Head Of Russian Intelligence Reveals Ties With CIA

Head of Russian Intelligence Sergei Naryshkin (Source: spisok-putina.org)

JAKARTA - The President of the United States (US) Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the historic 18th-century villa, Villa La Grange, located in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16.

The meeting was held after a series of heated situations between the two countries. Starting from the US election intervention, the Ukraine issue, to the latest Russia decided to leave the 'Open Skies Agreement' earlier this week.

Ahead of the meeting, Head of Russian Foreign Intelligence (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin spoke up when asked about the current interaction between Russia's special services and the United States.

He said Moscow expected more active interaction with Washington in the exchange of intelligence. In addition, it hopes to meet with US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Chief William Burns sooner or later.

"Now, new leadership, a new administration of the White House has come into power, and a new President Joe Biden has been elected. He has appointed a highly reputable specialist in international affairs, a man with knowledge of the matter, Mr. Burns as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency," Mr. Naryshkin told TASS as quoted on Friday 11 June.

"He seems to be acquainted with his competence and circumstances. I hope that our meeting sooner or later, and interactions in the form of exchanging intelligence information will also continue to be more active," continued Naryshkin.

Narsyhkin said the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service and the CIA have never stopped the partnership between the two countries.

"We exchanged information that interests us and mainly relates to issues such as the fight against international terrorism. Another thing is that these interactions are more or less active in different periods and years," he said.

Furthermore, Naryshkin said, the level of interaction was also marked by contacts at the level of the head of special services.

"I have to say that when Mike Pompeo was appointed to the post of director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 2017, I kept in touch with him, my colleague, by phone as well, and he also visited the Foreign Intelligence Service. My colleagues and I visited the Central Intelligence Agency, and I can reiterate the following, the contact and cooperation at that time was at a higher level."

"When Gina Haspel was appointed to the post, the level of interaction decreased somewhat. I did not meet her and did not communicate with her, not even by phone," concluded Naryshkin.