FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Lavrov Points to Importance of Trump-Putin Relationship
Aug. 28, 2018 (EIRNS)—In an interview published today by Pravda of Slovakia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov countered the sentiment coming from many Russian leaders that the U.S. is now lost to any cooperation, and that the world must unite against the U.S. Lavrov said that Moscow and Washington are working out specific moves to step up cooperation in various spheres based on the results of the July 16 Helsinki summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
“In Helsinki the state leaders confirmed their mutual intention to search for common points and ways to overcome the existing differences. They agreed that Russian-American cooperation on a constructive and mutually beneficial basis is in demand in a great number of areas,”
Lavrov pointed out. “It concerns, in particular, support for strategic stability, the war on international terror and other modern challenges, the settlement of regional crisis situations and the development of bilateral trade-economic ties.
“Specific moves are being developed now which could be used to step up effective cooperation in various areas,” he told the daily, reported TASS.
On the other hand, he said,
“It is quite natural that each of the Presidents is protecting the interests of his country, which [Russian President] Vladimir Putin said at a press conference on the results of the negotiations with [U.S. President] Donald Trump in Helsinki on July 16. However, we definitely have common interests in both the bilateral and international agendas.”
On the issue of the latest U.S. sanctions he said Moscow will provide tit-for-tat responses and stated that the relations between both countries “are still under significant influence by U.S. domestic policy conjuncture.” He also observed that
“some forces in the Washington establishment add fuel to anti-Russian hysteria and try to block any positive progress in bilateral affairs.
“It’s no accident that right after the meeting in Helsinki, Trump came under fire of his opponents, and Congress started to prepare new initiatives against our country,”
Lavrov continued.
“In this context, the administration itself is not being consistent. Despite the promises of Americans that they are ready for dialogue, we still face unfriendly measures, which aggravate the difficult situation in our relations even further.
“For example, on Aug. 8, they announced new anti-Russian measures on the account of our alleged involvement in the ‘Skripal case.’ ”
