UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is starting...
The first two days of Ban’s visit will be dedicated to discussing Russia-UN interaction. Ban told RIA Novosti prior to the visit that he would meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Among other things, the UN chief will discuss prospects of cooperation with Russia, in particular, Russia’s additional participation in UN operations.
“Russia as one of the permanent members of the Security Council has been playing a primary important role in maintaining peace and security. Russia has been participating in peacekeeping operations and also providing logistical support of critical assets such as helicopters, airplanes,” he said in the RIA Novosti interview.
“This is what we would expect. I have been discussing this matter with the president and foreign minister whether the Russian government could provide critical assets for the peacekeeping operation in Darfur and elsewhere,” Ban said.