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Work on drafting a new treaty on strategic offensive arms reductions was the main subject of discussion at the meeting. Negotiations on the treaty are proceeding in accordance with the Russian and US presidents’ instructions on linking the strategic offensive arms and missile defence issues.

Mr Medvedev and Ms Clinton also discussed current international affairs, including the Iranian nuclear programme in the context of further work with the six-party format, the Middle East peace process, with the emphasis on finding ways to facilitate a resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks, and efforts to stabilise the situation in Afghanistan.

Russia and the USA agreed at the meeting to step up their cooperation on modernising Russia’s economy and helping it to make the transition to an innovative development track.

Ms Clinton was in Moscow to take part in a Quartet meeting on the Middle East peace process together with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Quartet special representative Tony Blair, and EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton.

Ms Clinton and Mr Lavrov are responsible for coordinating the Presidential Commission on Cooperation, which was established following US President Barack Obama’s visit to Moscow in July 2009. The coordinators held their first meeting in Moscow in October 2009, and this was followed by a meeting between Mr Medvedev and Ms Clinton.