MOSCOW - Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia, today inaugurated the UAE Hall at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), in the presence of Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Ambassador to Russia, and Anatoly Torkunov, Rector of the Institute.

On the start of the new academic year in Russia, Lavrov gave a speech in which he said, “Today, we are attending a symbolic event, the opening of the UAE Hall at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.”

“This fully reflects the growing nature of the strategic partnership between our countries and confirms our close cooperation built over many years and based on mutual trust and the search for balanced interests,” he added.

The UAE is Russia's leading trading partner among Arab countries, with their bilateral trade reaching nearly US$10 billion, Lavrov stressed, noting that this figure is on the rise, and Moscow strongly supports Abu Dhabi's keenness to join the BRICS group.