Russia 100414 Basic Political Developments

RUVR: Medvedev, de Kirchner to meet in Buenos Aires

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/14/6391996.html

Apr 14, 2010 08:39 Moscow Time

 

On April 14-15 Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev will go to Argentina on an official visit, the first Russian official visit since bilateral diplomatic relations.  He will discuss ways to tackle the economic crisis and energy and space cooperation with his counterpart Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.   Talks will focus on the construction of hydroelectric and nuclear power plants in Argentina and the lease of icebreakers and helicopters for Argentina's Antarctic expeditions.

Itar-Tass: Russian minister to discuss industrial cooperation in Rome

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15022056&PageNum=0

14.04.2010, 08.24

ROME, April 14 (Itar-Tass) - Industrial cooperation issues will be the focal point of discussions that the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, Viktor Khristenko, and the Italian Minister Claudio Scajola are going have Tuesday in the course of their talks in Rome.

Officials at the Russian Minister’s press service told Itar-Tass Tuesday’s meeting is but one in a series of negotiations where ministers of the two partner countries regularly “synchronizes their watches” as regards a number of industrial projects.

The list of sectors where Russian and Italian manufacturers have joint projects embraces aircraft building /including the project of a joint venture to be set up by the ‘Russian Helicopters’ company and Augusta Vesland, due to build helicopters in Russia/, metallurgy and automobile construction.

Apart from this, Khristenko will award the Order of People’s Friendship to Claudio Scajola on behalf of the Russian government, the ministerial press service said.

Kyiv Post: Russia will accept highly enriched uranium Ukraine has decided to get rid of

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/63890/
Today at 09:29 | Interfax-Ukraine

Moscow, April 14 (Interfax) - The highly enriched uranium (HEU) that Ukraine has decided to get rid of will be brought to Russia, General Director of the International Uranium Enrichment Center Alexei Lebedev has said.

The material will be placed in containers and taken to Russia apparently by rail. If it is fresh fuel, it will be taken to the facility in Elektrostal, if it has been exposed, then to the Mayak facility in Chelyabinsk, he said in a Tuesday interview with Russia 24 channel.

"In terms of volume we are apparently speaking of several dozen kilos. In terms of scale, this is an insignificant amount," he said.

"It is a different mater that this is crucial from the viewpoint of nonproliferation. Highly encircled materials should be stored there where they can be handled or made harmless," Lebedev said.

He said that that environmental impact should be minimal.

Earlier after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych announced that Ukraine is ready to get rid of its highly enriched uranium by 2012.

Lebedev said that earlier Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic and Hungary got rid of their uranium. "The talks with Ukraine lasted very long. I am very glad that they finally ended successfully," he said.

Business Week: Bangladesh approves nuke power deal with Russia

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9F294J00.htm

By JULHAS ALAM

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh has approved a draft for a deal with Russia to set up a nuclear power plant in the power-starved South Asian nation, a government spokesman said Tuesday.

Abul Kalam Azad, press secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said the approval came at a meeting of the Cabinet on Monday.

Azad told The Associated Press that Bangladesh signed an agreement with Russia last year for cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear power. Hasina is expected to discuss the deal for the new plant in a visit to Russia, which has yet to be scheduled.

Bangladesh intends to set up the plant at Rooppur, which is 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of the capital, Dhaka.

Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh say power shortages are hampering production in their factories, as its mostly gas-fired, decades-old power plants are failing to generate adequate electricity.

Bangladesh, a nation of 150 million people, has a daily shortfall of about 2,000 megawatts of electricity. The government says gas production has decreased in recent years.

The country is also looking for options to switch to coal-fired power plants as it has six coal fields with about 3.3 billion tons of estimated reserves.

The Asian Development Bank in a report on Tuesday said Bangladesh's economy might suffer if the government failed to generate more electricity to feed its industries.

Russia Today: Iran will become nuclear nation in May

http://rt.com/Politics/2010-04-14/iran-nuclear-nation.html/print

14 April, 2010, 09:31

While most of the world is trying to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, Iran has declared that it is expecting to join the nuclear club in May.

The statement comes from Behzad Soltani, deputy head of Iran’s atomic energy organization. He has come out to say that within one month Iran will become the newest member of the world nuclear club and that as soon as in May, Iran will become a “nuclear nation” that no other country will even think of launching an attack against.

Iranian Fares News Agency also quoted Mr Soltani as saying that Iran is now planning to expand its nuclear program for purposes other than energy and nuclear fuel production.

So far Iran has not been transparent and responsive on the matter of its nuclear program, which raised questions from the international community on whether Iran’s motives were of a peaceful nature.

If Iran does not respond any time soon to the international community’s requests to be more open about its plans, the rest of the world may have to resort to new sanctions.

NUCLEAR SUMMIT

Brookings: An Address by Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation