Moscow and Tunis seek to bolster political dialogue - Russian foreign minister
TUNIS. March 4 (Interfax) - Russia and Tunisia see eye-to-eye on the events in the Middle East and North Africa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after negotiations with Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki.
"We have agreed to step up our political dialogue, trade and economic ties and [cooperation] in culture and tourism. Our assessments of what is happening today around the world and the Middle East region and North Africa coincide. We are interested in their people being able to make their own choice in favor of a future without any shocks," Lavrov said.
Russia and Tunisia also agreed to intensify their cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism, he said.
"We reaffirmed our support to the reforms launched in Tunisia following the adoption of the new constitution and preparations for the elections," the Russian minister said, adding that these processes would help achieve sustainable development in the country.
Lavrov also said that he "conveyed the best wishes to the president of Tunisia from the president of Russia."
He said that the Russian authorities appreciate the Tunisian leadership's attention to the Russian language.
"We are grateful to the leadership of Tunisia for the attention they have been paying to the Russian language. We agreed to continue this cooperation and we sense their interest toward our country. The president of Tunisia assured us that they will take measures to safeguard the memory of these historic processes," including the presence of Russian Black Sea Fleet ships there, Lavrov said.