Russia 110915
Basic Political Developments
· Russian envoy predicts UN ground forces in Libya - The Russian envoy revealed that the UN is currently working on a resolution that would enable the organization to issue a mandate for UN forces to enter the country and pacify opponents of the new government.
· Iranian interior minister to visit Russia - Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar plans to visit Russia on September 19 and 20 at the invitation of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation.
o ran Interior Minister to visit Russia - "During his two-day stay in Moscow, next Monday and Tuesday, the interior minister will also discuss scientific and practical ways to promote Iran-Russia cooperation on preventing and fighting drug trafficking with other Russian officials,"
· Russia, Germany meet on missile defence
o Russian, German defense ministers to discuss military cooperation - "The heads of the defense ministries will discuss the state and perspectives of military cooperation, will exchange experience on the reformations armed forces as well as discuss issues of international and regional security, including the issue of the European missile shield," the ministry said in a statement.
· Senate set to approve McFaul's candidacy for post of U.S. ambassador to Russia
o Obama nominates new ambassador to Russia
· Pravda: USA and NATO tighten Anaconda loop around Russia
· China, Russia pledge to build deeper, sustainable trade relations
· Russia ready to take Chinese oil debt to court - The latest round of talks between Russia and China over the price of oil sold to Beijing have finished without any progress and the issue could now head to arbitration, reports Interfax.
· KEPCO unit to build cogeneration power plant in Russia - Under the memorandum of understanding with state-run Northern Caucasus Resorts Co., KWP will construct a 180 megawatt cogeneration power plant in a resort complex to be built in Sochi, the venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics
· Iranian firms taking part in World Food Moscow exhibition
· Russia, Lithuania to sign agreement on bridge construction across Niemen
· RF Days of Culture to take place in Moldova – Moldovan Culture Minister
· Russia launches next stage of Center - 2011 strategic military training - Representatives of the Airmobile Forces of the Kazakh Armed Forces arrived in Russia’s Ashuluk landfill with AN-26 aircrafts, to participate in the next stage of the large-scale joint strategic training Center - 2011, the Kazakh defense ministry reported.
· Georgian FM informs U.S. diplomat about talks with Russia on WTO - The fifth round of the WTO negotiations was held on Sept.12 in Geneva.
· Lavrov: Russia-Ukraine relations should be free from ideology-driven approaches
· Moscow Patriarch arrives East-Ukrainian region, no protests reported
· Armenian-Russian gas company to receive government allocation to supply low-priced gas
· Defrosting Conflict - Alarmism over Russia’s Role in Transdnestr Belies the Potential of an Upcoming Moscow Conference. Comment by Sergei Markedonov
· Sailing-ship Mir returns to St Petersburg after long voyage
· Selling of Filin aerial surveillance drones to begin next year
· Armed deserter found in Russia’s Far Eastern Primorsky territory
· Radical Islamists have no chances to succeed in FSU – analyst
· Støre, Lavrov to Tromsø in October - Russia’s and Norway’s foreign ministers Sergey Lavrov and Jonas Gahr Støre will meet in Norway to be conferred as Honorary Doctors of the University of Tromsø.
· A little piece of the Motherland far from Russia - Russia’s vast territory extends over both land and sea, even reaching into foreign lands. A tiny part of the Spitsbergen Archipelago, officially belonging to Norway, is governed by Russian law. RT took a trip to Russia’s remote and icy outpost.
· ISS crew to have restful sleep Thurs ahead of Fri landing / ·· Russian press review (FOCUS News Agency)
· RIA Russian Press at a Glance, Thursday, September 15, 2011
· Right Cause alternative congress sacks Prokhorov from head post
o Right Cause has forfeited right to run in elections – Prokhorov
o Prokhorov urged followers to leave Right Cause party
o Party over - Prokhorov wants allies to abandon Right Cause
o Russian billionaire accuses Kremlin of sabotaging political career
o Signs of Faux Foul Play in Russian Politics - By ANDREW E. KRAMER
· Surveillance of social networking sites - Yesterday Russia’s prosecutor general, Yury Chaika, declared the need to have greater control over social networking sites.
· Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service is recruiting an army - Drug police are planning to purchase motor boats, armored vehicles and small arms.
· Putin’s anti-missile offer is worth a second look – by DAVID JUDSON
National Economic Trends
· Unemployment falls
· Russia cautious on buying euro zone bonds
· Rouble's band not to widen in Sept - cbank source
· IMF Sees Russian Economy Growing 4.8% in 2011
· Rouble overvalued, Deputy Econ Minister says
· Economist Says Russia Could Be Safe From Euro Debt Crisis
Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions
· Russian markets -- Factors to Watch on Sept 15
· Kenya Government Endorses Renaissance-Funded Residential Complex
· Russia VEB says not in Raspadskaya deal financing-report
· EuroChem interested in BASF fertiliser ops – report
· MRSK Holding considers selling MRSK Siberia to Deripaska's EuroSibEnergo
· Sistema could divest controlling stake in MTS
o Sistema may sell MTS
· Carrefour reportedly considers second attempt to enter Russia via franchising
· Gearing Up for Russian IPOs - The Institute for Development of Financial Markets is holding IPO&SPO Forum on September 22, 2011 at the MICEX Conference Hall in Moscow.
· Moscow bourse takes on London for Russia listings
· Foreign Investor Interest Crystallizing in $15-Billion Tourism Project in Russia
· Russian investors should buy EU banks: Deutsche
· Tatarstan Islamic finance hub ambitions boosted
Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)
· Russia Oct oil duty to fall 7.4 pct to $411.4/T
· Putin to Review 60% Oil Export Tax Each Month, Vedomosti Reports
· 60-66 reforms: 60 component may not be firmly legislated
· Kommersant: EC gives vent to its anger on South Stream
o Russia not to abandon South Stream - — Kommersant writes about the problems that Gazprom’s South Stream project could be facing in the short run. The signing of a shareholder agreement with the project participants – Italy’s ENI, France’s EDF and Germany’s Wintershall – on their entry into the project and guarantees of its launch that is scheduled for September 16 created the news topic.
o South Stream agreement to be signed tomorrow
· Rosneft board chairman cuts stake in company by 60% (Part 2)
· Alfa exerting pressure on Rosneft management - Rosneft
· TNK-BP: Plans $45 Bln In Upstream Investment By 2021
· Russneft Production Grows 4 Percent in First Half 2011
· Alliance Oil Company launches production at Kolvinskoye Greenfield
· Will Exxon Be Safe in Russian Hands? - By David Lee Smith
Gazprom
· Iran, Gazprom Neft to mull other firms for Azar project
· Gazprom reports rise in reserves at Sakhalin-3
· Gazprom OAO : Alexey Miller and Kairat Boranbayev discuss prospects for geological exploration of Imashevskoye field
· Gazprom plans to wrap up OGK-2, OGK-6 merger Nov 1
· Gazprom Neft Finishes Construction of Housing Complex in Iraq
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Basic Political Developments
Russian envoy predicts UN ground forces in Libya
http://rt.com/news/russian-un-ambassador-churkin-615/
Published: 15 September, 2011, 11:48
Edited: 15 September, 2011, 11:48
A failure to properly implement UN resolution 1973 aimed at protecting civilians in Libya crystallized into a full-scale civil war and foreign invasion, argues Russia’s UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin. He says only the UN can break the stalemate.
The Russian envoy revealed that the UN is currently working on a resolution that would enable the organization to issue a mandate for UN forces to enter the country and pacify opponents of the new government.
The tragic and dangerous situation in Syria increasingly resembles the Libya scenario, the ambassador believes. Russia has consistently opposed sanctions against Syria’s leadership, preferring to give it time to fulfill promised reforms, and calling on both sides to sit down at the negotiating table.
Russia will neither join the sanctions already imposed on Syria bypassing the decisions of the UN Security Council, nor will it heed Western reassurances that the latter has no plans to use military force against Syria – because exactly the same was promised ahead of UN resolution 1973 on Libya that led to a full-scale military intervention against the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
“In order not to plunge the country [Syria] into major bloodshed, dialogue [between Damascus and the opposition] must happen,” said Churkin.
Speaking about the new conflict between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, Churkin revealed that the Kosovo Albanian authority in Pristina has announced plans to take over Serb-populated Northern Kosovo by force while the NATO force in the region– KFOR – and EU representatives deployed there to restore peace seem to be going along with what appears to be a very dangerous plan on the part of the Albanian authorities.
Serbia has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the issue and Russia fully supports the initiative, so “this will be a reality check for the UN Security Council.”
The same double standards appear when it comes to discussions over Israeli settlements, Churkin believes. The US supports its Middle East ally and always vetoes any Security Council resolutions against Israel so the American role as the leading mediator of the Middle East peace process has proven to be counterproductive, as such a partisan position does not really help to move matters ahead.
“It is going to be one of the interesting challenges for the UN General Assembly and the Security Council if the Palestinians decide to bring [their independence] matters to one of those main bodies of the UN or both,” predicts Churkin, saying that negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians must start one way or another.
In the opinion of the Russian ambassador, “pressures of various sorts are going to grow in Israel, especially now that we cannot be sure about where the situation in the Arab world is going,” he said, adding that “a positive scenario is not assured at all.”
So far, both the Israeli and Palestinian sides in the conflict “have been beating about the bush,” making requests knowingly unacceptable to the other side.
15 Sep 2011
Iranian interior minister to visit Russia
http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20110915040203
TEHRAN - Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar plans to visit Russia on September 19 and 20 at the invitation of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation.
He is scheduled to hold talks with a number of Russian officials on a range of bilateral issues, particularly security issues.
© Tehran Times 2011
Iran Interior Minister to visit Russia
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/199121.html
Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:1PM GMT
Interior minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar is visiting Moscow next week to discuss a joint operation to chase drug smugglers along Afghanistan-Iran-Europe-Russia route.
The Iranian Embassy in Moscow's military liaison for fighting drugs Mousa Ali-Mohammadi, said on Wednesday that the visit is an official response to a recent visit by Director of Russia's Federal Drug Control Service Victor Ivanov, IRNA reported.
"During his two-day stay in Moscow, next Monday and Tuesday, the interior minister will also discuss scientific and practical ways to promote Iran-Russia cooperation on preventing and fighting drug trafficking with other Russian officials," he added.
Ali-Mohammadi said that Najjar, as Secretary-General of Iran Drug Control Headquarters, would also visit rehabilitation centers for drug addicts while in Russia.
Iran has spent more than USD700 million to seal its borders and prevent the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
According to UNODC's World Drug Report 2011, Iran has the world's highest rate of opium and heroin seizures standing at 89 and 41 percent respectively.
SS/HGH
Russia, Germany meet on missile defence
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1663096.php/Russia-Germany-meet-on-missile-defence
Sep 15, 2011, 8:01 GMT
Moscow - Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov was scheduled to meet with his German counterpart Thomas de Maiziere on Thursday to discuss a controversial NATO plan to station anti-missile systems in East Europe.
The talks came in the wake of a Tuesday agreement between the US and Romania to deploy Aegis missiles to the East European nation, as part of a wider Washington strategy to increase missile intercept capacity around the Middle East.
Russia is sharply at odds with NATO over a US initiative to field a missile defence network in Poland and the Czech Republic to defend against a missile attack from the south.
US and NATO officials have said growing missile capacity in Middle Eastern nations, particularly Iran, make a defence system in East Europe necessary.
A missile defence system positioned on Russia's western frontier would give Brussels and Washington the ability to shoot down Russian missiles while, at present, no Middle Eastern nation possesses missiles capable of reaching Europe, Russian officials have said.
NATO would obtain a possibly decisive advantage in a potential confrontation with Moscow, they have said.
Russia has threatened to deploy nuclear weapons to its enclave Kaliningrad between Poland and Lithuania, and to return conventional forces in western Belarus to Cold War strengths, if NATO goes forward with the missile defence plan.
Russian ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin in Wednesday evening comments to Interfax called the US-Romania agreement 'an attempt by the US to force NATO's hand ... about which we can only be greatly concerned.'
Russian, German defense ministers to discuss military cooperation
http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20110915/166853148.html
02:53 15/09/2011
MOSCOW, September 15 (RIA Novosti)
Russian and German defense ministers will meet on Thursday in Moscow to discuss issues of military cooperation as well as the controversial issue of the European missile shield, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The German military delegation, led by Defense Minister Thomas De Maiziere, arrives in Moscow for a one-day official visit on Thursday and the main focus of the visit is the meeting with Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.