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Thursday, February 16

US SecState Tillerson opens door on US-Russia cooperation in Syria

Welcome to Washington, Mr Tillerson
But I thought you were called Mad "Dog"


This post should be read as a companion piece to an AP report I posted earlier today and headlined, "US SecDef Mattis slams door on US-Russia cooperation in Syria."

16 Feb, 2017 -  15:34
RT 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his first meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was productive, stressing that Moscow is ready to work with Washington on all issues as soon as Donald Trump’s foreign policy team is fully formed.

Lavrov and Tillerson talked at a G20 summit in Germany. It was the pair’s first meeting since Tillerson became Secretary of State, and came as a possible Russia-US rapprochement is in the spotlight.

“As soon as the teams in the State Department and the relevant agencies are formed, we expressed readiness to establish contacts,” Lavrov told journalists at the G20 summit in Bonn, Germany.

During his meeting with Tillerson, the situations in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine was discussed, the FM said.

“On all those issues, our American colleagues said they’re interested in joining the efforts that are made to overcome those conflicts,” he stressed.

The sides “confirmed mutual interest, coinciding interests, first of all regarding the outright battle against terrorism and the political settlement in Syria,” as well as cooperation on other nations in the region “where terrorism took root,” Lavrov said.

According to Lavrov, Washington’s sanctions against Moscow were not discussed during the meeting.
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Lavrov Says Tillerson Ready to Support Syrian Peace Talks in Astana
19:28 - 16.02.2017
Sputnik

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is ready to support Syrian peace talks in Astana.

"Tillerson expressed willingness to support this process [peace negotiations on Syria in Astana]," Lavrov said.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting with his US counterpart, Sergei Lavrov said that Russia and the US confirmed common interest on fight against terrorism.

"We have confirmed the existence of common interests… especially regarding the uncompromising fight against terrorism, in this context and in the context of a political settlement, and in what relates to cooperation on the Syrian crisis, on other regional countries where terrorism has taken its roots," Lavrov said.


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