RIA Novosti, Russia
April 23 2004
RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES FRENCH SENATORS
MOSCOW, April 23 (RIA Novosti) – Vyacheslav Trubnikov, Russia’s First
Deputy Foreign Minister, received, Friday, a visiting delegation of
the French Senate’s foreign affairs and defence commission.
The agenda of the meeting was dominated by issues related to
cooperation within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
which is a priority direction in Russia’s foreign policy, reported
the foreign ministry.
The delegates were updated on the efforts Russia has been making to
promote economic ties with the CIS countries, step up integration
processes in different areas, and Russia’s bilateral relations with a
series of CIS nations.
The conferees also discussed the situation in Central Asia and
Transcaucasia, the Nagorny Karabakh and the Dniester region
settlement efforts. They also discussed further developments in
Afghanistan, particularly in terms of the fight against drug
trafficking. Apart from that, the conferees addressed the problem of
the Caspian Sea’s status.