OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion sat down Monday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov — the first meeting of its kind in years. The 30-minute discussion took place in the Laos on the margins of an annual meeting of Southeast Asian nations. Sources say a meeting between Dion and Lavrov had been in the works for some time, and that this week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Laos was chosen because it represented a neutral site for both parties. But he also said it was only a matter of time before he sat down at the table with Lavrov. Dion spokesman Joseph Pickerill said Dion raised “frank” concerns about Russia’s involvement in Ukraine and Syria, as well as its current standoff with NATO in eastern Europe.

Source: National Post July 25, 2016 15:53 UTC