ISLAMABAD -- Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov arrived in Islamabad Sunday for talks with government leaders on issues including bilateral ties, efforts to find peace between Pakistan and India, and postwar Iraq, officials said.

During his day-long visit, Ivanov is due to hold formal talks with Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in which a "wide range of issues will come up for discussion," they said.

"This would include bilateral relations and increased cooperation in various fields particularly in the economic and commercial sectors," a foreign ministry statement said.

"The two ministers are expected to have an in-depth exchange of views on important global developments in general and the regional situation in particular," it said.

Ivanov is also due to call on President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali. Foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan earlier told AFP the visit was part of ongoing efforts by the two countries to "have good relations and improve bilateral cooperation, specially in the economic field."

Efforts to combat terrorism will also figure in the talks, he said.

Russia, a traditional ally of India, has taken steps to help defuse tension between New Delhi and Islamabad, although it has refused to play the role of direct mediator.

Ivanov will leave Islamabad Sunday evening en route to Phnom Pench where he will attend a ministerial meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, officials here told AFP.