U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to boost bilateral ties in telephone talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
"In the talks they emphasized a mutual interest in setting a positive agenda for our relations after the new administration (of U.S. President Barack Obama) came to power," it said in a statement.
"In particular, the question of strengthening cooperation was discussed, including questions of strategic dialogue, economic cooperation and current international problems like bringing stability to Afghanistan."
Russia-U.S. ties plunged to a post-Cold War low during Russia's August war with Georgia, a close Western ally, but both Moscow and Washington have expressed hope for a new start after the election of Obama as president.