MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the two ministers held a phone conversation, focusing on a number of issues including the recent deadly attack in St. Petersburg.
"The minister thanked Jean-Marc Ayrault for his words of support [in light of the St. Petersburg attack] and expressed hope that Russian-French cooperation would strengthen, including in the sphere of security," the statement said.
According to the statement, the ministers also discussed the Ukrainian and Syrian crises.
On Monday, an explosion occurred in the St. Petersburg underground on the stretch of rail between the Sennaya Ploshchad and Tekhnologichesky Institut metro stations at around 3 p.m. local time (12:00 GMT). The blast killed at least 14 people, according to Russian Minister of Healthcare Veronika Skvortsova. Forty-nine people were wounded.
Another explosive device was found at another metro station and defused by specialists.
Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into a suspected terrorist attack.
