Sergei Ivanov, Canadian top brass to discuss international stability

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, currently in Canada for an official two-day visit, wants to take advantage of his upcoming talks with the country's political and military top brass to discuss international stability. This is what he told Russian journalists upon his arrival in Canada.

"We shall lay the emphasis on interaction in 'hot spots' [peacekeeping activities], non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the struggle against terrorism, and participation in the Global Partnership Program," Ivanov reported.

"Canada's position is often different from that of the other members of the G-8, which makes an exchange of opinions especially interesting," he added.

Purely military issues, now, won't be the highlight of the talks, the minister said. He pointed out nevertheless that Russia and Canada had been actively developing cooperation in the field of military education. "Since 1996, Canada has been offering the Russian Defence Ministry seats at the Pearson Peacekeeping Training Center - as part of the Military Training Aid Program," he said. In return, the Russian side "has been admitting Canadian servicemen to the training courses for UN military observers in Solnechnogorsk since 1997."