OREANDA-NEWS. May 30, 2011. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov met with Canada’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Deauville on May 27.

The Minister congratulated John Baird on his appointment and expressed hope for the continuation of close working contacts between the foreign affairs agencies in the interest of further developing Russian-Canadian relations. During their conversation the two parties devoted their main attention to the state of and prospects for bilateral ties in different fields, particularly in the context of the upcoming 8th session on June 1-3 in Ottawa of the Russia-Canada Intergovernmental Economic Commission. Issues relating to interaction in Arctic affairs also were discussed.

The parties exchanged views on missile defense issues as they relate to the activities of the Russia-NATO Council.