MOSCOW: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov has said Moscow is interested in cooperation with Washington on the problems of the Middle East region.

“Of course, we support working together,” he said.

Bogdanov noted that there are people in Washington, who really familiar with the situation and assess it accurately. “But we all know that there is a disagreement between the previous administration and the current one, between the legislature and the executive power, between the various participants in US foreign policy decisions,” he added.

Russia and the US also continue contacts on Syria and Libya, as well as on a number of other regional issues, Bogdanov said. “Overall, the contacts on Syria, of course, and on some other regional issues, including Libya, are underway. We are ready for such work, meaning a principal approach that we should respect the fundamental norms of international law, such as non-interference in the internal affairs,” he said, adding that “the task is to help the countries of the region to solve those problems.”

In particular, the contacts between the Middle Eastern Quartet of international mediators (Russia, the US, the UN, the EU) at the level of special representatives have been revitalized, though the US is not ready to bring this work to the ministerial level, according to Bogdanov. “Contacts at the level of special representatives of our four participants of the Quartet have been revitalized, though, unfortunately, our American partners are not yet ready to bring this work to the ministerial level and deepen the cooperation with us on the Middle East,” Deputy Minister noted.