Lavrov: A conference on ME to be convened

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Wednesday that a high-level meeting is scheduled in Moscow to deal with issues of the Middle East before the end of this year. "Russia considered that the relations with the Arab countries as one of the main strategic priorities for the Russian policy," Lavrov said.

Lavrov stressed in a speech before the Arab-Russian Businessmen Council the necessity of the Arab and Russian companies to make a joint activity in the markets of the third countries. He also called for boosting investment and financial cooperation between the two sides to develop the economies of Russia and the Arab states.