Pentagon preparing to welcome Russian Defense minister.

WASHINGTON, September 15 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Defense Minister
Anatoly Serdyukov and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates are to stay
together practically throughout Wednesday.
An Itar-Tass correspondent has learned from American official sources
here that the work schedule of the Pentagon chief allots an aggregate of
five hours for meetings and talks with his Russian counterpart. This is
rather unusual and is indicative of much importance that the US Defense
Department attaches to the visit.
The day will begin with a ceremony to welcome the Russian guest in the
Pentagon where a guard of honor is to be lined up. Then the Ministers are
scheduled to have three rounds of discussions. The morning session will be
devoted to a discussion of military reform plans, including the
optimization of spending on military needs in Russia and the United
States. The American side regards this subject as a major one during the
visit.
Later in the day the Russian and American Defense ministers are to
carry on their talks at a dinner. They will discuss transparency in
bilateral military-and-political dialogue. It is expected that precisely
during this part of the talks the two defense chiefs will touch upon
subjects concerning ABM and nuclear arms control.
Regional and global problems and challenges to security are to be
discussed during a post-dinner session. It is known in advance that Mr.
Gates intends to thank the guest for much assistance being given by Russia
to the US and its allies in the question of military transit to
Afghanistan. Obviously, the Iran issue will not be left without attention
either.
On Wednesday evening, the two defense chiefs are to meet again at a
reception that Mr. Gates will give in honor of his partner.

.Int'l business aviation show opens in Moscow Wednesday.

MOSCOW, September 15 (Itar-Tass) - The 5th international exhibition of
business aviation, the Jet Expo-2010, opens here on Wednesday, with about
100 companies from 17 countries and from practically all parts of the
world participating.
An official at the exhibition's organizing committee has told
Itar-Tass that the exhibition "has become the most widely representative
professional event of the Russian business aviation community".
Along with firms that manufacture planes and helicopters of business
class, the exhibition has drawn representatives of air companies,
airports, refueling facilities, suppliers of meals served on board, and
other organizations operating in the business transportation field.
The forum will include roundtable meetings and conferences on flight
safety problems, present-day practice, and prospects for foreign planes'
flights to Russia and their customs status.
Full-scale business aviation hardware will be demonstrated at a static
area at the Vnukovo-3 air terminal.
The show will come to a close on September 17.

.APEC delegations discuss plans for econ growth of APR.

TOKYO, September 15 (Itar-Tass) - Delegations of participants in the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, including Russia, met in
the city of Sendai in the north of Honshu Island on Wednesday and began to
discuss plans for economic growth of the Asia-Pacific Region (APR).
An official at the Embassy of the Russian Federation to Japan has told
Itar-Tass that discussions involving experts of the Foreign Ministry and
other agencies of the RF will continue until September 26. At the
concluding stage the results of discussions will be summed up at the level
of senior officials -- chief coordinators from each of the economies.
After the meeting, the senior officials are expected to hold a
concluding meeting in Yokohama early in November on the very eve of an
APEC summit.
Japanese Foreign Ministry officials have pointed out that during
discussions in Sendai the experts are to make an estimate of the work done
at APEC to attain the Bogor Goals, which are to be achieved within a
period ending in 2020. The goals were decided upon in Bogor, Indonesia, in
1994 and envisage the establishment of a system of free trade and
investment activities in the region.
During the coming week, a separate seminar is to be held in Sendai on
the initiative of Japanese organizers on matters aimed at creating within
the APEC framework more favourable conditions for the implementation of
investment programmes.
The APEC comprises 21 economies of APR, including those of the RF,
China, the United States, South Korea, and Japan. On the whole, they
account for a half of the world's gross domestic product. Russia has been
participating in the forum since 1997 and is to host an APEC summit in
Vladivostok, on the Russkiy (Russian) Island in 2012 for the first time.
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