MOSCOW, January 18 (RIA Novosti) - Foreign ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized nations will meet in Moscow in June in preparation for the G8 summit in St. Petersburg, a senior official from the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
"In June G8 foreign ministers will discuss foreign political issues to be addressed at the summit," Alexei Sazonov said.
Russia holds the rotating presidency of the G8 for the first time, following a decision reached at the G8 summit in Kananaskis, Canada in 2002.
Sazonov said about 100 meetings would be held before the summit at different levels, and half of these would involve the Foreign Ministry.
The G8 finance ministers will meet in Moscow February 11-12.
Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said in Tokyo Wednesday that the second meeting of his G8 counterparts would be held in June in St. Petersburg.
The minister said, "Russia will touch upon three global issues at the meeting [in February]: energy security, efforts against infectious diseases, and the development of educational programs."
