Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Belarusian counterpart

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, held talks with his Belarusian counterpart, Sergei Aleinik, in Minsk earlier today ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Belarus, Qazet.az reports.

The foreign ministers discussed “specific topical issues, the efforts to counter the illegal sanctions of the West, as well as interaction on international platforms”, Belarusian state media cited Belarus’ foreign ministry as saying.

The pair also “touched upon trade and economic cooperation matters and the implementation of joint projects”, the ministry said.