MOSCOW (Sputnik) — US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during a Moscow visit scheduled for March 23-24 to discuss bilateral relations and current international issues, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
"On March 23-24, US Secretary of State John Kerry will come to Moscow with a working visit. During talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov [Kerry] is expected to exchange views on bilateral cooperation and pressing international issues," the statement said.
The ministry expressed hope that Kerry's visit would contribute to a thaw in the bilateral relations.
"We hope that the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry in Russia — the third in less than a year — will contribute to the normalization of US-Russian relations," the statement said.
It was added in the statement that Moscow was pointing at the necessity of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states.