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US State Department confirms Tillerson's visit to Moscow in April

The US State Department has confirmed that Tillerson will pay a visit to Moscow

© Toru Hanai/Pool Photo via AP

WASHINGTON, March 21. /TASS/. Rex Tillerson is expected to go to Italy in April where he will attend a conference of G7 foreign ministers. After Italy he will visit Russia, the US State Department said on Monday.

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The spokesman also told TASS Tillerson would speak to the foreign ministers of almost all member-states of NATO as part of the contacts between members of the US-led antiterrorist coalition fighting with the Islamic State military grouping. The coalition members would have a meeting at the Department of State.

Tillerson has already spoken to Ukrainian representatives, the spokesman said.

As for a conference of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on April 5-6, the US will delegate there the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Tom Shannon.

Reuters quoted unnamed US officials earlier as saying Tillerson would skip the NATO meeting so as to be able to take part in the talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who would be visiting Washington at the same time.

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