OREANDA-NEWS. April 26, 2011. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov held a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on April 22.

Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s unchangeable policy to strengthen the multilateral principles in world politics and to consolidate the central role of the UN in a new multipolar system of international relations. He said Russia will continue to build up assistance to the World Organization in the sphere of the maintenance of international peace and stability as well as the search for effective answers to the contemporary challenges and threats on the basis of the observance of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

The interlocutors paid special attention to the most resonant stories concerning regional problems. They thoroughly discussed all aspects of the state of affairs in the Middle East and in North Africa, in particular the resolution of the situation in Libya. They accentuated the necessity to search for ways out of the crisis in Cote d’Ivoire. In this context Lavrov again drew the attention of the UN Secretary General to the necessity of strictly complying with the international mandates in the course of peacekeeping activities as set forth in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Lavrov underlined the need to strengthen the coordination of international efforts in the area of safe use of peaceful nuclear energy and to enhance the role of the IAEA in this matter.

Given the developments in Somalia, the task of working collectively to deal with the entire range of issues associated with the piracy threat off the eastern coast of Africa was reiterated. Also, the parties had an exchange of views on such themes as the peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula, including humanitarian assistance to the DPRK, and the situation surrounding Kosovo.

Ban Ki-moon spoke highly of the efforts being undertaken by Russia to address many global issues and of the role of our country in enhancing the international prestige and the working efficiency of the World Organization.