Moscow, Feb 19: Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India and Iraq crisis are among a range of issues which will come up for talks between external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha, who arrives here today for a two-day visit, and Russian leaders. Government sources said Sinha, who has been invited by his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov, is expected to exchange views on key global and regional issues including anti-terror combat, Iraq, West Asia and North Korea which have a direct bearing on long-term security concerns of both Russia and India. A special focus would be on the situation in South Asia in the context of cross-border terrorism against India from the Pakistani soil, they said.

Sinha is also scheduled to discuss Indo-Russian trade, economic and military cooperation with industries and science minister Ilya Klebanov and defence minister Sergei Ivanov. Klebanov and Sinha are co-chairmen of Indo-Russian commission on trade and economic cooperation.

Bureau Report