MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on Monday voiced hope that a U.S.-Russian summit set for this month would help further bolster bilateral relations.

"We hope that the forthcoming talks between the U.S. and Russian presidents will become a new milestone in the constructive partnership between our nations," Ivanov said in a speech before students.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit the United States for a summit with President George W. Bush later this month.

"The stability and predictability in today's world to a large extent depends on a level of cooperation between Russian and the United States," he added. "We are open for such cooperation."

Ivanov singled the latest U.S.-Russian nuclear arms reduction treaty, which has been ratified by both countries earlier this yea, and Russia's support for the U.S.-led operation in Afghanistan as examples of new, closer ties between Russia and the United States.

He added that Moscow also holds out hope for closer bilateral economic ties.

Bush paid a brief visit to Russia in June. The U.S. president and Putin then met again in Evian, France, where they took part in the summit of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations later that month.