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Iraqi foreign minister to visit Russia on Sept. 19-21

Other News Materials 18 September 2007 15:01 (UTC +04:00)

( RIA Novosti ) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiar al-Zibari will arrive in Moscow on Wednesday on a three-day visit to discuss the situation in Iraq, a Russian diplomat said.

The minister is expected to discuss preparations for an international conference on Iraq in Istanbul scheduled for October, and business contracts for Russian companies in Iran. He is due to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko, and Russian businessmen.

Mikhail Kamynin, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said: "We believe that a real and long-lasting resolution of the situation in Iraq could be achieved only by political means, through broad inter-Iraqi dialogue and national reconciliation."

The agenda of the upcoming talks will include bilateral economic cooperation and Russia's participation in the reconstruction of war-torn Iraq.

"Despite a difficult situation, our experts are continuing to assist Iraq in the construction and modernization of key elements of infrastructure in various regions of the country," Kamynin said.

He also said the sides would sign a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of respective consulates general and coordinate a timeline and preparations for the first post-war meeting of the Russian-Iraqi commission on trade and economic cooperation.

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