder a special responsibility for the planet’s strategic security. A full-fledged dialogue between Moscow and Washington would objectively serve to ensure global stability and resolve regional conflicts," he specified.
Lavrov recalled that in accordance with the Geneva agreements, the leaders of the two countries had launched a consultation mechanism on strategic stability. "The two meetings between the Russian and American interdepartmental delegations took place in a professional and business-like manner. In addition, as it was agreed on in Geneva, Russian-US dialogue has been resumed on information security."
The top diplomat emphasized that Moscow was in favor of cooperation in this field covering an extensive range of matters related to the malicious use of information and communication technologies, and not limited to individual issues.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a draft agreement on security guarantees between Moscow and Washington and a draft agreement on ensuring the security of Russia and NATO member states. Earlier, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov told White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that Moscow was ready to immediately begin negotiations on draft documents concerning security guarantees. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov will represent Russia during the negotiations on this matter.