PRESS RELEASE

On September 27, a conversation between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Seyoum Mesfin took place on the sidelines of the 63rd UN General Assembly session in New York.

During the conversation, the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the two countries discussed a number of concrete issues relating to the further development of Russian-Ethiopian interaction in the political sphere and of bilateral cooperation in the economic, commercial and other fields.

An exchange of views also took place on pressing international and regional problems, including resolving conflicts and crisis situations in the Horn of Africa. It was emphasized that the Russian side is for turning the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region into a zone of stability, peace and security.

A theme separately touched on was the safety of navigation along the shores of Africa, primarily Somalia, where instances of piracy have become more frequent recently, this adversely affecting the overall situation surrounding this continent.

September 28, 2008