On February 7 a telephone conversation took place between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov and 
United States Secretary of State Colin Powell. 
They considered questions relating to the preparations for the official visit of the US President to Russia, scheduled for the 
first half of 2002. In this connection both sides stressed the importance of working out by the upcoming Russian-US summit 
a legally binding agreement on a radical reduction of the two countries' strategic offensive arms. 

Ivanov and Powell discussed also a number of international and regional problems. They concurred on the need, proceeding 
from the accords of the Russian and US Presidents, to step up work on improving the mechanisms of the Russia-NATO 
relationship, including in the Council at 20 format. The certain lessening of tension in relations between India and 
Pakistan was noted, even though the situation requires persistent international efforts to normalize it as before. The 
necessity of taking energetic and coordinated measures aimed at restoring the economy of Afghanistan was underscored. 

Some other questions were also considered that are of mutual interest, including the situation in the Middle East.

Sources

• Embassy of the Russian Federation