Russia interested in support for stable dialogue with Mauritania - top diplomat

MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/. Moscow is interested in supporting a stable dialogue with Mauritania on regional safety issues, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, starting off negotiations with Mauritanian Foreign Minister Isselkou Ould Ahmed Izid Bih. "We are interested in supporting a stable exchange of opinions and assessments on regional stability issues," the Russian foreign minister said. "We expect that today’s talks will be productive both regarding the discussion of international issues and from the perspective of a search for practical activation of our trade-economic and investment cooperation." "We have galvanized our bilateral ties in the last few years following a decline," the Russian top diplomat noted. "Russian Special Presidential Envoy [for the Middle East and the African Countries, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister] Mikhail Bogdanov visited you this past May, when consultations between our ministries were held. I believe it’s a good basis for bolstering our cooperation." Lavrov also pointed out to humanitarian and education exchanges as a promising area in Russian-Mauritanian cooperation. "More than 1,500 citizens of your country received education in the Soviet Union and in Russia, including the ambassador," he noted. The Mauritanian foreign minister, for his part, thanked the Russian side for the warm welcome. "We believe that Russia is a great country and, being a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Moscow plays a key role in supporting international security and stability," he highlighted. "We represent a rather sensitive region - the Sahel," Isselkou Ould Ahmed Izid Bih noted. "And we highly value the efforts placed by your country to support peace in our region." Read more