MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax) - Moscow is hopeful that its cooperation with newly-appointed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will be constructive, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.
"We count on constructive work with new Secretary of State Kerry," he said at a press briefing in Moscow on Thursday, describing Kerry as a "well known political figure with rich experience in international affairs."
Kerry's appointment as U.S. secretary of state "should help promote cooperation between our countries and will give positive impetus to bilateral contacts," he said.
"We, for our part, are open to dialogue on the whole range of bilateral and global topics. Using the potential accumulated in recent years, we are ready to further tackle problems following the principles of equality, non-interference in each other's domestic affairs and true respect for the interests of the two states," Lukashevich said.
The Senate confirmed President Barack Obama's nomination of Senator John Kerry to be secretary of state, replacing Hillary Clinton in this post.