Rome, Italy. On 14th July 2015, the GFCM had the honor to welcome at its headquarters, in Palazzo Blumenstihl, H.E. Ilya Shestakov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and Head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries. Mr Shestakov was accompanied by Mr Sergei Simakov, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Federal Agency for Fisheries, Mr Oleg Kobiakov and Mr Alexander Okhanov, respectively Counsellor and Adviser at the Permanent representation of the Russian Federation to FAO. This bilateral meeting between the Russian delegation and the GFCM Secretariat was held within the framework of ongoing cooperation activities in the Black Sea. It was an important opportunity to explore avenues for strengthened partnership and joint efforts towards the rational management of living marine resources in the Black Sea. In this regard, options and conditions related to the cooperating non-contracting party status and GFCM membership were discussed. Both the Russian delegation and the GFCM Executive Secretary reaffirmed the importance of further promoting cooperation in the Black Sea, underlining the need for more technical work towards sustainable fisheries, aquaculture development and the fight against IUU fishing. Moreover, they reiterated their commitment to maintain continuous dialogue with the aim of strengthening in particular the contribution of the Russian Federation to upcoming GFCM meetings related to the Black Sea.