Russian, Danish defense ministers to discuss prospects for cooperation.

MOSCOW, February 8 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Defense Minister Anatoly
Serdyukov is expected to hold talks Tuesday with the Danish Defense
Minister, Gitte Lillelund Bech, who is visiting Russia at the head of an
official delegation.
The talks will focus on the current status of and prospects for
defense cooperation between Russia and Denmark.
"The two sides hope to sign a joint memorandum on collaboration in
this sphere upon the results of the talks," a source at the Defense
Ministry told Itar-Tass.
Also Tuesday, the Danish delegation will visit the Military Academy of
the Russian Armed Forces General Staff where it will be familiarized with
how the academy rooms are fitted out with technologies and how the
instruction process is organized.
The Academy of the General Staff is an institution that upgrades
senior officers of the Armed Forces who move on to the Army' and Navy's
commanding positions upon graduation.
Gitte Lillelund Bech is the first woman to take the Defense Minister's
post in the Danish Kingdom. She told Itar-Tass in Copenhagen on the eve of
her departure for Moscow that she hopes to broaden mutual understanding
and cooperation between the two nations.
She indicated that relations between Russia and Denmark are marked by
500 years of peace.
Bech indicated along with it that this is the first time a Danish
defense minister is making a visit to Russia over a period of more than
two years and that is why she was very glad to accept Anatoly Serdyukov's
invitation.
She pointed out and especially good relationship between the Russian
and Danish naval forces.
Apart from discussing the prospects for cooperation, Bech also plans
to learn the Russian officials viewpoint as regards a long enough list of
issues presenting mutual interest, like fighting with sea piracy,
understanding in the Arctic area, contacts in the Arctic and in
Afghanistan, and - quite naturally - Russia's relations with NATO.
Bech underlined the importance of close cooperation in the field of
antiballistic missile systems, saying it is important for NATO and for
Denmark, too, since they bump in the same type of challenges.
In the light of it, she feels optimistic about the decisions taken at
NATO's summit in Lisbon November 19 and November 20, 2010.
Bech said she was glad to notice some progress in joint analysis of
the future framework for cooperation in the antiballistic missile
defenses, as Denmark, an active member of NATO, has always been working
positively towards developing relations with Russia.
-0-kle


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