Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka to negotiate in Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks in Moscow with Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Lakshman Kadirgamar.

During the talks the sides will discuss a whole gamut of issues of bilateral relations, including cooperation in the political, trade-economic, military-technical, educational, cultural and other spheres.

"The ministers are expected to discuss in detail the trade and economic problems with the accent to be made on the trade being diversified and balanced, and the attraction of possibilities of private entrepreneurial structures and regions," Alexander Yakovenko, official spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry said in his interview with RIA Novosti.

In the diplomat's words, the Russian side intends to state once again that it supports efforts of Sri Lanka's authorities to put an end to the protracted armed conflict on the island and their counteraction to terrorism and extremism concomitant with this conflict, as well as the settlement of the situation by way of negotiations on the basis of ensuring state unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

The sides are also to exchange opinions on urgent international problems. In particular, the sides will focus on such problems as the struggle against international and local terrorism, religious extremism and bellicose separatism, ensuring strategic stability and international security, the developments in Iraq, as well as the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

"Significant attention will be paid to the situation in South Asia. We will speak in support of a nascent positive trend of easing tensions in the Indian-Pakistani relations and establishing a political dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad. " Yakovenko said.