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Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union

Submitted on 2020-08-21 10:00:08

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell

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On 20 August 2020 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell upon the initiative of the EU side.

The situation in Belarus was the focus of the conversation. Both sides stressed that Belarusians themselves need to resolve the situation without outside interference. Sergey Lavrov drew Josep Borrells’s attention to the actions of certain EU member states that run counter to that principle, and urged taking steps to stop provoking confrontation between Belarusian authorities and the opposition.

The high officials also discussed prospects for keeping in force the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear programme. They reaffirmed the lack of any legal grounds for the recent US initiatives at the UN Security Council on issues regarding the implementation of the JCPOA, which is an integral whole with UNSC Resolution 2231 endorsing it, and in which Washington officially terminated its participation in 2018. 

The parties exchanged opinions on certain current aspects of Russia – EU relations.