MOSCOW. Feb 20 (Interfax) - Moscow hopes the start of the talks between the Colombian government and guerrillas from the National Liberation Army will soon lead them to conclude a peace agreement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"We welcome the launch in Quito (Ecuador) of the negotiating process between the government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army. This is an important step towards comprehensive peace and stability in Columbia and Latin America in general," the ministry said in a commentary posted on its website on Monday.
"We hope that the constructive, mutually respectful and flexible dialogue between the parties will enable them to soon arrive at the conclusion of a peace agreement," the ministry said.
Moscow expressed readiness "to further provide necessary assistance to Colombia in the cause of peaceful settlement of the half-century-long domestic armed conflict."
The talks between the Colombian authorities and the guerrillas, who have been fighting the government since 1960, began in Colombia earlier in February.