Lavrov Invites UNDP Chief to Visit Russia After Stabilization of COVID-19 Situation

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2020) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held an online meeting on Thursday with UN Development Program (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner and the Russian minister invited the UN official to visit Russia after the stabilization of the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Unfortunately, we are forced to hold this landmark meeting in a remote format contrary to the original plans, but I want to assure you that as soon as the situation stabilizes we are happy to organize your visit to Russia, including as a permanent guest of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum," Lavrov said.

Lavrov noted that UNDP is currently the only UN body that has such a structured cooperation with Russia.

"Our interaction is developing very dynamically. Significant progress has been made, both in terms of thematic and geographical scope of project activities and in organizational terms ... If until 2015 the portfolio of our joint activities had consisted of several separate projects, last year our partnership became a complex institutional mechanism with funding of more than $90 million," Lavrov said.

During the meeting, the sides signed a memorandum on replenishment of the Russia-UNDP Trust Fund for Development totaling $30 million. The first tranche as part of the replenishment of the fund will be allocated to assist priority countries in overcoming the negative socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.