General Assembly President holds wide-ranging talks with Russian Foreign Minister

General Assembly President Joseph Deiss held “very constructive and substantial” talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow today on a range of subjects, including United Nations reform and Libya.

“Their discussions focused on global governance, Security Council reform, General Assembly revitalization, as well as current political issues, including Libya, the Middle East, Sudan and Côte d'Ivoire,” Mr. Deiss’ spokesperson Jean-Victor Nkolo said.

“Both sides described the discussions as very constructive and substantial. The President of the General Assembly underlined his appreciation for Russia’s strong commitment to the United Nations.”

Mr. Deiss also met with Russian Health and Social Development Minister Tatiana Golikova with whom he discussed health related aspects of the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and forthcoming General Assembly meetings on HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases.

The High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS is scheduled for 8 to 10 June in New York and the meeting on curbing non-communicable diseases is slated for September.

Mr. Deiss, who arrived in Russia after visiting Finland, was also interviewed by the current affairs programme Spotlight on Russia Today TV network.