OREANDA-NEWS. April 15, 2009. Portuguese Minister of State and for Foreign Affairs Luis Amado paid a visit to the Russian Federation on April 13-15 at the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov. The meeting between the heads of the foreign affairs agencies was held in the framework of a regular Russian-Portuguese political dialogue aimed at further expanding cooperation between the two countries, bilaterally and in international affairs.

During the talks between Lavrov and Amado held on April 14, the sides discussed the dynamics of the expansion of ties between Russia and Portugal in different spheres and exchanged views on the prospects for the development of trade and investment interaction in the conditions of the global financial and economic crisis. In this context they stressed the role of the bilateral Intergovernmental Joint Commission on Economic, Industrial and Technical Cooperation, whose fourth session is due to be held in Moscow in June.

The ministers discussed questions of a new European security architecture in the light of the initiative put forward by President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev to develop a European Security Treaty, and exchanged views on ways of surmounting the global financial and economic crisis. The entire range of Russia-EU relations was subjected to detailed analysis. The sides spoke for imparting to them the character of a truly strategic partnership. Diverse aspects of collaboration between our country and NATO were examined and the problems associated with WMD proliferation were touched on.

Lavrov and Amado also exchanged views on key regional problems, among them Middle East settlement, and the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq and around Iran’s nuclear program.

As acknowledged by both sides, the talks in Moscow were useful and enabled restating that on a broad range of issues the approaches of Russia and Portugal are close or coincide. The ministers agreed to continue mutual contacts. A solid program of consultations between the foreign affairs agencies of the two countries at the working level is also slated for the current year.