MOSCOW, August 3 (AVN) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov will negotiate with his German counterpart Rudolf Scharping in St.Petersburg from August 6 to 7, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry told the Military News Agency on Friday.
The ministers will discuss a wide range of issues important for both countries, as well as acute international problems of which the European ones are the most important.
The first personal contacts were settled between both ministers after Ivanov's appointment during the Russian-German summit on April 8 to April 10, 2001. Then the ministers discussed in details the programme of interation between both Defence Ministries for 2001, analysed implementation of a number of agreements on joint projects of the military and technical co-operation.
Most of the negotiations part of which are to be held behind closed doors will be dedicated to Washington plans on National Antimissile Defence (NMD) deployment and their consequences for the global and European stability. Military and military and technical co-operation of both countries will be an important issue of the negotiations. A large cultural programme is envisaged for both defence ministers in St. Petersburg.