Russia’s top diplomat confirms Moscow ready for equal, mutually beneficial cooperation

MOSCOW, December 14 /TASS/. Russia wants to work with everybody who is ready to cooperate on the basis of equality and mutual advantage, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. Speaking about Russia’s renewed foreign policy model, Lavrov told participants in a scientific and educational program (Dialogue for the Future) by the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund that the new strategy "reflects the transformed global scene and fully confirms the continuity in the foreign policy course." "What is meant is independence within the framework of Russia’s international legal commitments, our policy’s multifaceted nature and willingness to work with everybody who is ready for cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual advantage," the Russian foreign minister said adding Russia was open to cooperation on those terms. "We see that these principles have enlisted broad support among our partners towards the objective of establishing a fairer and more stable world order, which better reflects civilizations’ cultural diversity in a contemporary world and which respects peoples’ desire to determine their future," Russia’s foreign minister said. "We welcome the desire and interest which the global public demonstrates by offering to establish contacts with us and inquiring about a possibility to cooperate with the Russian Foreign Ministry," the top diplomat said. "We have regular platforms for this type of dialogue with civic society. The minister holds regular meetings with representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These organizations maintain regular contacts with the Foreign Ministry’s corresponding departments, which are in charge of the areas in which the said civic organizations carry out their programs," Lavrov noted. "We highly appreciate the contribution by the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, the Russian International Affairs Council, and the Council for Foreign Defense Policy and the Russian World Foundation in bolstering this dialogue and creating new venues for spreading objective information about Russia and our approaches to world affairs," the Russian foreign minister stressed. Read more