Russian Defense Minister leaves for China

Defense Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ivanov flew to China for an official visit on Tuesday morning.

During the visit which will last till April 22 the Russian Defense Minister will discuss bilateral military and military-technical cooperation, reported the press service of the ministry.

"On the agenda of the talks are issues of the development of the Russian-Chinese relations in the military and military-technical spheres, including within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (apart from Russia and China this regional organization also includes four Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), the ministry's report says.

The sides will also exchange opinions on major problems of international relations, in particular ensuring security in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The program of Sergei Ivanov's visit to the People's Republic of China envisages bilateral meetings, specifically with Chairman of the Central Military Council Jiang Zemin, Premier of the State Council Wen Jiabao and Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Council Guo Boxiong.