Russia 110602 Basic Political Developments

Russia 110602

Basic Political Developments

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  ITAR-TASS news digest of June 2: 1.
  
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    OTTAWA - - The Russian-Canadian inter-governmental commission will meet in Ottawa on Thursday, June 2, under the chairmanship of Russian First Vice Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov and Canadian Minister of International Trade Edwards Fast.
    
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    MOSCOW - - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolay Mladenov in Moscow on Thursday, June 2, to discuss a wide range of issues concerning Russian-Bulgarian cooperation, including trade and economic ties.
    
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    MOSCOW - - The Big Russian-French inter-parliamentary commission will convene for the 16th meeting on Thursday, June 2.
    
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    MOSCOW - - The 54th session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) opened on June 1 in Vienna. The event marks two remarkable anniversaries: 50 years of human space flight and the 50th anniversary of COPUOS establishment.
    
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    MOSCOW - - About 450 public organisations and movements have joined the All-Russia People’s Front initiated by Prime Minister and United Russia leader Vladimir Putin.
    
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    MOSCOW - - Russia’s navigation system GLONASS is more accurate than American GPS, Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) Deputy Director Anatoly Shilov said.
    
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    MOSCOW - - Russia and Poland are interested to sign an inter-governmental agreement that would set the procedure for local cross-border trips for the residents of the Kaliningrad region of Russia and adjacent regions of Poland, the Foreign Ministry said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Marshall of the Senate of Poland Bogdan Borusevic in Moscow on Wednesday, June 1, to discuss the visa issue in the context of the upcoming Polish presidency in the European Union.
    
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    VIENNA - - Russia will start building a new spaceport, Vostochny, in the Far East this summer, Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) Deputy Director Sergei Savelyev said.
    
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    BRUSSELS - - NATO and Russian fighter aircraft will take part in the counter-terrorism exercise codenamed Vigilant Skies 2011 on June 6-10 - a joint demonstration of the NATO-Russia Council Cooperative Airspace Initiative (NRC CAI), the North Atlantic Alliance said in a press release.
    
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    SUKHUM - - Late President Sergei Bagapsh will be buried in Abkhazia on Thursday, June 2.
    
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    WASHINGTON - - Russia has already cut its nuclear arsenals to levels below those required by New START, Arms Control Association Research Director Tom Collina said, commenting on the Department of State’s fact sheet on the number of deployed nuclear warheads and their carriers in the United States and Russia as of February 5, 2011. According to the fact sheet, Russia has 1,537 operationally deployed warheads on 521 carriers, and the U.S. has 1,800 warheads on 882 vehicles.
    
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    VLADIVOSTOK - - Four higher educational institutions have been consolidated into the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok.
    
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    ULAN UDE - - A meeting of the Finance ministers and the executives of major banks of the member-countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will be held in the capital of the Republic of Buryatia in August 2012 in the run-up to an APEC summit in Vladivostok, an official in the press service of the republican government told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
    
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    KRASNOYARSK - - As many as 218 wildfires at a total area of 8,476 hectares have been registered in Siberia on Wednesday. Of them, 89 fires have been put out.
    
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    MOSCOW - - Russia has warned the United States and the European Union about the inadmissibility of weapons supply to the Syrian opposition according to the Libyan scenario and come out against the interference of the UN Security Council in the developments in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in Moscow in an interview with Bloomberg.
    
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    VOLGOGRAD - - A platform with a drilling rig for the offshore production of hydrocarbons in the Caspian Sea will be put into operation before the end of this year by the shipbuilders of the Krasnyye Barrikady (red barricades) shipbuilding plant .
    
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    MOSCOW - - The Russian Consumer Rights Watchdog has temporarily banned imports of all fresh vegetables from EU countries, Chief of the Consumer Rights Watchdog Gennady Onischenko told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
    
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    MOSCOW, June 2 (Itar-Tass) Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves climbed by 1.5 million US dollars from 516.8 billion dollars to 518.3 billion (or by 0.29 per cent) on May 20-27, the business news agency PRIME-TASS reported on Thursday with reference to the foreign and public relations department of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR).
    
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    ST. PETERSBURG - - Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who continues his official visit to Russia in St. Petersburg, will meet with Buddhists of St. Petersburg on Thursday.
    
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  Russian State Duma speaker against foreign interference in Libya situation - "It was Russia to which the sides in the Libyan conflict appealed," Gryzlov said at a session of the Russian-French inter-parliamentary commission in Moscow on Thursday.
  
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  Russia views EU measures against Belarus as counterproductive – envoy: The situation in Belarus will most likely be mentioned at a Russia-European Union summit due to be held in Nizhny Novgorod on June 9-10, Moscow's EU Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov told Interfax.
  
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  "Third energy package" has potential for compromise – Chizhov: "As for the 'third energy package,' today it has taken the effect of law in the EU, so obviously one might expect certain outcomes within the existing opportunities at the expense of the flexibility of its application. I can cite, for instance, the fact that Nord Stream as a project for building a gas pipeline that runs directly from Russia to the EU through neutral waters, is not covered by the 'third energy package' requirements. As for South Stream, it is more difficult because several countries are involved in it," Chizhov said.
  
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  Russia-EU foreign policy and security committee to start to work soon - envoy to EU
  
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  Russia ban on EU vegetables 'disproportionate' – EU
  
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    Russia's sanitary watchdog bans EU vegetable imports
    
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    Russia bans EU vegetable imports
    
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  APEC Fin ministers, bank execs to meet in Buryatia in Aug 2012
  
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  FM: Russia to make every effort to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  
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    Moscow “prepares seriously” for Armenian, Russian, Azerbaijani Presidents’ meeting in Kazan - Russia is ready to make every effort to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Andrei Kelin, Head of the Caucasus Department, Russian Foreign Ministry, stated in an interview with ANS agency.
    
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  Medvedev, Napolitano discuss Mideast situation
  
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  Russia, Israel discuss Mideast settlement - During a meeting with Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon on Wednesday, June 1, Lavrov “confirmed the position of principle in favour of further collective international efforts, including by the Quartet, in order to reach compromises and restore of trust between Israelis and Palestinians for the sake of the political resolution of the Palestinian issue on a clear international legal basis, including the principle of two states”.
  
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  Foreign Ministry, IDF at odds over Russia military attaché expulsion - Foreign Ministry claims Israel military attache in Moscow, Col. Vadim Leiderman responsible for getting self booted out, IDF says attaché‎ expulsion being used to send message to Jerusalem.
  
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  BRICS Countries Gain Momentum for IMF Deputy Job, Lavrov Says
  
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  Moscow not negotiating details of Gaddafi’s resignation – Lavrov
  
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    Moscow not seeking immunity for Gaddafi
    
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  Russia against UNSC interference in situation in Syria-Lavrov.
  
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    Russia Warns U.S., NATO Against Military Aid to Syria Protests After Libya
    
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  Iran Sanctions Should Be Eased to Foster Nuclear Cooperation, Russia Says
  
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    Lavrov defends nuclear power for Iran
    
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    Russia says no one has evidence of Iranian nuclear arms
    
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  Russia cuts nuclear arsenal to below levels required by New START.
  
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    US, Russia nuclear arsenal data released
    
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  Russia, Canada need to seek greater diversification in trade -Zubkov.
  
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    Russia, Canada consider reviving WWII-era sea route - first deputy premier
    
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    Russia growing mrkt, partner for Canada agriculture - minister
    
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  Mongolia president to meet Buddhists of St Petersburg.
  
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  SKorea investors interested in building grain terminal in Primorye.
  
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  Russia probes Turkey alcohol deaths
  
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  Russian large landing ship Minsk leaves for int’l exercise Baltops-2011.
  
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  Bulava missile could be put in service before year's end - Defense Ministry (Part 2)
  
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    Bulava trial to resume from mid-June - Defense Ministry.
    
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  Soyuz high-tech hardware for CSG to be shipped from St Petersburg June 3
  
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  Russian foul-mouthed sub captain 'not sacked'
  
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  Boeing-730 makes emergency landing in Rostov-on-Don--CORR.
  
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  Eighth car burns in Moscow in week
  
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  More than 200 wildfires at about 8,500 ha registered in Siberia
  
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  Mironov to get Duma mandate no earlier than Jun 8 - party.
  
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  Medvedev promises to look into Beslan massacre again - “No administrative or legal measures have been taken” after the deadly terror act in Beslan in September 2004, President Dmitry Medvedev acknowledged during a meeting with representatives of the Mothers of Beslan Committee in Moscow.
  
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  Putin hails re-election of 'selfless' Blatter
  
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  RIA Russian Press at a Glance, Thursday, June 2, 2011
  
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  Russian press review (Itar-Tass world service)
  
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  Medvedev Makes Court Comeback - Judging by the pre-election activities of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev recently, Putin is enjoying a firm lead. But Medvedev has staged a nice comeback in the past two months — mostly in Moscow courtrooms.
  
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  China will not be allowed into the Customs Union – by Aleksey Aronov
  
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  The World’s Breadbasket - Russia’s Wheat Export Ban Is Coming to an End, but Food Inflation Remains a Concern
  
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  Party Business - Pro-Kremlin United Russia Party Seeks Back-Door Entry Into Business
  
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  WHO IS BEHIND ADAM KOKESH AND RUSSIA TODAY TELEVISION? - By Cliff Kincaid