Minister Dastis was received by the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov. He also held a meeting with representatives of Spanish companies operating in Russia and another meeting with leading figures from the academic world and opinion leaders.
Minister Dastis and Minister Lavrov held a fruitful work meeting during which they addressed the most important aspects of bilateral relations at a political and economic level, and discussed the main issues on the international agenda. Following the meeting, they signed a Political Consultations Plan for the period 2017-2018.
The two ministers expressed their interest in boosting relations at both a political and an economic level, and highlighted the intensity of bilateral visits and the success of recent activities, such as the Dual Year of Tourism, 2016-2017, which was brought to a close in Saint Petersburg in the month of May.
Minister Dastis highlighted the expectations of an improvement in economic and human relations, pointing to tourism as a channel for mutual rapprochement.
Alfonso Dastis and Sergey Lavrov also exchanged perspectives on the most important issues of international current affairs, in particular the situations in Syria, Libya and Ukraine. They also tackled relations between the European Union and NATO with Russia.
Minister Dastis underlined the importance of complying with the Minsk Accords which, in turn, will enable steps to be taken towards lifting the sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union. He also proposed stepping up dialogue between the European Union and Russia on global problems, such as terrorism and climate change, and issues of strategic interest, such as energy.
Minister Dastis also advocated resuming contact between Russia and NATO within the framework of the Russia-NATO Council.
Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación