MOSCOW. Sept 6 (Interfax) - High-ranking Russian and German representatives have exchanged views on security issues, including nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and counterterrorism.
The 15th plenary session of the German-Russian High Level Working Group on Security co-chaired by Russia's First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov and the German Federal Foreign Office's State Secretary Miguel Berger, was held in Berlin on September 3, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
"There was an open and substantive exchange of views on Russian-German cooperation in providing global security and regional stability, and pressing issues of the international agenda," the ministry said, noting that the discussion was conducted in the context of the talks held between President Vladimir Putin and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Moscow on August 20.
Practical matters concerning bilateral relations were also discussed. "The Russian side confirmed the existence of a great potential for their gradual development in all areas on the basis of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs," the statement said.
The session involved meetings of three subgroups - on countering terrorism, organized crime and drug threat; on strategic (military-political) issues; and on arms control and WMD nonproliferation -which submitted their reports for a reporting period, the ministry said.
In addition, a meeting took place on the sidelines of the session in the format of the bilateral cybersecurity negotiation mechanism set up in 2020.
It was agreed to hold the next session in Moscow in 2022.