Shamkhani to Attend Int'l Security Forum in Russia

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani will head for the Russian city of Ufa on Tuesday to attend the 10th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues. 
The forum is an initiative of the Russian Security Council held annually in one of the country’s cities.
Delegations from about a hundred countries are expected to participate in the three-day event (June 18-20) to discuss the major issues of mutual concern regarding international security, ISNA reported. 
Shamkhani is attending the meeting at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev. He will also hold bilateral talks with representatives of other countries to discuss political and military initiatives involving joint efforts to counter security threats. 
The Americans have been skipping the forum in recent years, according to Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Alexander, but they have confirmed the attendance of one of the US National Security Council’s directors this year. 
"This visit could be seen as Washington’s signal about its readiness for security dialogue," Venediktov was quoted as saying by TASS.