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Thursday, Oct 07, 2004

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International - India & World

Russia to focus on terrorism in talks

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, OCT. 6. Terrorism will dominate the agenda of the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, during his interactions in Delhi later this week, a Russian spokesman said.

"In Russia-India dialogue on international issues we specially stress the necessity to strengthen cooperation in the fight against international terrorism," the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Yakovenko, said in an interview.

"India and Russia are ahead of other countries fighting this global evil and have always called international community to join efforts in this area."

Putin's visit

Mr. Lavrov will be in Delhi between October 8 and 10 to prepare the visit of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to India in December.

"The sides will discuss measures on strengthening international and bilateral cooperation in fighting terrorism and drug trafficking and also in creating a solid international legal basis to oppose religious extremism and separatism," Mr. Yakovenko said on Tuesday. Terrorism has been pushed to the top of Russia's foreign policy priorities by a recent spate of Chechen terror attacks that claimed hundreds of lives.

South Asian situation

The situation in South Asia will also be high on Mr. Lavrov's agenda, the spokesman said.

"Moscow welcomes the development of the Indian-Pakistani dialogue and expects it would lay a basis for strengthening mutual understanding and normalisation of relations between the two countries," he noted.

Discussions will also cover non-proliferation, West Asia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

From India the Russian Foreign Minister will go to Iran in a sign of growing trilateral cooperation between Delhi, Moscow and Teheran.

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