Preparation Of Visit Of Turkmenia's Leader To Russia Dominating Talks Of Foreign Ministers Of Two States

The preparation of a visit of the president of Turkmenia to Russia was in the centre of attention at the talks of the two countries' Ministers of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov and Rashid Meredov, the RIA Novosti correspondent reports. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation stressed that the leadership of Russia attaches great attention to the visit of Saparmurat Niyazov to Moscow which is scheduled for January 21, from the standpoint of imparting additional dynamism to the development of bilateral relations. As a result of the visit of the president of Turkmenistan to Russia, the heads of the two countries will sign a joint communique, and it is also intended to sign a number of other documents, Ivanov noted. The Ministers discussed also the topical international problems concerning the Central-Asian region. "We have common stands on settlement of the situation in Afghanistan and on struggle against international terrorism", Ivanov said.