Russian, Kazakh defense ministers meet in Moscow

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov on Wednesday had talks with his Kazakh counterpart Dauren Kosanov in Moscow, said the Kremlin.

Opening the meeting, Belousov emphasized that a busy program had been prepared for Kosanov during his visit to Russia, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"We intend to introduce you to scientific achievements in the field of defense, as well as the accomplishments of our industry and defense-industrial complex," he said.

Kosanov said this was his first official foreign trip since taking the post.

"This is very important for me, as my first official visit abroad as defense minister. I'm happy that we regularly manage to meet, share opinions, and coordinate our next steps aimed at effective interaction between our departments," he said.

He also stressed that Kazakhstan – formerly part of the Soviet Union – attaches special importance to developing cooperation with Russia: "We have traditionally maintained good neighborly relations and strategic partnership."

During the negotiations, the parties discussed current issues of interaction in the military sphere.