Top diplomats from Russia and US meet in Istanbul, focus on restoring Embassy operations

Istanbul: Top diplomats of Russia and the United States are meeting in Turkey’s Istanbul on Thursday as both countries aim at normalising operations of their embassies that remain disrupted following the start of Russia-Ukraine war and under the former US administration.

“Today Russia-US talks at an expert level take place in Istanbul to find ways to resolve many irritants. We expect it to be the first in a series of expert consultations that will bring us closer to overcoming differences and strengthening confidence-building measures,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

The consultations follow an agreement reached during the high-level meeting held between Russia and the US in Riyadh last week which was attended by Lavrov, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov and a US delegation represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. During the meeting, both sides had agreed to appoint respective ambassadors as soon as possible and to start consultations at the level of deputy foreign ministers to remove restrictions on the activities of the diplomatic missions of the two countries.

The reduction in embassy staff in both countries began after 2014, when former US governments adopted a policy of “systemic containment” towards Russia, reported Russian news agency Tass.

“We have announced that our diplomats and high-level experts will meet to address the systemic problems that have piled up as a result of the previous [US] administration’s illegitimate activities aimed at creating artificial obstacles for the work of the Russian embassy, to which we clearly responded in kind, also creating uncomfortable conditions for the operation of the US embassy in Moscow,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Since taking over as the US President for the second time last month, Donald Trump has shown his willingness to reset relations with Russia. Earlier this week, Russia also offered to strike a deal on rare earth metals with the US in an attempt to enhance ties. In early February, Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump held their first official phone conversation since the US leader assumed office. Putin and Trump discussed stopping hostilities in Ukraine and also discussed the possibility of holding a face-to-face meeting soon.

IANS