"The Russian president and the United States secretary of state have confirmed the importance of the joint effort towards the Middle Eastern settlement", Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. He participated in their meeting.
They spoke of the standing contacts between the Quartet of international intermediaries and "have agreed upon a new meeting (of the Quartet) at the level of foreign ministers", Lavrov said.
Putin and Rice have also spoken up for the earliest holding of legitimate elections in Kyrgyzstan.
"At the meeting they discussed the situation in Kyrgyzstan in the context of the need to stabilize it as soon as possible, prepare legitimate elections on the basis of its constitution", the Russian foreign minister said.
He also said that in discussion were "questions of Georgian-Abkhaz settlement, minding that Russia and the United States are the members of the Group of Friends of the UN Secretary General on Georgia".
According to Lavrov, the United States recognizes the need of improving the vital mechanisms of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
To quote: "Our American partners recognize the need of improving, reforming its (OSCE) vital mechanisms".
