MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Friday he hoped that talks with his Canadian counterpart Bill Graham on bilateral cooperation would be successful.
"Today, we will have a great opportunity to discuss our bilateral cooperation and issues of global security," he said at the meeting with the Canadian minister in Moscow.
Ivanov said Graham's first visit to Russia as Canada's defense minister was symbolic because it coincided with an anniversary of the end of the World War II in the Pacific, where the Russian and Canadian soldiers "fought together" against Japanese troops.
The Russian minister said he hoped that the Canadian delegation would not limit the program of its visit to diplomatic and official receptions, but would also visit famous places and museums in the Russian capital to get a better feeling of Russian culture.
The Canadian defense minister said he had already visited "one of the most impressive museums in Moscow," the Great Patriotic War Museum, which is dedicated to WWII.
He said he could not forget that a million Canadians fought together with Russian soldiers defending peace during the war.
At present, Russia and Canada are joining efforts to resolve international problems, improving peace and security in the world and fighting international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, he added.
