Moscow, Washington reaffirmed commitment to finding 'peaceful solutions to conflict situations'

Moscow and Washington reaffirmed their mutual commitment to pursuing “peaceful solutions to conflict situations” on Thursday, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Kuala Lumpur.

According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Rubio conducted a “thorough comparison” of positions on Moscow–Washington relations and global affairs, building on agreements reached during last week’s phone call between the presidents of Russia and the United States.

Held on the sidelines of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the one-hour talks featured a “substantive and frank exchange of views” on the conflict in Ukraine, the situations in Iran and Syria, and a range of other international issues.

The two diplomats reaffirmed their countries’ mutual commitment to finding 'peaceful solutions to conflict situations,' and discussed restoring bilateral economic and humanitarian cooperation. They also expressed support for reestablishing unimpeded people-to-people contact, including through the possible resumption of direct air travel between Russia and the United States.

They also emphasised the importance of continued efforts to normalise the functioning of bilateral diplomatic missions.

“Constructive and mutually respectful dialogue between the foreign policy departments of Russia and the United States on an expanding range of issues of mutual interest will continue,” the readout said.

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