Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of strengthening the role of the organization in the world arena and the intention to develop cooperation between Russia and the UN during their meeting at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.

Both sides noted the importance of further strengthening the central role of the UN in the world arena and reaffirmed the focus on developing mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and the world organization, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The sides also expressed their views on a number of international issues, including the fight against the pandemic and climate change.

A number of regional topics will be touched upon, including the situation in Afghanistan, in the east of Ukraine, in Syria and Libya. The issues of appointment to senior positions in the UN system were discussed separately, the ministry added.