Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov’s Talks with German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle

PRESS RELEASE

Talks took place on November 20 between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, and the Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Guido Westerwelle, who paid a working visit to Russia.

Westerwelle emphasized the continuity under the new FRG Government, of the course towards the development of Germany's strategic partnership with Russia. There was considered a schedule of bilateral political contacts for the near term, which will be intense. A number of practical issues in Russian-German relations of mutual interest were touched upon.

Both sides expressed an understanding of the importance of expanding the areas of overlapping interests between Russia and Germany for the success of efforts aimed at deepening the process of the transition to a new multipolar world of cooperation and collaboration in international affairs, especially in the sphere of security policy. Key attention in this regard was paid to the initiative put forward by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Berlin on June 5, 2008 for concluding a European Security Treaty, to the state of and prospects for Russia-NATO relations, and to the practical tasks in developing cooperation at the Russia-EU level, taking into account the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the accords reached at the Russia-European Union summit in Stockholm on November 18, 2009.

The disposition was reaffirmed towards constructive cooperation in such priority areas for Russia and Germany as current problems of nuclear and conventional disarmament, arms control, WMD nonproliferation, missile defense, unblocking of the CFE Treaty and improving the system of confidence building measures and transparency in the military sphere. Along with this, cooperation will continue with a view to getting negotiations started on a politico-diplomatic settlement of Iran's nuclear problem and giving momentum to the peace process in the Middle East; in the stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan, and in the solution of a number of other regional problems. In the context of countering the new security challenges, the sides reviewed the possibilities for launching cooperation between CSTO and NATO, including in relation to reducing the narco-threat emanating from Afghanistan.

November 20, 2009