Defence Ministry Officials Of Russia And Germany Meet In Moscow

The First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, Colonel General Valery Manilov, and the chief of the Russian Defence Ministry's press service, Colonel Nikolai Deryabin, on Thursday met with a delegation of the press and information department of the German Defence Ministry, led by press secretary Detlef Puhl. The press service of the Russian Defence Ministry reports that the sides discussed the role, place and importance of information structures of the Russian and German Defence Ministries in supporting the two states' armed forces and exchanged expertise. They also considered concrete proposals for developing closer contacts between the information structures of the Russian Defence Ministry and the German Bundeswehr. Summing up the results of the meeting, General Manilov pointed out that "the press and the people working with it and with information in general are the vanguard force for the world's civilised reconstruction." The delegation of the press and information department of the German Defence Ministry arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, in accordance with a plan of measures to develop contacts between the armed forces of the two countries for 2001. The plan has been approved by the Russian and German Defence Ministers. At the present time, the German delegation is staying at Stellar Town in Monino (Moscow Region) to see how Russian astronauts are trained. The delegation also plans to familiarise itself with the activity of the press service of the Russian Defence Ministry and the press service of one of the armed services in the Russian armed forces.