Russia 101117
Basic Political Developments
· Russia and Iran try to mend historic rift in ties - the encounter in Baku between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is sure to overshadow a summit that has a history of ending with little progress.
· START TREATY
o Clinton Seeks to Save Arms Treaty as Republicans Balk at Vote
o Kyl statement deals setback to Obama's push for START
o Moscow expects U.S. to ratify New START treaty by year-end (Part 2) - "We expect that there is enough time for discussing a ratification package for the New START treaty and that voting will take place during the current session," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Interfax on Wednesday.
o Russia hopes strategic arms treaty with U.S. to be ratified by year-end (Update 1) - "We are committed to simultaneous ratification process. We expect that the United States would complete this process by the end of the year. In any case, we see efforts made in this direction by the administration and a number of influential senators," the Russian diplomat added.
o ANALYSIS - Extradition, START rows darken U.S.-Russia ties - Bout's arrival comes at a sensitive moment in U.S.-Russia ties as Obama prepares to meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at a NATO summit amid doubts over the U.S. president's ability to deliver Senate confirmation of the new START nuclear arms deal between the two countries.
· Bout extradition will not harm Russian-U.S. ties - State Dept - The spokesman added that the U.S. is informed of Russia's stance on the issue, and Bout's case is being discussed with the Russian government.
o Russian diplomats to meet Viktor Bout in New York
o Bout may be brought to court in next few hours
o Govt 'not worried' about Russia - Russia's furious response to the extradition of arms dealer Viktor Bout to the US was not worrying because the cabinet had strictly followed legal procedure, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Wednesday. Mr Suthep said the Foreign Ministry has explained the matter to both Washington and Moscow, and he believes that they both understand that the extraditionfollowed due legal process.
o Bout Arrives in U.S., Faces Life in Prison on Terrorism Charges
· Zubkov to leave on working visit to Israel - He is slated to meet President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to take up ways to galvanize trade and consider some major joint projects. One of these is the manufacturing of another communications satellite in Russia in the interests of Israel, joint construction of a fertilizer-producing factory in Russia’s Rostov Region, and the launching of a medicine-making factory by an Israeli company.
o Russian, Israeli officials to discuss joint projects in priority industries - According to the government's press office, Russian-Israeli relations can be characterized as having positive dynamics. Specifically, bilateral trade climbed 57 percent to nearly $2bn in January-September 2010, which is greater than in 12 months of 2009.
· PM Netanyahu speaks with Russian PM Putin - The two leaders noted the rapid growth in bilateral trade and emphasized that trade in the first eight months of 2010 was higher than in all of 2009. They also noted the growing cooperation between the two countries in technology and investment in infrastructure.
· Russia president planning first official visit to Israel in January - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will come to Israel on an official visit January 17, in what will be his first trip to the country since becoming president, a senior Foreign Ministry official said on Tuesday.
· Medvedev coming next month, India, Russia to finalise pacts - As India prepares to host Russian President Dmitry Medvedev next month, the two countries will hold their 16th meeting of joint economic commission on Thursday with an aim to finalise agreements.
· Japanese PM says considering visit to Kuril Islands - "Given how important the prime minister's visit [to the islands] is, it must be considered seriously. At the moment I do not have any concrete plans," Kan said in a speech to the Japanese parliament.
o Naoto Kan undecided on date of visit to Southern Kuril Islands
· RF, Slovenia presidents to discuss econ interaction Wed - "In the course of the negotiations, the parties will give priority to stepping up trade and economic partnership and perfecting its mechanisms, within the context of the course to modernization announced by Russia," a Kremlin administration official told Itar-Tass.
o Alexey Miller and Darja Radic stand for promoting long-term energy cooperation between Russia and Slovenia
o Krka Group to Open Drugmaking Plant in Russia, Finance Reports
· Lavrov in Abuja to discuss RF-Nigeria wider relations – A number of leading Russian companies are implementing large-scale investment projects in Nigeria, or are preparing to do so in such areas as the energy sector, the production of hydrocarbon fuel, metallurgy, and the mechanization of agriculture. Cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear power and in space research is also on the agenda.
o Lavrov to visit Nigeria today
· Lavrov Seeks Piracy Tribunal - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took a Kremlin-backed proposal to create an international tribunal on piracy to Kenya on Tuesday, saying Russia was ready to help to ease the pressure on countries including Kenya to prosecute suspects.
o Kenya and Russia to expand bilateral cooperation - A delegation of Russian businessmen is set to visit Kenya in December to explore investment opportunities and network with their Kenyan counterparts. The Russian foreign minister also said that Russian companies were interested investing in infrastructural development for the planned port in Lamu.
· Russia Says It Is Willing to Develop Its Resources with Korea - The governor of Russia's Primorsky region, otherwise known as Maritime Province, says Moscow is willing to cooperate with Seoul in developing its natural resources.
· Russia may return customs free petroleum products supplies in Kyrgyzstan
o Joining Russia's Customs Union Would Be A Disaster For Kyrgyzstan
· Armenian, NKR Presidents met Armenian philanthropists and entrepreneurs in Moscow
o President Serzh Sargsyan makes a working visit to Moscow - President Serzh Sargsyan, who is in Moscow on a working visit, was present today at the annual gala night of the All-Armenian Hayastan Fund, which was also attended by the President of Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakian, members of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, Armenian businessmen residing in Russia.
· Egyptian exports to Russia in 2010 have increased - Egyptian exports to Russia have increased to 222.8 million dollars in the first nine months of 2010 compared to 177.04 million in the same period last year.
· RF govt to examine draft housing, privatization programs - The government of the Russian Federation meets here on Wednesday to examine a draft housing programme for a period ending in 2015, and allot subsidies in order to balance regional budgets.
· Russia looks to develop its transit potential - Russia must develop its transit potential, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov announced at the 4th international Russia's Transportation forum.
· Kuzbass region governor calls for ban on new mining licenses for ecological reasons - The issuance of new licenses for the development of coal mines in the coal-rich Kuzbass region in southwestern Siberia must be stopped, except for engineering development, to improve the environmental situation in the region, Kemerovo Region Governor Aman Tuleyev said on Wednesday.
· Remaking the Russian map - The Russian government and presidential administration will propose to turn the country’s 83 federal subjects into 20 giant super-regions, government sources reveal.
o “New division” of Russia proposed to save small towns – paper
o Russia plans increased urbanization - According to Vedomosti, the secret document says developing small towns with a population of less than 100,000 people -- which make up 90 per cent of Russia's towns -- had no perspective in the future. It said conditions have to be created to quicken the migration of the population from small towns to larger centres. "There is no need to fight against the current and we need to develop big cities and urban centres," the document said.
· Russian naval task force heads to Gulf of Aden - A Pacific Fleet's task force led by the Admiral Vinogradov destroyer left the Far Eastern port of Vladivostok on Wednesday to join the international anti-piracy mission off the horn of Africa.
· RF SK completes investigation for another 6 Artic Sea suspects
· Attacked Russian journalist Kashin may give evidence on Wednesday
· Russia ready to welcome 20 million migrants - As part of a strategy to boost small and medium-sized business while plugging the growing demographic hole in the working population, 20 million new foreign workers could arrive over the next 10-15 years.
· Russian Press at a Glance, Wednesday, November 17, 2010
o The U.S. administration is ready to allocate $4.1 billion for the modernization of its nuclear arsenal in order to ensure that the new strategic nuclear arms treaty with Russia is ratified by the end of the year(Vedomosti, Kommersant)
o Official estimates of Russia's industrial growth were above expectations. The Federal State Statistics Service, Rosstat, estimated a growth of 6.6 percent year-on-year. Increased gas exports, a boost in the machine-building industry and growing investment are seen as the main reasons for the growth(Kommersant, Vremya Novostei, Vedomosti, Nezavisimaya Gazeta)
o The EU wants to change an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Bulgaria on the South Stream pipeline to give all interested parties access to one of Russia's most ambitious projects. Moscow still expects the project to be granted the same special status that its rival, the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline, already has(Kommersant)
o Alexei Navalny, a minority shareholder in Russia's pipeline monopoly Transneft, accused the company's previous leadership in his popular blog of embezzling billions during the construction of the East Siberia - Pacific Ocean (ESPO) oil pipeline(Vedomosti)
o Auto giant Renault-Nissan plans to build a new plant in Russia's Far East to meet its target of producing 40 percent of all vehicles sold in Russia, or 1.6 million annually. So far, the alliance's production capacities fall short of the goal by about 200,000 cars a year(Vedomosti)
o The Russian Investigative Committee has launched criminal proceedings into the illegal acquisition of a construction site in Moscow. Inteko, the construction company controlled by the former Moscow mayor's wife, Yelena Baturina, has been linked to the case. (Vedomosti, Kommersant)
o Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was whisked out of Thailand to face trial in the United States without the knowledge of his lawyer, the Russian Embassy or his wife, prompting Russian accusations that Bangkok had caved in to Washington(The Moscow Times, Vremya Novostei, Vedomosti, Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
o Moscow City Hall officials in charge of health care have received about 1.2 billion rubles ($38.6 million) this year in kickbacks from tender winners, Russia's top financial inspector told Prime Minister Vladimir Putin(The Moscow Times, Vremya Novostei, Kommersant)
o Tuesday marked the one year anniversary of the death of Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Moscow pre-trial detention center after being refused essential medical treatment. The Investigative Committee said it would conduct a fourth forensic inquiry and question his employer and human rights advocates as it wraps up an investigation into his death(The Moscow Times, Vremya Novostei, Kommersant Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
o Austrian prosecutors said Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov was an obvious suspect in the assassination of his former bodyguard Umar Israilov, but they lacked evidence to connect him to the crime. Israilov, who earlier fled Chechnya and was granted political asylum in Austria, was gunned down in Vienna in broad daylight on January 13, 2009(The Moscow Times, Kommersant)
o The number of crimes against minors has more than doubled in Russia in the past 10 years, with over 100,000 crimes were committed against children in 2009. Russia has not yet joined the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, which came into force this July(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
o Forty percent of Muscovites spend more than an hour commuting to work or school, according to a survey by the state-run VTsIOM polling agency.(The Moscow Times)
o Polish and Ukrainian 'twin brothers' were chosen as mascots of the UEFA EURO 2012. One twin wears the red and white colors of the Polish flag, and the other wears the Ukrainian colors of yellow and blue. Their names will be chosen in a two-week online vote and will be announced on December 4.(Kommersant)
· Putin Told of City Hall Kickbacks - City Hall officials dealing with health care have received about 1.2 billion rubles ($38.6 million) this year in kickbacks from tender winners, the country's top financial inspector told Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
· CORRUPTION WATCH: $38.6m kickbacks for Moscow health officials
· City Assets to Raise $447M - Mayor Sergei Sobyanin plans to raise 13.9 billion rubles ($447 million) in 2011 from asset sales, up from more than 1.1 billion rubles this year, Vedomosti reported Tuesday.
· Moscow commute four times longer than the US - While the Moscow commute is four times longer than in the U.S., moving closer to work is not an option for many, the Moscow Times reports.
· The Real Reason for Moscow’s Traffic Jams - The Kremlin can take some comfort in the fact that Moscow’s overpopulation, horrendous traffic jams and the isolation of its residents guarantee the stability of the ruling regime. By Yulia Latynina
· RUSSIA-NATO
o Russia, NATO plan to sign new Afghanistan cargo transit deal at Lisbon summit - U.S. envoy to NATO
o Georgian official: NATO resolution another heavy blow to Russia - The NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution supporting "Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity" this week, and the resolution is another heavy blow to Russia, Georgian Parliamentary Speaker David Bakradze told journalists during his visit to Warsaw.
o 5 Ways to Bring NATO and Russia Together - By Oksana Antonenko and Igor Yurgens
o New NATO strategy alters deployment of weapons systems - "The big decision," Rasmussen said in an interview at NATO headquarters in Brussels, "will be to invite Russia to cooperate in nuclear defense," a concept that Moscow has displayed little enthusiasm for in the past.