Russian defense minister flies off to Malaysia

MOSCOW (AFP) May 18, 2003
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov left Moscow late Saturday for cooperation and security talks in Malaysia, the first leg of a tour that will also take him to the United states, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

Ivanov will spend three days in Malaysia, where he will hold talks centering on military cooperation between Moscow and Kuala Lumpur, security and nuclear non-proliferation in the Asia-Pacific zone, and the fight against terrorism.

He is to meet on Monday with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak for talks which will also include the North Korean problem, ITAR-TASS quoted a Russian defense ministry official as saying.

Ivanov will leave Malaysia on Tuesday and fly on to the United States for a three-day visit.

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