New Delhi: After his recent visits to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha will travel to Moscow later this month for meetings with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov on a range of important issues including the Iraq crisis.

While the central focus of the parleys is expected to be on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the two sides will also exchange views on the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, the Middle East situation and other important international developments.

During his recent visit to India, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a personal request to Sinha to undertake a trip to Moscow at the earliest.

Sinha will also visit the trade fair organised in Moscow by the India Trade Promotion Organisation to boost exports of Indian commodities and services to Russia.

From Moscow, the Minister will fly to Kuala Lumpur ahead of the two-day summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from February 24. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will lead the Indian delegation for the summit.

PTI