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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday had a telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The officials discussed in detail a broad range of topical international issues. They also spoke about the UN response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the December 2 presentation of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to UN members, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

Antonio Guterres welcomed Russia’s role in reaching agreements on the cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. The officials reviewed the potential of the UN agencies to help resolve humanitarian issues in the region in cooperation with Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian peacekeepers.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Guterres also exchanged views on the developments in Yemen and Libya, the Middle East settlement, and appointments to the top positions in the UN secretariats.

Both officials reaffirmed the importance of further enhancing the role and authority of the UN in the world arena, including in the context of its 75th anniversary this year.