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RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER TO HAVE LARGE AGENDA IN BERLIN

RIA Novosti

BERLIN, Mar. 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has arrived in Berlin, where he is to attend bilateral Russian-German negotiations on military and military-technical cooperation and discuss matters of common interest with his German opposite number, Peter Struck.

According to Mr. Ivanov who talked to the media before departure, the talks will be focused on furthering the cooperation between the two militaries as well as between Russia and NATO.

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti that Messrs. Ivanov and Struck would "discuss many issues ranging from specific cooperative projects to international problems. Particularly, the two defense ministers will discuss the cooperation under the Russian-German agreement on military transit to Afghanistan".

The Russian side is also going to urge further cooperation within the framework of the MAPS aircraft-making joint venture.

MAPS was set up 12 years ago by the Moscow Aircraft Production Association (MAPO, later re-designated as MiG Russian Aircraft Corporation), German company DASA and Rosoboronexport, with the latter now being the only Russian state intermediary for arms exports. MAPS provides maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services and additional modifications to the Russian-made MiG-29 in service with the German Air Force. However, the company has not been operating to capacity.

As far as international problems are concerned, the Russian and German defense ministers are going to discuss the fight against terrorism, nuclear weapons and fissile material security issues, NATO expansion, Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty ratification, the situations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East and the Balkans, and the problem of Kaliningrad - the Russian exclave in the Baltic.

Mr. Ivanov also plans to visit the German Army's training center in Magdeburg to be introduced to training provided to Bundeswehr personnel.

On March 3, he will leave Berlin for Florence to meet his Italian colleague Antonio Martino and discuss mostly the same issues he is to discuss in Germany. Drafting a bilateral agreement on rescuing crews of submarines in distress will be touched upon as well.

In addition, Mr. Ivanov is intent on discussing the prospects of bilateral cooperation under the Yak-130/AEM-130 program.