Foreign Ministers of the Group of Eight industrialized nations have begun talks in Moscow, aimed at finalizing their positions ahead of next month's G8 Summit in Saint Petersburg.
This is the last time G8 foreign ministers will meet for crucial talks to narrow any remaining differences on topics ranging from the Middle East (Iraq / Iran / Israel) to North Korea's nuclear ambitions, before the July summit in Saint Petersburg.
Analyst Yevgeni Volk of the Heritage Foundation tells VOA Russian President Vladimir Putin's primary goal, as host of the summit, is to avoid any serious rebuke by the West over what some see as Russia's backtracking on democratic reform.
Leaving Afghanistan for Moscow, earlier, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also noted concerns about democracy in Belarus, under authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.