Foreign Minister holds official talks with Russian counterpart

Moscow, Apr. 7 (BNA): The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, held in Moscow today official talks on the occasion of the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Russian Federation. During the meeting, Dr. Al-Zayani conveyed the greetings and appreciation of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and their wishes to the Russian Federation and its people of security, stability and peace. Dr. Al-Zayani expressed happiness at visiting the Russian Federation, praising relations of joint cooperation between the two countries and their steady growth in various fields. He also lauded the continuous efforts made by the two countries to further boost bilateral cooperation to serve common interests. The Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed the importance of exchanging views between the two sides on regional and international issues that threaten security and stability in Europe and the Middle East. He cited, in particular, the situation in Ukraine, which has become a threat to regional peace and security, global energy supplies, the global economy and food imports, in addition to its effects on the humanitarian situation of civilians. He stressed that the Kingdom of Bahrain believes in the need to continue the efforts to stop the escalation, and continue the approach of direct negotiations, dialogue and diplomatic methods to stop the war and reach a permanent peace settlement so that peace, security and stability prevail in all countries of Europe. For his part, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed the Russian Federation’s appreciation for the visit of Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, praising relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, and the efforts made by the two sides to expand the horizons of joint cooperation in various fields. He wished the Kingdom continued progress and prosperity. During the meeting, bilateral relations of cooperation between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in various fields were discussed. The two ministers also reviewed the security situation in Ukraine and the efforts being made through direct negotiations to stop the war and reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict. They also discussed the political and security situation in the Middle East, the conflicts in it, and the efforts being made to settle disputes and achieve peace, security, stability and prosperity for all countries, including Palestine, Yemen, Syria and Libya. They also discussed the progress of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file, in addition to issues related to common interest. The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Russian Federation, Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Saati, and the delegation accompanying the Minister of Foreign Affairs. On the Russian side, it was attended by a number of senior officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry.