MOSCOW. May 13 (Interfax) - The Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee discussed the appointment of Sergei Lavrov as Russian foreign minister on Monday.
Lavrov's nomination for foreign minister "confirms the continuity of an independent foreign policy Russia has been conducting and will conduct," Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said during the consultations.
"We are happy that Russia is a leader in the advance towards a multipolar world order. It is important that the Foreign Ministry is led by a highly experienced, time-tested, reliable person and a true patriot," Matviyenko said.
The discussion will continue at a plenary meeting of the Federation Council on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a list of candidates for the heads of the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Russian National Guard, the Federal Security Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Federal Guard Service, the Emergency Situations Ministry, the Justice Ministry and the Foreign Ministry for the Federation Council's consideration. Almost all of the incumbent heads of those agencies apart from Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu were on the list. Putin proposed replacing Shoigu with Andrei Belousov, who served as first deputy prime minister in the previous government.
The president makes a decision on the appointment of these officials after consultations with the Federation Council.