Boppard June 09: Germany and Russia want to improve military cooperation, the two countries' defence ministers said Sunday after meeting in the western German city of Boppard.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said that Germany was an important partner for Moscow not only for developing military infrastructure but also in training specialists like military doctors and engineers. He and German Defence Minister Rudolf Scharping said that cooperation between the two countries on air transport, in-flight refuelling and combat training was already exemplary.

In reference to the new relations between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Scharping said: "The East-West conflict has ended in the rubbish bins of history." Ivanov, who arrived in Germany on Saturday on a two-day visit, took part in the first meeting of the new NATO-Russia Council in Brussels last week. Bureau Report