MOSCOW, July 6 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday that the just concluded ministerial meeting of the UN sustainable development body could help bridge the gap between rich and poor countries in their approach to development, and could increase UN leverage in global policymaking.
"We welcome the results of the ministerial segment [of the UN Economic and Social Council]. They confirmed Ecosoc's relevance . . . and helped strengthen the UN's real leverage in working out global social and economic policies," Alexander Yakovenko, the ministry's official spokesman, said.
Yakovenko said the meeting, which ended Friday in Geneva, exposed the differences between developed and developing countries' approaches to global development, including the Partnership for Development Ñoncept, but also showed the will on both sides to bridge the gap.
