U.S., Russian Officials To Discuss Fight Against Terror In Vienna

A top U.S. State Department official and a Russian deputy foreign minister are set to hold a new round of consultations on the fight against terrorism on September 9.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister for antiterrorism matters, Oleg Syromolotov, will take part in the meeting in Vienna.

Sullivan plans to discuss with Syromolotov the reciprocal exchange of information, as well as "terrorist designations at the United Nations, foreign terrorist fighters, terrorist financing, aviation security, and the threat of international terrorism," the U.S. State Department said in a statement ahead of the talks.

Syromolotov has said that the activities of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Afghanistan will be on the agenda of the meeting, among other things.

The last consultation, held in the Austrian capital in December, was attended by Sullivan and Syromolotov amid a deterioration of bilateral relations over issues including Russia's seizure of Crimea in March 2014, its role in the wars in Syria and eastern Ukraine, and its alleged election meddling in the United States and other countries.

"Despite ongoing concerns with Russia's destabilizing activity, the United States seeks to use this dialogue as a platform to facilitate the sharing of information that can protect the United States, its people, and its interests -- and those of our partners and allies -- against terrorist attacks," the State Department said in a statement.

Syromolotov told TASS that counterterrorism cooperation helped build confidence, which he said is necessary for making progress in other areas of bilateral ties.

With reporting by TASS