Russian, U.S. leaders ‘keen to move forward’ – Lavrov

Sergei Lavrov file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 11, 2013) Relations between Moscow and Washington will develop in a step by step manner despite the existing “irritators”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“Well, I don’t see any challenges which are not insurmountable. I believe that after some pause and some irritators, which appeared rather officially in our relationship some time ago, both presidents are keen to move forward,” Lavrov told the U.S. television station CBS. The English-language version of Lavrov’s interview was published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

“And that was the message President Obama sent to President Putin earlier this year. The President of the Russian Federation reciprocated in the same way,” he said.

“We are prepared to go as far as the United States is, of course, on the basis of mutual interests searching for balance between the interest of the two countries and on the basis of equality and respect to each other’s position,” the Russian minister said.

“So I think, of course, without closing eyes on what still irritates our relations – missile defense is a case in point, some absolutely, I would say, unprecedented arrogant steps like the Magnitsky law, whereby the Congress took upon itself to be the judge of the Russian system, basically,” Lavrov said.

“But all this is taken into account, the two presidents are keen to build upon the positive foundation which we have managed to establish,” he said.

The Russian and U.S. presidents have been paying great attention to the need to further promote business contacts between the two countries, Lavrov said.

Lavrov said he was certain that both the U.S. and Russia were interested in further development of business.

“We need much more investments,” he said.

“The two presidents agreed, and I think this should be materialized soon, to establish some kind of flexible, informal mechanism to monitor the conditions for doing business in Russia and in the United States,” Lavrov said.

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