Russian Foreign Minister Has Left For Shanghai

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has left for Shanghai to participate in the 13th annual APEC foreign ministers' meeting on October 17-18. The meeting of foreign ministers will be the basic stage of preparations for the APEC summit of heads of state and government to be held in Shanghai on October 20-21. The meeting's agenda includes acute issues of promoting trade and investment, realization of economic and technological cooperation projects. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti that Moscow counts on adopting "practical decisions to establish efficient control over financial flows which feed different forms of extremism". On Wednesday Ivanov is to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan. According to diplomatic sources, apart from bilateral relations the sides will touch upon the issues related to Afghanistan due to the fact that Russia and China are members of the 6+2 group on settling the conflict in Afghanistan. Sources also pointed out that the meeting of Russian and Chinese foreign ministers will be held in the runup to the visit to Russia by Chinese Vice Chairman Hu Jintao. Ivanov's meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell is scheduled for Friday.