Ivanov was succeeded to the post of foreign minister by Sergey Lavrov in 2004, and appointed by President Vladimir Putin to the post of Secretary of the Security Council, followed shortly by the appointment of Sergey Lavrov as foreign minister.
Ivanov was succeeded to the post of foreign minister by Sergey Lavrov in 2004, and appointed by President Vladimir Putin to the post of Secretary of the Security Council. On July 18, President Putin accepted Ivanov's resignation and appointed Valentin Sobolev as acting secretary, followed shortly by the appointment of Sergey Lavrov as foreign minister.