The Hindu : Kanwal Sibal to discuss agenda for Putin's visit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 06, 2002

International

International

Kanwal Sibal to discuss agenda for Putin's visit

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW SEPT. 5. The Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal, arrived here today to put into high gear preparations for the Russian President, Vladimir Putin's visit to India in the first week of December.

A package of bilateral documents to be signed during the coming Indo-Russian summit includes a major political declaration and agreements covering cooperation in energy, telecommunications, IT, and other areas of science and technology, the Indian Ambassador to Russia, Krishnan Raghunath, said. It will be the third summit meeting between the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and Mr. Putin.

On Friday Mr. Sibal will call on the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, and hold wide-ranging talks with the First Deputy Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Trubnikov.

The talks will pave the way for a visit next month of the Minister of External Affairs, Yashwant Sinha, who is co-chairman of the Indo-Russian intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation.

Apart from the agenda of Mr. Putin's visit, the Foreign Secretary will discuss an array of international issues ahead of the U.N. General Assembly later this month.

These will include Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, on which the two countries closely coordinate their stand.

The Indian envoy, Mr. Raghunath, who completed his first year here in August, described relations with Russia as "very good".

Briefing Indian reporters on the eve of Mr. Sibal's visit, he said the Foreign Secretary's talks were part of a well-structured foreign policy dialogue between the two countries maintained also through joint working groups on Afghanistan, strategic stability, as well as China and East Asia.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

Stories in this Section

Bush-Vajpayee talks will go beyond cross-border terrorism

LTTE ban can be reimposed anytime: Peiris

U.S. hopes for violence-free polls in Jammu and Kashmir

Moscow to upgrade military aid to Kabul

Pragmatism, flexibility needed: Musharraf

Ahmed elected Bangladesh President

Australia launches two military units

Russian MPs challenge pact with U.S.

China for political means

Pak. must check Al-Qaeda infiltrations: Iran

'Aid needed for displaced in Gujarat'

Lawsuit alleges Iraq role

Kanwal Sibal to discuss agenda for Putin's visit

Colombo-LTTE talks in Thai naval base