Under Secretary Burns: Travel to Russia, Austria, and IndiaUnder Secretary for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns is traveling to Russia, Austria and India from February 20 through February 25. Under Secretary Burns traveled over the weekend to Moscow for a meeting of the G8 Political Directors. As preparation for the July St. Petersburg G8 Summit, the Under Secretary and his counterparts discussed a variety of crosscutting issues such as nonproliferation, counterterrorism, and counternarcotics; and regional issues such as the Middle East, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sudan/Darfur. The Under Secretary also held bilateral consultations with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislyak. The Under Secretary visited Vienna February 21-22. There he met with United Nations Special Envoy for Kosovo Status Martti Ahtisaari to discuss a range of issues regarding the status process, including the first round of Kosovo status talks between Kosovar and Serbian leaders held February 20-21 in Vienna. Under Secretary Burns then will travel to India February 22-25 for discussions to advance the new strategic partnership between the two countries and prepare for President Bush's visit to India. The Under Secretary will meet with his Indian counterpart, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, and other senior government leaders to discuss the President's visit and further implementation of the initiatives agreed upon in the July 18 Joint Statement. Remarks by Under Secretary Burns |
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