Russia and France are preparing negotiations in the “two plus two” format in the near future – the Heads of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense, relevant consultations are already underway, a source familiar with the preparation process told the reporters.
The previous meeting of the Russian-French Security Cooperation Council in the 2 + 2 format took place in Moscow on September 9 last year after a seven-year break. The Council was created in 2002 and until October 2012 met on a regular basis. Last summer, the presidents of the Russian Federation and France agreed to return to this format of joint work.
“We are holding consultations on a new ministerial meeting to continue the dialogue that was already resumed last year. Consultations are taking place these days”, – the source said.
Following the results of the last meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the “two plus two” format a good opportunity to analyze the key problems of our time from both a diplomatic and military-political angle and, where possible, take joint or coordinated steps. According to him, the parties outlined a number of areas in which such a promotion is considered quite possible and necessary.