MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin held an operational meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council.

“Today we will discuss our work with our closest partners in the southern direction. There are a lot of issues. We have a large volume of cooperation,” the head of state said at the beginning of the meeting.

Putin then called on the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, for a report.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mihail Mishustin, the presidents of both chambers of the parliament Valentina Matviyenko and Vyacheslav Volodin, the vice-president of the Security Council Dmitri Medvedev, the head of the presidential administration Anton Vaino, the secretary of the Security Council Sergey Shoigu, the Minister of Defense Andrei Belousov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, Special Presidential Representative of Russia for environmental protection, ecology and transport Sergey Ivanov.