US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkon and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for cooperation and honest dialogue at their first meeting in Reykjavik, on the sidelines of the Arctic Council, AFP reported.
Before the meeting…
“Our vision is that if the leaders of Russia and the United States can work together … the world will be safer,” Blinkon told reporters during a bilateral meeting in the Icelandic capital.
“We want stable and predictable relations with Russia. We believe that this is good for our people, good for the Russian people and good for the world,” he added.
“But if Russia is aggressive with us, we and our partners and allies will respond,” he warned.
“We are ready to discuss all issues, without exception, provided that the dialogue is sincere … and on the basis of mutual respect,” Lavrov said.
Prior to the meeting, the two men listed several possible topics for dialogue, including the pandemic, climate change, North Korea, Iran and Afghanistan.
“Our approaches are very different when it comes to analyzing the situation on the international stage,” but “the most important thing is that we try to make the most of diplomatic opportunities and I appreciate that you demonstrate such a desire,” Lavrov told his American counterpart.
He said Moscow was ready to “clean up the remnants” inherited from previous US governments, including “the functioning of diplomatic missions”, which today operate at minimal capacity due to the reciprocal expulsion of diplomats.
… and after the conversations
The State Department later said that during the meeting, Anthony Blinkon expressed concern over the deployment of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine.
In the nearly two-hour talks, Blinkon also said he was worried about the health of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the crackdown on opposition organizations in Russia.
In turn, Lavrov described the talks as constructive. “We have agreed to continue our joint actions … on regional conflicts where the interests of the United States and Russia coincide,” Lavrov said.
It discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Afghanistan, as well as Iran’s nuclear program.
Russia and the United States understand “the need to overcome the unhealthy situation that has developed in relations between Moscow and Washington in recent years,” he added.
Russia’s foreign minister said he felt the Americans, like the Russians, were unhappy with the reciprocal expulsion of diplomats.
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