Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will meet Wednesday, March 13 with British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond to discuss the areas of potential military cooperation between the two countries, the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to RIA Novosti.

“The sides will discuss the current state and prospects of Russian-British military cooperation and exchange views on the military-political situation in some parts of the world,” a ministry’s spokesman said.

The meeting is part of the agenda of a new “strategic dialogue” in a “2+2” format involving Russian foreign and defense ministers and their British counterparts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to launch this initiative last year following a gradual improvement in bilateral relations which have soured in a series of bitter rows over various sticky issues, including the murder in London of Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko.