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Malaysia premier due in Moscow for talks

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MOSCOW, June 18 (RIA Novosti) - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi arrives in Moscow Monday on an official visit expected to boost his country's cooperation with Russia in areas such as energy, defense, information technologies, and space.

"We are now preparing for the first Malay astronaut's mission to the International Space Station, which is slated for October," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin.

Economic cooperation will also be high on the agenda, he said.

A Russian-Malaysian business forum will be held during Badawi's visit to help diversify trade, expand mutual investment, and step up cooperation between the private sectors.

Last week the Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi said it would supply the first two serial Su-30MKM fighters under a $900-million contract signed in 2003 with the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The deal envisages the delivery of 18 Russian multipurpose Su-30MKM air superiority fighters.

Malaysia currently operates a mixed fighter fleet, with the Russian MiG-29N Fulcrum, and the U.S.-made F/A-18D Hornet and F-5 Tiger.

The Su-30MKM is a multi-role Flanker variant based on the Su-30MKI model and features a customized avionics suite to meet Malaysian specifications.

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