Russian President Meets With Defense Minister

Vladimir Putin on Thursday held a working meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. As press secretary of the President Alexei Gromov said, the Defense Minister reported to the head of state on the cooperation of Russia with member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the United States and other countries of the anti-terrorist coalition. At this meeting the President and the Defense Minister also discussed issues of enhancing cooperation between Russia and NATO in various spheres. Apart from that, the minister informed the President about the measures for fulfilling the instructions of the head of state to send humanitarian aid to the population of Afghanistan. Sergei Ivanov also touched upon the fulfilment of the plan for military development in Russia. Special attention was paid to the financial side of the reformation of the country's armed forces.