Russia 110505 Basic Political Developments

Russia Considers Export Tax on Gas to Ukraine, Kommersant Says

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-05/russia-considers-export-tax-on-gas-to-ukraine-kommersant-says.html
By Stephen Bierman - May 5, 2011 6:20 AM GMT+0200

Russia may reintroduce export duty on natural-gas exports to Ukraine, a move that could result in Ukraine paying 30 percent more, Kommersant reported.

In an April 4 letter to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin proposed increasing state revenue by changing the country’s stance on export duties for natural gas to some foreign countries, the newspaper said, citing the letter.

Russia currently sells gas without export duty to Belarus, to Ukraine and to Turkey, Kommersant said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stephen Bierman in Moscow [e-mail].

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Will Kennedy at [e-mail].

Opening new chapter with Russia urged

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=45167&Cat=6&dt=5/5/2011

 

Rasheed Khalid
Thursday, May 05, 2011

Islamabad

Ambassador (r) Tariq Fatemi has hoped President Zardari will be able to open a new chapter with Russia in his forthcoming visit to Moscow.

Fatemi was addressing one day seminar on ‘Pakistan’s relations with SCO in the light of forthcoming presidential visit to the region,’ jointly organised by Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, and Centre for Research & Security Studies, here on Wednesday.

Fatemi said that Bhutto after taking over in one of first decisions expressed his desire to visit Moscow within eight weeks to demonstrate to Kremlin that he is willing to move ahead and he succeeded. Bhutto got steel mill and prisoners of war from India during his Soviet visit, Fatemi said.

He said that we must demonstrate to Russians that we have no interest in developments in Afghanistan and will not create problems and disturbances against India or Central Asia. He said that we always put our eggs in one basket and were unfortunate for having leaders for long times who lacked legitimacy in the people of Pakistan and dependent upon foreign countries.

He said Russia is going to be a bigger country and Pakistan in no case should ignore Moscow and stop acting as a satrap of Washington.

Ambassador (r) Riaz Muhammad Khan said that Pakistan should only play its role in Afghanistan if there is an initiative from Kabul. He questioned attributes of Pakistan-friendly government in Pakistan we are so longing. He said that we made mistake in 1992 after Najuballahs fall.

He said that Peshawar Accord was drafted by militant organisations. He said that Northern Alliance was a reality and we should not have said that Taliban should first establish on entire Afghanistan knowing that Pakhtoons were not the only nationality there.

Dr Khalid Rahman, Director-General of JI think-tank Institute of Policy Studies, said that initial aims of US to capture Osama, defeat Al-Quaida and defeat Taliban were extended to economic development and political improvement. He said that Taliban in Afghanistan have become a national resistance movement. He said complete withdrawal of foreign troops can only ensure a stable and sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

PML-Q MNA Marvi Memon started with asserting that foreign policy is not made in the Foreign Ministry or the Parliament but elsewhere. She said that we should take charge of terrorism issue and act as a responsible country in the region. She said that Pakistani people should put pressure on forces that matter in decision-making to come out of a state of denial and make the paradigm shift.

Dr Muhammad Islam from Area Study Centre for Africa, North and South America said that Shinghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is successor of Shinghai Five created in 1996 as a platform for resolving border disputes between China, Russia and three CA Republics bordering China. Being a facilitating framework, he said, SCO can help us in improving relations with its members.

Dr Maqsud-ul-Hasan Nuri, Acting President of Islamabad Policy Research Institute, said that ours is a small country but we think as if we are a global power. He said that first we should put our house in order and things should be clear otherwise we cannot make big choices. He said SCO is not in a mood of expanding fast.

Earlier, Imtiaz Gul in his welcome remarks said that even Russian is interested in contributing to a regional solution of Afghanistan imbroglio.

Dr Rifaat Hussain said that many Pakistanis believe that Pakistan’s traditional relations with US had not been very productive and giving us a niche in the world affairs and Central Asia is one of the reasons with which Islamabad should forge cordial relations with CA. Ambassador (r) Arif Ayub, Fazal-ur-Rehman from Institute of Strategic Studies and Salma Malik also spoke on the occasion.

May 05, 2011 10:36

Serbia could join CSTO - high-ranking source

http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=241590
MOSCOW. May 5 (Interfax-AVN) - Serbia is among the most likely candidates to join the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a high-ranking military-diplomatic source based in Moscow told Interfax-AVN on Thursday.

"Serbia's accession to the CSTO is quite possible, and consultations on this score are already under way," he said.

Russian military to hold night rehearsal of Victory Day parade

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110505/163862568.html
05:21 05/05/2011

The Russian military will carry out on Thursday a third night of rehearsals for a World War II victory parade on May 9 on Moscow's Red Square, the Defense Ministry said.

"The first rehearsal took place on the square on April 26, the second on May 3, and we still have the third on May 5 and the final rehearsal on May 7," spokesman Lt. Col. Sergei Vlasov said on Wednesday.

Vlasov said the rehearsal was scheduled to start at 10 pm Moscow time (18:00 GMT).

This year's parade will involve 20,000 servicemen and over 100 pieces of military hardware, including Topol-M ballistic missile launchers, S-400 Triumph air defense systems, Pantsyr-S1

The event will culminate with a flyover by a group of Mi-8 multirole helicopters carrying Russian state and military flags.

The Moscow authorities have allocated about 102 million rubles ($3.7 mln) to preparations for this year's parade.

MOSCOW, May 5 (RIA Novosti)