The upcoming meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, scheduled to be held in Geneva on Friday, will be of great significance for the dialogue between the parties, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2022) The upcoming meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, scheduled to be held in Geneva on Friday, will be of great significance for the dialogue between the parties, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
On Tuesday, a senior US State Department official said Blinken would meet with Lavrov in Geneva on Friday after his visits to Kiev and Berlin. Later, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the meeting was being prepared.
"We are still ready for the dialogue and therefore we want Russia to be ready for it too. The talks to be held between my US colleague and Mr. Lavrov in Geneva on Friday will be useful and important from this point of view," Le Drian said during a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.
The French foreign minister favored a "frank dialogue" with Russia and outlined four topics that "must be on the table" of security talks. These include reaffirming the principles of the Helsinki Accords and the 1990 Paris Charter, arms control, the "predictability and transparency of hostilities" and the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Blinken's trips take place amid allegations of Russia preparing a military invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has on many occasions dismissed the accusations and pointed to NATO's military activity near its borders, and asserted that the alliance's actions are a threat to its national security.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that Kiev does not comply with the Minsk agreements and is dragging out negotiations to resolve the conflict in Donbas.
The head of Le Drian stressed that the escalation in Ukraine would impose a "great price" a Russia and would result in "enormous consequences."
In the past few months, the West and Ukraine have accused Russia of amassing troops near the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for invasion. Russia has dismissed these claims, maintaining that it has no intention of invading Ukraine, stressing that it has the right to move forces within its own territory.
Russia has also expressed concern over NATO's military activity near its borders and ongoing military support of Ukraine, including an increase in the number of Western instructors in Donbas.
In December, the Russian government proposed a set of mutual security guarantees in Europe to NATO and the United States, with their response still pending.
