Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

On May 1, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo had a telephone conversation at the initiative of the US side.

The conversation was focused on developments in Venezuela, where the opposition recently attempted to seize power with overt assistance from the United States. Russia’s position that Washington's interference in the sovereign state's internal affairs and threats directed against its leadership constitute a blatant violation of the international law was underscored. It was noted that further aggressive steps may lead to the gravest of consequences. Only the Venezuelan people who have the right to choose their destiny, which requires dialogue between all the country's political forces, as its Government has long called for. Destructive external influence, particularly when force is involved, has no place in the democratic process.

During the conversation, humanitarian aspects of the situation in Syria were also discussed, in particular conditions at the Rukban and Al-Hawl refugee camps. Mr Lavrov spoke in support of the prompt return of refugees to their places of permanent residence, for which the Syrian Government has created proper conditions.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Pompeo also touched on bilateral issues, including the schedule of upcoming Russian-US contacts.