Foreign Minister of Russia to visit Minsk January 29-30

Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov will be in Minsk on January 29-30 on a working visit. During the visit Sergei Lavrov will attend the joint session of the foreign ministries of Belarus and Russia, official of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Kamynin informed. “The visit of Sergei Lavrov to Minsk and the joint session will undoubtedly promote all-round cooperation between Belarus and Russia, Mikhail Kamynin said. The foreign political interaction of the two countries is intensive and fruitful. It is based on the desire of the two countries to elaborate single approaches in key international issues.” Mikhail Kamynin reminded that joint sessions have been held since 1999. This attests to the high level of foreign political cooperation between the two countries, he said. During the session the two sides are set to sign a plan of bilateral ministerial consultations in 2008, discuss the issues of Russian-Belarusian interaction in the fight against new challenges and threats, expansion of cooperation in international human rights organizations. The two sides are expected to adopt the programme of agreed action in foreign policy of the Union State member states for 2008-209 which will reflect the new quality of foreign political cooperation of the two countries based on similarity of view almost on all big issues of international politics, Mikhail Kamynin said. According to him, the document covers a wide range of urgent issues of interaction, allows integrating the resources of the diplomatic ministries to protect and advance the interests of the two countries in the international arena. “The document fixes the goals and tasks of cooperation both in bilateral format and though the mechanisms of a multilateral dialogue, Mikhail Kamynin said. – The document identifies the priorities of joint efforts in international organisations, specifies the parameters of interaction in relations with international and regional organisations, including in counteracting the attempts to impose the foreign political isolation on Belarus.”