BRUSSELS, September 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister will hold a one-on-one meeting with the new head of NATO during the United Nations General Assembly session in New York on September 24, Russia's envoy to the alliance said.
Sergei Lavrov's meeting with Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who became NATO's secretary general last month, "has been coordinated, and the time confirmed. It will take place on the afternoon of September 24 in New York," Dmitry Rogozin told RIA Novosti.
The discussions will focus on "issues relating to the development of initiatives by the new NATO secretary general concerning Russia, and also, perhaps, the issue of a visit by Rasmussen to Moscow," the envoy said, adding the timeframe of the visit has yet to be agreed.
Rasmussen will hold an un-scheduled meeting later today with Rogozin in Brussels.
After taking office on August 3, the new NATO chief said improving relations with Russia, which collapsed after the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, is a top priority for the alliance.
"Clearly, Moscow is studying with great interests all recent statements by Rasmussen," Rogozin said.
Recent reports that the United States has decided to abandon its plans for a missile shield in Central Europe are likely to provide a major boost to Russia-NATO relations.
Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said on Tuesday that President Barack Obama had contacted him on the issue, but the U.S. government has yet to officially confirm the information.
