SOCHI. May 17 (Interfax) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he thanked Russia for participating in the periodic review of the UN Human Rights Council.
Ban Ki-moon said at a news conference in Sochi on the results of talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that he welcomed the statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the most important role of mass media and civil society in building democracy.
Mass media outlets should be able to work and it is necessary to encourage them so that they could contribute to establishing a free and stable society, Ban Ki-moon said.
Ban Ki-moon said that the UN summit would take place in 2014 and Russia would participate in it. The UN secretary general said he urged the international community to mobilize.