Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his French counterpart Jean-Iv le Drian  will hold talks Tuesday to discuss the prospects for their bilateral relations and to exchange views on the situation in Syria, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula.

As noted by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian-French relations "are characterized by intense dialogue at the highest level". "Only six personal meetings of the foreign ministers of the two countries took place last year," the agency said.

"The main focus on the international issues in the talks will be the settlement of the crisis in Syria, the development of the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula, as well as the cooperation between Russia and France in the OSCE and the Council of Europe," said the ministry.

Despite the "not always matching positions", joint efforts by both sides are likely to significantly reduce global tension, and during the talks, ministers will also raise questions about preparing for a French visit President Emanuel Macron in Russia in May this year, where the French leader will take part in the SPIEF as an honorary guest.