OREANDA-NEWS. March 04, 2010. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov took part in a meeting of the political directors of the G8 member countries in Victoria, Canada, from March 1-2.

The meeting examined the status of preparations for the G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting (Gatineau, March 29-30) and Leaders Summit (Muskoka, June 25-26). Discussions focused mainly on the nonproliferation of WMD, a problem especially relevant in the light of the NPT Review Conference to be held in May and the situation surrounding the nuclear programs of Iran and the DPRK.

Among regional issues the greatest attention was paid to the state of affairs in Afghanistan. In discussing this topic, the Russian side accentuated the need to strengthen international counteraction against the threat of drugs emanating from the region. 

On the Canadian Presidency’s initiative, questions of the coordination of efforts by the G8 nations to help countries with conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction were also touched upon.