Krishna to visit Russia, Uzbekistan from Tuesday

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will pay an official visit to Russia and Uzbekistan from today, an official statement said.

In Moscow, Mr Krishna will lead the Indian delegation to the 15th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC).

The meeting of the IRIGC will be co-chaired by Mr Krishna and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin. The two sides will sign a protocol summing up the discussions of the IRIGC during the visit. The 14th session of the IRIGC was held in New Delhi on December 3 last year.

This will be Mr Krishna's first visit to Russia since he took office as External Affairs Minister and he will call on Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during his stay in Moscow. He will also hold bilateral discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

The visit is taking place ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's scheduled visit to Moscow in December this year for the annual India-Russia Summit.

Mr Krishna will be in Tashkent on October 22-23 at the invitation of Mr Vladimir Norov, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan.

During his visit, he will call on Mr Islam Karimov, the President of Uzbekistan, and hold talks with Mr Norov on bilatera, regional and global issues of importance.

Mr Krishna will also pay his respects at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial thee and inaugurate the India Centre at the Al Beruni Institute of Oriental Studies. He will also attend a reception hosted by the Indian Ambassador for the Indian community, the statement added.

NNN