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US Secretary of State Colin Powell has arrived in Moscow for a state visit. This visit can determine future relations between Russia and the United States, says the Russian newspaper Izvestia. For both countries, this is a critical time – election campaign and the first steps of election winners. Mutual warnings – and rather tough warnings – have already been made, the newspaper notes.
Mr. Powell traveled to Moscow from Tbilisi, where he attended the swearing-in of the new president, Mikhail Saakashvili. Speaking at a news conference in Tbilisi on January 25, the Secretary of State said Washington still had questions regarding Russian military equipment items that were delivered to Iraq before the US-led war. He said Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov had answered some of the questions, but the discussion would continue in Moscow.
Mr. Powell is going to discuss a broad range of issues in Moscow, including North Korea, recent parliamentary elections in Russia, Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s arrest, Russia’s military presence in Moldova and Georgia, and the freedom of speech. Apparently, the discussions will not be easy. However, the Kremlin is optimistic.
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RUSSIA IN FACTS
