Russian bombers complete Arctic patrol mission

11:44 20/01/2010

Two Russian Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers have successfully carried out a routine patrol flight over the Arctic Ocean, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. The bombers spent about 14 hours in the air and were shadowed by six NATO aircraft - four F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters from the Norwegian Air Force and two B-45 Tornado strategic bombers from Britain’s Air Force. All flights by Russian aircraft are performed in strict compliance with international law on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without intruding the airspace of other states. The Arctic territories, believed to hold vast untapped oil and gas reserves, have increasingly been at the center of disputes between the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark as rising temperatures lead to a reduction in sea ice.

MOSCOW, January 20 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100120/157622289.html

Poland to move U.S. Patriots closer to Russian border

19:5220/01/2010

U.S. Patriot missiles will be stationed in northern Poland about 60 miles (100 km) from the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad rather than near Warsaw, the Polish defense minister said on Wednesday. Polish Radio cited Bogdan Klich as saying the decision to set up a Patriot site in the outskirts of the town of Morag, which is much closer to the Russian border than Warsaw, does not bear any considerations of a strategic nature. Poland and the United States signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) last December laying out the conditions for the deployment of U.S. troops on Polish soil. According to the SOFA, U.S. troops will service Patriot missiles that are to be integrated into Poland’s national security system. The Patriot unit will be manned by some 100 U.S. soldiers, and will comprise up to eight missile launchers. The first U.S. troop rotation is expected to arrive in Poland by the end of March. Russia has strongly opposed the previous U.S. administration’s plans to place 10 long-range ground-based interceptor missiles in Poland and a fixed-site radar station in the Czech Republic. When agreeing to host the missile site, Warsaw demanded the Patriots’ deployment to improve its defensive capabilities. Moscow’s opposition to the missile defense system went as far as a threat to deploy Iskander-M tactical ballistic missiles in the Kaliningrad exclave, but last September U.S. President Barack Obama shelved the proposed Central European missile shield and Russia said it would not place its missiles near the Polish border. However, Warsaw has insisted that the Patriot systems be placed in Poland under a bilateral security pact regardless of whether plans for a U.S. interceptor missile base in the country go ahead or not. Russia has not yet commented on the Polish decision to move the location of the Patriot site closer to its borders. Patriot (MIM-104) is a theater air-defense system designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. As well as the U.S., the Patriot is in service in Egypt, Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. Patriot missile systems were successfully deployed by U.S. forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

WARSAW, January 20 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/world/20100120/157628621.html

Poland says basing Patriot missiles nearer Russia not political

00:3621/01/2010

Poland’s decision to deploy a battery of U.S. Patriot missiles just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Russian border is neither political nor strategic, the Polish defense minister said Wednesday. Bogdan Klich stressed that the base’s proximity to Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad had nothing to do with the decision to station the missiles near the town of Morag rather than outside Warsaw. Polish media reported earlier Wednesday that Defense Ministry experts came to the conclusion that Morag was the best place for the deployment of the Patriot missiles. "In Morag we could offer the best conditions for American soldiers and the best technical base for the equipment," Klich said on Polish Radio.

WARSAW, January 21 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/world/20100121/157630741.html

Russia’s Navy to build up Baltic Fleet over Polish missile plans

10:1121/01/2010

Russia’s Navy will equip its Baltic Fleet with high-precision weapons over Polish plans to station U.S. Patriot missiles closer to the Russian border, a high-ranking source in the Navy said on Thursday. "Primarily, surface, underwater and air components of the Baltic Fleet will be reinforced," the source said. He added that new corvette class warships with long-range high-precision cruise missiles on board would join the fleet. The Russian naval spokesman’s statement came a day after Poland announced plans to deploy a battery of U.S. Patriot missiles just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Russian border. Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said on Wednesday the decision was neither political nor strategic, explaining that good infrastructure was the only reason to use a base near Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad rather than one outside Warsaw.

MOSCOW, January 21 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100121/157633929.html

Russian Defense Ministry denies Baltic Fleet reinforcements

15:3621/01/2010

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday plans to build up the Baltic Fleet were not connected to the deployment of U.S. missiles in Poland, refuting remarks by a Navy source. "Rumors about the possible strengthening of the surface, submarine and air components of the Baltic Fleet in response to the deployment of U.S. Patriot missiles in Poland near the Russian borders are false," a ministry spokesman said. Earlier on Thursday a source in the Russian Navy, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told RIA Novosti that the Baltic Fleet would be reinforced with corvettes, submarines and aircraft armed with high-precision missiles following the Polish move. Poland’s defense minister told journalists on Wednesday the location had been chosen for purely technical reasons, citing "good infrastructure," and said there was no political or strategic motivation. Moscow is irked by the planned deployment of the Patriots, which sees it as an unfriendly and unnecessary move. But the Russian Defense Ministry said its plans to modernize the Baltic fleet were part of a broader government program rather than a reaction to the U.S. missiles. "All measures to rearm and modernize the Russian fleets, including the Baltic Fleet, are being implemented in compliance with the current reform of the Armed Forces and in line with the state arms procurement program," the ministry said. The issue of Patriots in Poland has resurfaced as Moscow and Washington are working hard to reset thorny ties, which reached post-Cold War lows under the previous U.S. administration. Negotiators from both countries are expected to meet soon to resume talks about a strategic arms cuts deal intended to replace the 1991 START 1 pact, which expired in December 2009. Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Nikolai Makarov is heading to Brussels on January 26 to take part in the first meeting between top generals from Russia and NATO countries since the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia. The meeting is expected to become one more signal that ties between Russia and the West are returning to normal. Analysts have said that Moscow is not interested at the moment in focusing on minor controversies that could sour the new cooperative mood. Officials on both sides have indicated that Moscow and Washington are now discussing cooperation in anti-missile defense in Europe - the biggest irritant in bilateral ties until U.S President Barack Obama last year scrapped plans to deploy interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic. At the height of the stand-off over the U.S. missile shield plans in Europe, President Dmitry Medvedev has threatened to deploy Iskander-M tactical missiles in Kaliningrad. Patriot theater air defense systems, designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft, were initially part of U.S.-Polish missile shield deal and Warsaw insisted on their deployment going ahead despite the change in U.S. plans.

MOSCOW, January 21 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100121/157637827.html

Military update a formidable task for Russia

19:2121/01/2010

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - On Monday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin chaired a special meeting in Voronezh, southern Russia, to review the procurement of modern weapons for the Russian Armed Forces. The meeting focused on the delivery of state of the art automated troop-control systems. Telecommunications and automated control systems remain a weak spot in the Russian Armed Forces, which still rely on obsolete Soviet-era systems. In 2000, the Voronezh-based Sozvezdiye Company became the lead contractor in the development of new tactical-level control systems. Although military units have already received the first systems, some sources claim they are unreliable and difficult to operate. However, these initial drawbacks may be eliminated in the future. The current financing for new-systems purchases makes it impossible to re-equip more than one brigade a year out of the 80-plus operational Army brigades. This is unacceptable. It is hard to overestimate the role played by modern electronic systems in combat operations, especially today when virtually all industrialized nations, including Russia, are working hard to develop network based warfare, now commonly called network-centric operations, a new military doctrine or theory of war. The new doctrine calls for creating a combined control system facilitating online target acquisition, information exchange, target allocation and command communication. The proposed system would also monitor the state of military units and their equipment. Such control systems reduce the time needed to issue orders, including those for individual soldiers, ten-fold and provide a considerable advantage against enemy forces lacking such equipment. This is a vital pre-condition of modern warfare. Russia lags behind other countries in the development of such equipment. This may create a permanent and even aggravated gap in terms of equipment levels compared with the armed forces of leading NATO countries and some other states. Russia started developing automated troop-control systems in the 1980s when the Manyovr (Maneuver) control system was tested and won acclaim from the military and the defense industry. However, the break-up of the Soviet Union and subsequent developments made it impossible to complete this project which had to be resumed from scratch in the early 2000s. Although the government realizes the importance of this problem, the development of new troop-control systems has not been duly managed and coordinated to date. Vladimir Putin said in Voronezh that a general designer responsible for developing automated control systems had not yet been appointed, and that an integrated agency to chart and implement a joint science-and-technical policy in this area had not thus far been established. In addition, a comprehensive program making it possible to concentrate resources, to coordinate budgetary spending and to make it more cost-effective was lacking. Consequently, the Armed Forces’ organizational changes are not facilitated by modern equipment. This could impair the effective troop control of the new units and their combat efficiency. The problem-ridden development of new control systems points to an all-out crisis that has plagued the Russian defense industry for the past 20 years. Hi-tech sectors requiring the coordinated work of dozens or even hundreds of companies and considerable investment are the hardest hit. Apart from control systems, the Armed Forces are also having trouble developing and testing the Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile, building new diesel-electric submarines, creating air-defense systems, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and other types of military equipment. It is still unclear how this crisis will be overcome, and standard financial-support measures are not enough. The state which wants to enhance the combat capability of its Armed Forces must oversee the invention of key defensive systems and intervene more actively in those cases when existing managerial bodies are either incompetent or reluctant to accomplish their objectives. Otherwise the lag may pass a critical point. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20100121/157640864.html

Minsk threatens Moscow with retaliation for 100% oil export duty

14:22 23/01/2010

The Belarusian customs chief threatened Russia with retaliation on Saturday over its decision to impose full duty on crude pumped to Belarus. Alexander Shpilevsky, the head of the Belarusian customs committee, said Russia had backtracked on January 1 on a bilateral agreement of three years ago to gradually reduce oil export duty and described Russia’s actions as illegal. "The customs committee is an instrument of the president and the government, and if a decision on retaliation is made, we will be ready to carry it out in full," Shpilevsky told a news conference. The Belarusian official also complained that Russia was increasing the number of its customs officials on the border, but said Minsk would not take any response measures. Moscow and Minsk have failed to agree oil supplies and transit for 2010. Belarus benefited from major discounts on Russian oil imports in 2009, and is seeking preferential treatment this year. Russia warned earlier that Belarus would have to pay 100% oil export duty in 2010 if no oil deal was available. Despite the dispute, Russian oil supplies via the ex-Soviet country have continued. Last year, Russia supplied some 25 million metric tons of oil to Belarus, including 5-6 million tons for the neighbor’s domestic needs. A senior Russian official said Belarus has asked Russia to supply up to 30 million metric tons of oil duty free this year. Western powers have accused Russia of using energy as a political tool in relations with Ukraine and Belarus, major transit nations for its Europe-bound natural gas and oil flows.

MINSK, January 23 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100123/157660839.html

Chechen leader describes his nomination for Russian presidency as ’provocation’

17:08 23/01/2010

President of the Russian North Caucasus republic of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov said on Saturday a website, which recently appeared on the Internet to promote his candidacy for the post of the Russian president, was a "provocation." The website headlined Ramzan Kadyrov - Russian President in 2012 praises Kadyrov’s achievements in improving the republic’s economy and security and promotes him as an appropriate candidate in the Russian presidential elections due in 2012. The website claims "no other politician is same popular in Russia" as Ramzan Kadyrov, that is why "the overwhelming majority of Russians want to see such political leader as the head of state." Kadyrov strongly denied any links of his administration to the website. "I am confident that the most inveterate enemies of the Chechen people are behind this," he said, adding he never intended to nominate himself to the state’s top position, "neither in dreams, nor in reality." The website welcomes its visitors to take part in a poll by answering the question on whether they would support Ramzan Kadyrov in the 2012 presidential elections. "The rule of law and order have been restored in the republic with the support of the federal center, problems of reviving the economy and social sphere are being solved. But our enemies do not like this. They try to blacken the authorities of the Chechen republic and the region in whole," Kadyrov said, adding "they invent the most devious methods to carry out dirty provocations." The website contains no information on its owner. Kadyrov said he ordered his subordinates to investigate the case and reveal who had registered the website. The Chechen president’s press service said preliminary investigation data showed the .com domain zone website was registered in a Western country.

GROZNY, January 23 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100123/157661700.html

Putin vows to improve social, economic situation in ’peaceful’ North Caucasus

18:13 23/01/2010

Russia, which has managed to restore peace in the North Caucasus, is now to prove that the social and economic situation in the region can also be improved, the country’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Saturday. Speaking at a meeting on social and economic development of the newly established North Caucasus Federal District, the prime minister said it was hard for Russia to defeat terrorism in the region and topple those who seized power in the republic of Chechnya in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when it was torn by brutal separatist wars. "Then, we won together and restored peace. Now, we should make a new step, which is apparently not easier," Putin said at the meeting in Pyatigorsk, the capital of the new district, which would include North Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachai-Circassia. Although militant activity has decreased in Chechnya since the last war, the republic has been recently swept by a fresh wave of violence. Shootouts and attacks on troops, police and other officials have been reported almost daily. The neighboring, mainly Muslim, regions of Russia have also been plagued by instability. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev highlighted a surge of violence in the region in his state-of-the-nation address in November 2008, criticizing local authorities for their failure to curb poverty and corruption and pledging radical measures. Medvedev has described the North Caucasus’s economic backwardness, rampant militant violence and clan rivalry as a key national security threat. Putin said on Saturday "the state should prove that it is able to guarantee security, justice and respect for law, to strengthen stability, civil peace and interethnic concord, to reach the decisive turning point in economic and social development in the North Caucasus." The Russian president announced the establishment the North Caucasus Federal District on Tuesday and appointed Krasnoyarsk governor and former business executive Alexander Khloponin as deputy prime minister and president’s envoy to the volatile North Caucasus. Analysts describe Khloponin as a "crisis manager" for the region. Khloponin has headed the Krasnoyarsk Territory, a vast Siberian province nearly four times the size of France, since 2002. His gubernatorial term was marked with a fast economic growth in the region and a visible improvement in living standards. Parliament is still to approve the creation of the new administrative unit, which Khloponin will oversee. So far, most North Caucasus tsars appointed by Moscow have focused on beefing up security measures in the region. On Saturday, Putin ordered Khloponin to develop a complex strategy to increase social and economic stability in the region. He said special economic zones and industrial parks should be established in the North Caucasus to attract investments to the region.

PYATIGORSK, January 23 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100123/157662060.html

Medvedev expects progress in new Russian district in 2010

22:54 24/01/2010

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday he hopes the head of the newly established North Caucasus Federal District will show some tangible results of his work in 2010. "We would like to see the first results this year," Medvedev told journalists, adding that economic and social indices of the new district should at least reach Russia’s average figures and that the investment climate should be improved. The Russian president announced the establishment of the North Caucasus district on January 19 and named Krasnoyarsk governor and former business executive Alexander Khloponin as deputy prime minister and presidential envoy to the volatile North Caucasus. Analysts describe Khloponin as a "crisis manager" for the region. Khloponin has headed the Krasnoyarsk Territory, a vast Siberian province, nearly four times the size of France, since 2002. His gubernatorial term was marked with a fast economic growth in the region and a visible improvement in living standards. Parliament is still to approve the creation of the new administrative unit Khloponin will oversee. So far, most North Caucasus tsars appointed by Moscow have focused on beefing up security measures in the region. On Saturday, Putin ordered Khloponin to develop a complex strategy to increase social and economic stability in the region. He said special economic zones and industrial parks should be established in the North Caucasus to attract investment to the region. KRASNAYA POLYANA (Sochi), January 24 (RIA Novosti) Russian president outlines police reform priorities 19:30 24/01/2010 President Dmitry Medvedev outlined on Sunday the priorities in the ongoing Russian police reform. Medvedev, who in December ordered an extensive reform of the Interior Ministry in an effort to deal with police brutality, told journalists that the number of police personnel "needs to be reduced and wages should be raised." "Some powers should be transferred to the federal level," he also said. The reputation of the Russian police force hit a new low earlier this month, when Medvedev dismissed the police chief of the West Siberian Tomsk Region days after the death of a journalist who was beaten and sexually abused in a police drunk tank. The 47-year-old journalist, whose name has not been disclosed due to the ongoing investigation, spent some two weeks in a coma after the January 4 assault before losing his fight for life. A police officer has been charged. 26-year-old Alexei Mityayev said the stress of his complicated personal life prompted the attack, which came after the victim had been on an extended drinking binge as part of New Year celebrations. Reports of police brutality are increasingly common in Russia. In the last 18 months, Russian police officers have been convicted or charged with burning a suspect to death, shooting sprees, and rape.

KRASNAYA POLYANA (Sochi), January 24 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100124/157669280.html

Putin says values tolerance, honesty in people

22:03 25/01/2010

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday told students in the central Russian republic of Chuvashia which human qualities he likes. As Russia marked students’ day, Putin sat down with a group of young people at university in the Volga River city of Cheboksary. A female student asked the premier if all of the many people he meets leave "deep traces" in his soul, and what qualities he likes about them. "If everyone left deep traces I would have gone mad already," Putin said, adding that he values "tolerance and honesty." When a foreign student called him "great," Putin said modestly: "While I’m still alive, I think it’s too early for me to perceive myself as a great person." "Future generations will define what I really did," he said.

CHEBOKSARY, January 25 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100125/157679952.html

Putin tells students racist attacks halved in Russia

19:0725/01/2010

The number of race-hate crimes in Russia has declined sharply, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday. Russia has seen a wave of racially-motivated crimes since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Routine attacks by skinheads and gangs of youths on foreigners and people with non-Slavic features are a regular occurrence in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as in other areas of the country. Putin made the comment at a university in the central Russian republic of Chuvashia in response to a remark by an Ecuadorian student who said he was worried by reports of racially motivated crimes. "I think the government has been doing its best to handle the situation," Putin said. "As a result, compared with 2008, the number of race-hate crimes was halved in 2009." While crimes against foreign students have reportedly fallen by 34%, Moscow saw two attacks on African nationals recently. "We have achieved a lot, but we are not going to stop at that," Putin said. "We should, of course, toughen laws against racially-motivated crime, but more importantly, we should all work together to meet this challenge, to engender a feeling of community, and to understand that we are a multi-confessional and multi-cultural country," he added.

CHEBOKSARY, January 25 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100125/157679123.html

Moscow renews vow to ban ’satanic’ gay parades

17:38 25/01/2010

Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov, known for his negative attitude toward sexual minorities, said Monday he will not allow gay parades in the Russian capital, calling them "satanic." "We have banned such parades and will ban them in future as well! Everyone must accept this not as a theorem but as an axiom," Luzhkov said during Christmas educational readings in Moscow. The city chief in the past has resisted pressure from rights campaigners to allow gay parades in Moscow. In June 2009, during the Facing the City talk show on the TV-Center channel, Luzhkov used the word "homos" (gomiki, in Russian) when referring to members of the gay community. Gay activists said the word was offensive and sued the mayor over the incident, but a Moscow court rejected their claim. An attempt to hold an unauthorized parade to coincide with Moscow’s hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest in May was swiftly dispersed by police, while a march in May 2007 saw participants attacked by members of radical groups. More than 30 people were briefly detained. Activists have called the bans illegal and threatened to sue the authorities through the European Court of Human Rights if need be. Luzhkov also said there was a "crisis of faith" in the world, which, he said, included the blessing of homosexual marriages, and "sexual aids" with "pictures, one glance at which insults the soul of even an adult" which are "lethal moral poison" for children. "We cannot complacently watch numerous displays of blasphemy under the guise of creative work or freedom of speech," the mayor said. He said propaganda of same-sex relations was inadmissible and urged the fight against drug trafficking. The mayor also said there could be no place for discussions of "human rights and universal values" in these cases, and urged harsh measures in the fight against immorality.

MOSCOW, January 25 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100125/157678058.html

Russia’s chief rabbi accuses Ukraine of distorting history

14:05 26/01/2010

Russia’s chief rabbi called on Tuesday Ukraine’s views on World War Two "false and distorted" after Kiev posthumously honored a nationalist accused by Russia of Nazi collaboration. Outgoing Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko recently awarded the honorary title of national hero to Stepan Bandera, whose Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists briefly allied with Nazi Germany during the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. The Soviet authorities accused Bandera, who fought both the Nazis and the Soviets in his quest for an independent Ukraine, of numerous acts of murder and terrorism and authorized his assassination by the KGB in Munich, Germany, on October 15, 1959. "Unfortunately, what we see in Ukraine is terrifying. This is unacceptable for us," Berl Lazar said during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. "We Jews will never forget what the Red Army did for us in World War Two," he went on. Russian leaders have said that they are committed to fighting attempts to revise the history of World War Two, when the Red Army played the key role in defeating Nazi Germany. Putin said he kept close track on debates over "the distortion of history and Holocaust denial."

MOSCOW, January 26 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100126/157684758.html

Gazprom to discuss strategy as U.S. market set to slip away

12:52 26/01/2010

Gazprom top executives are to hold a key board meeting today as the energy giant faces up to the possibility of losing the U.S. market. Respected Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Tuesday that abundant shale gas has made the United States, the world’s largest natural gas market, self-sufficient while surplus liquefied natural gas undermines the competitiveness of Russian natural gas in Europe. The lack of revolutionary ideas from Gazprom’s management to reverse negative trends jeopardizes the development of the huge Shtokman gas field in the Russian Arctic, which was primarily designed to cater to the U.S. and Canadian markets, the paper said. Gazprom deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev, who is expected to sum up the results of the energy giant’s 2009 operations, will confirm that Gazprom’s sales fell 11.4% last year to 140 billion cubic meters due to a slump in global gas consumption. Medvedev earlier said Gazprom’s export revenues were expected to plummet to $40-42 billion in 2009 compared with $64 billion in the previous year, the paper said. In a report obtained by Kommersant, Medvedev points to additional liquefied natural gas capacities in Qatar, which built up its LNG production by 67% to 167 billion cu m last year, as the primary reason for declining Russian natural gas sales in Europe. According to the paper, Qatar’s cheap LNG flooded the European spot market from May to December 2009 while natural gas on long-term contracts even in the last month of the year was twice as expensive. The situation for Gazprom is also aggravated by the so-called ’revolution’ in gas extraction from non-traditional sources in the U.S., the paper said, referring to the report. "Whereas several years ago, none of the companies known to us predicted rapid gas production in the U.S., today virtually all companies speak about the prospects of shale gas production - something that may radically change the entire global gas market," the paper quoted the report as saying. The surplus of gas in the United States has redirected LNG supplies to European countries and presented Gazprom with the dilemma of whether to continue investment into the Shtokman field, the paper said. Moreover, the old formula of gas pricing based on the prices of petroleum products with a lag of nine months is yet another reason for Gazprom’s reduced sales compared with other competitors whose gas prices follow developments on oil markets with a lag of six and even three months. Mikhail Korchemkin, the head of East European Gas Analysis, told Kommersant that competition on the global gas market would be tight. "The main uncertainty involves shale gas reserves in Europe amounting to 15 trillion cu m. Expenses on this gas production will determine European prices in the next 10-15 years," he said. "If Gazprom fulfills its entire program of building gas pipelines, its transport expenses will not allow Russian gas to compete in Europe," the paper quoted him as saying.

MOSCOW, January 26 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/business/20100126/157684292.html

Gaidar’s friends propose monument to remember Russian reformer

03:39 26/01/2010

Yegor Gaidar’s contribution to Russia is misunderstood by most of the country, the late economist’s friends said, vowing to correct the public perception and proposing a monument to the post-Soviet reformer. Gaidar, one of the architects of Russia’s market reforms in the early 1990s, died suddenly on December 16 last year aged 53. A memorial service was held on Monday at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics to mark 40 days since his death. He was vilified by the public for the hardships caused by his "shock therapy" policy to move Russia from the Soviet planned economy to free-market capitalism. Supporters maintain that his policies saved Russia, but an opinion poll last month showed just 20% of Russians supported his actions. "Most of all I am tormented by the feeling that most people in Russia did not understand what Gaidar built," said Yevgeny Yasin, scientific director of the Higher School of Economics. Former economy minister Andrei Nechaev agreed that Gaidar was wrongly accused over his policies. "We have awakened public interest in his personality and what he did. We, his supporters, must seize this moment and tell the truth about Gaidar," Nechaev said, adding that the former acting prime minister would one day have a monument erected in his honor, inscribed with the words "The man who saved the country."

MOSCOW, January 26 (RIA Novosti)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100126/157681539.html

About the Ukrainian presidential elections:

How candidates stand:

http://en.rian.ru/infographics/20100115/157563008.html

Preliminary results:

http://en.rian.ru/infographics/20100118/157600400.html

Voting results in Ukrainian regions:

http://en.rian.ru/infographics/20100121/157635560.html

Belarus, Ukraine to set up commission for border demarcation

18.01.2010 18:15

MINSK, 18 January (BelTA) – A joint commission for the state border demarcation will be set up in pursuance of the Belarus-Ukraine state border agreement, BelTA learnt from the House of Representatives’ permanent commission for the international affairs and links with the CIS.

The state border agreement was signed in Kiev in May 1997. The document defines the notion of the state border and the rules of its crossing.

“The ratification of the agreement will help complete the process of the legal formalization of the Belarusian-Ukrainian state border and enhance the level of legal relations between the two countries,” BelTA learnt from the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives’ permanent commission for the international affairs and links with the CIS is set to consider the bill on the agreement ratification on 19 January. MPs are going to ratify the document at the National Assembly’s spring session that opens on 2 April 2010.

http://www.belta.by/en/news/politics?id=475190

CSTO Coordination Council to consider executing Illegal 2010 Operation

25.01.2010 12:05

MOSCOW, 25 January (BelTA) – On 29 January, Moscow will host a session of the CSTO Coordination Council, BelTA learnt from the press service of the CSTO Secretariat.

Participants of the session are set to consider the organization and conduct of the joint preventive measures and special operations including the Illegal 2010 Operation aimed at fighting against illegal migration and human trafficking.

The participants of the session are expected to consider the action plan of the CSTO participating countries aimed at forming the integrated system of counteracting the illegal migration of the citizens from third countries for the period till 2012. They plan to discuss the common approaches to the work with the persons seeking shelter, refugees and other issues.

http://www.belta.by/en/news/society?id=478496

Belarus-Turkmenistan relations advancing to brand new level

25.01.2010 17:10

MINSK, 25 January (BelTA) – The relations between Belarus and Turkmenistan are advancing to a brand new level, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in Minsk on 25 January, BelTA has learnt.

The Belarusian head of state reminded that in 2009 the sides managed to make headway in some traditional cooperation areas and to lay a foundation for brand new avenues of cooperation. One of the positive examples is a project to construct a potash-mining complex in Turkmenistan. “It is a landmark stage in our relations which, I am sure, will boost the cooperation in the related industries,” the Belarusian leader said.

Alexander Lukashenko thinks that Belarus and Turkmenistan are well-positioned to build up the bilateral trade, establish new production and cooperation links. The countries already have a positive cooperation experience. Minsk Tractor Works delivered 1,500 Belarus tractors to Turkmenistan. These tractors, as well as trucks and road machinery, enjoy a steady demand in Turkmenistan. A number of new models are being tested upon the request of Turkmen ministries and agencies. The Belarusian head of state underlined that Belarus is ready to offer new schemes of selling sophisticated machine-building products in Turkmenistan.

Scientific collaboration is an essential part of the bilateral cooperation. Belarusian scholars have studied a number of promising projects. According to the Belarusian leader, the contracts for the delivery of Belarusian machinery might include the provisions on training of Turkmen specialists. The sides will implement a project to train 120 Turkmen students at Belarusian universities who will work at the potash producing complex. The presidents agreed that Belarusian universities will enroll as many Turkmen students as the Turkmen side will request.

Alexander Lukashenko pointed out to the necessity to boost the humanitarian cooperation. The Turkmen side suggested holding the Days of Turkmen Culture in Minsk and Vitebsk in June 2010.

The President of Belarus assured his Turkmen counterpart that Belarus is ready to share state-of-the-art technologies and expertise with Turkmenistan for even more successful implementation of the economic development plan of Turkmenistan. He expressed confidence that the agreements reached at the meeting will strengthen the relations and create a favorable environment for the further expansion of cooperation. “I am sincerely happy that I have an opportunity to see once again the determination of the Turkmen leadership to bring our cooperation to a brand new level,” the Belarusian head of state underlined.

In January-November 2009, the trade between Belarus and Turkmenistan neared $68 million and rose 48% over the same period in 2008. The export grew by 51.5% to $66.5 million.

http://www.belta.by/en/main_news?id=478794

Saakashvili: “Help us to deter Russia’s mirror propaganda”

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 21 Jan. ’10 / 18:51

President Saakashvili said on January 21, that “Russian leaders are still planning to destroy us” and are still promoting “so called regime change policy in Georgia.” Saakashvili, who is paying a working visit to Estonia, told an audience at the Foreign Policy Institute in Tallinn that Georgia needed help in spreading “the truth” in order to deter Russia’s attempts to create a pretext for repeating what it had done in August, 2008. In his introduction remarks, which were aired live by the Tbilisi-based Imedi TV, Saakashvili focused on Russia’s tactic of, as he put it, “mirror propaganda” applied against Georgia. “I was shocked how much the Russian invaders managed to shape this surrealistic perception that Georgia – the country that they invaded - was provoking the Russian leadership,” Saakashvili said. He said Russia was actively using “mirror propaganda” by blaming Georgia for committing the very crimes, which Russia itself was about to commit or had already committed. Nazis were the first ones to turn this tactic of “mirror propaganda” into “a sophisticated system,” Saakashvili said. “They accused Jews of preparing the World War; they [Nazis] were in fact actively preparing it… They [Nazis] accused Poles of organizing provocations; they [Nazis] were organizing [provocations] at the border and so on,” Saakashvili said and added that the same approach of “mirror propaganda” was applied by Hutu extremists against the Tutsi minority in Rwanda. He said Russia was using this tactic, “transforming reality through the lens of Gazprom-paid media and sometimes [the Russian authorities] bribe public figures as well unfortunately.” “We do not ask our friends to send us troops or weapons; we are asking them to help us telling the truth to the world,” Saakashvili said. “We need you my friends to fight this mirror propaganda.” He said the fact that “the Georgian government is still in charge” sends a message throughout the region that “Russian leadership was bad enough to invade the sovereign country, but not strong enough to remove its government.” “All over the region this message is heard and [Russia’s PM] Vladimir Putin can not stand it; so they will plan and do something again. But in order to wage the new war, they need to discredit us by the process of accusation in a mirror and we need you to oppose this strategy… The truth you might spread about our sufferings and our right cause will defend us more than tanks and bullets,” Saakashvili said. “In order to prevent another crime from happening, please help us in enlightening the world consciousness; do not allow the night to cover Georgia again,” he added. He said Russia remains “an occupying power” in Georgia and complained that “unfortunately nobody really dares to call it [occupation] loudly except some parliaments.” “What else do you call it; is it a military tourism what Russians are doing in Georgia?” Saakashvili said. He also said in his remarks that Estonia was Georgia’s “best friend” and it was “a huge pleasure and a great relief to meet, to discuss, to debate with people who understand” Georgia’s security challenges. “The Estonian experience was and still is the ultimate model of what we try to achieve since the Rose Revolution,” Saakashvili said.

http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=21909

Stricter Russian conditions blocking negotiations on Transnistria

January 26, 2010

By Vladimir Socor

Transnistria Remains the Only Really “Frozen” Conflict In 2008, Russia “unfroze” the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia through outright war and occupation of these Georgian territories. In the latter part of 2009, the United States and Russia each accelerated negotiations on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, each pressing for some kind of quick results. Although the US and Russian initiatives are inherently competitive, they both proceed from the same flawed point of departure, breaking the link between Armenian troop withdrawal from seven Azerbaijani districts and normalization of Turkey-Armenia relations. This approach can only keep the Karabakh conflict unresolved, although it creates the appearance of intensive negotiations toward settling it. Meanwhile, the conflict between Russia and Moldova in Transnistria remains the only really “frozen” post-Soviet conflict. If anything, the negotiating deadlock has deepened recently, with Russia advancing stricter conditions and exploiting Moldova’s internal political vulnerabilities. Russian State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin’s just-completed visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol illustrate this involution (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, Interfax, January 23). Russian Major-General Marat Kulakhmetov, the former commander of “peacekeeper” troops in South Ossetia, accompanied Karasin to Moldova in his new capacity as adviser to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for “peacekeeping” issues. Conferring with officials in Chisinau and Tiraspol, the delegation laid out familiar positions with some new, harder-line nuances (Moldpres, Interfax, Olvia Press [Tiraspol], January 20, 21). 1. Russia would accept a “solution based on a special status for Transnistria, with observance of Moldova’s territorial integrity and its neutrality.” Through this formulation, Moldova’s neutrality becomes an additional precondition to a settlement of the conflict. Russia would observe Moldova’s integrity while Moldova would observe its own neutrality. Russia’s traditional position had called for a special status of Transnistria (albeit one subject to Tiraspol’s veto) within a territorially whole Moldova. It had not explicitly demanded Moldova’s neutrality as a precondition, although this was implied when the Communists governed in Chisinau. The recent regime change has prompted Moscow to introduce this conditionality explicitly. 2. Furthermore, according to Karasin, the Russian troops would “certainly stay on as long as the sides [Chisinau and Tiraspol] keep searching for a settlement;” and “Russia will withdraw its military contingent only after a final solution to the conflict is found.” This reformulation is more intransigent than Moscow’s traditional demand for “synchronizing” a political settlement with a military withdrawal. That Russian concept envisaged movement on the political and military tracks in parallel. Under this latest revision, however, military withdrawal would have to await a political settlement, even as Moscow and Tiraspol continue blocking the negotiations. Moreover, Karasin now defines the military goal as setting a “timeframe for the presence [sroki prebyvaniya]” of Russian troops, rather than a putative withdrawal deadline. 3. Moscow strongly emphasizes negotiations in a bilateral format, Chisinau-Tiraspol, over the international 5+2 framework (Russia, Ukraine, OSCE, European Union, United States, Chisinau, Tiraspol). During his visit, Karasin urged shifting the negotiations’ center of gravity into the Chisinau-Tiraspol format, with “the key condition that the sides enjoy equal rights.” Equal rights has all along implied Tiraspol’s right to demand a political status incompatible with Moldova’s territorial integrity and to veto anything else in the negotiations. The 5+2 framework remains inoperative since 2006, blocked by Tiraspol with Moscow’s encouragement. 4. Both Moscow and Chisinau favor “confidence-building measures” and political dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol, as well as activating the dormant “working groups” on economic cooperation. Chisinau values those measures and activities for reaching out to Transnistria directly, without an obligatory Russian mediation. Chisinau seeks to operate on three levels in its outreach: to Transnistria’s ordinary residents, to interest groups and disgruntled elements within the authorities, and to the “official” Moscow-installed leadership. Tiraspol has blocked the process at the “official” level since April 2008. For their part, Moscow and the Tiraspol leadership regard this bilateral Chisinau-Tiraspol process as de facto acceptance of Transnistria’s political existence and a de facto substitute for the international 5+2 negotiations. Moldova’s Acting President Mihai Ghimpu and the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Victor Osipov, represented Chisinau’s positions during Karasin’s visit. Ghimpu in particular urged an unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops, in accordance with Russia’s 1999 commitments; objected that “synchronizing” troop withdrawal with political settlement is a prescription for deadlock on both tracks; cited Moldova’s constitutionally anchored neutrality, with assurances that this clause would remain unchanged while other clauses are amended; and pointed out that Russia’s military presence is incompatible with Moldova’s neutrality, which Moscow insists must be maintained. In Tiraspol, “President” Igor Smirnov in unison with Karasin praised the role of Russian troops in “guaranteeing stability” and the non-resumption of hostilities. Chisinau, however, calls for an internationally mandated mission of civilian observers (mainly police, and including a Russian component) to replace the Russian “peacekeeping” force.

Eurasia Foundation

http://politicom.moldova.org/news/stricter-russian-conditions-blocking-negotiations-on-transnistria-205649-eng.html

“Inviolability of the existing peacekeeping format is a cornerstone in maintaining stability", Yevgeny Shevchuk said to the Regnum news agency correspondent

/ 26.01.2010

"Unfortunately, in Moldova again there is a tendency, when politicians who came to power are trying in any way to put in question the previous decisions or agreements. I do not think that we should adopt predecessors’ experience," - member of Parliament of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, Chairman of the Renewal party Yevgeny Shevchuk said on January 25th, commenting in an interview with the REGNUM News agency on the statement made by Vice Prime Minister of Moldova Victor Osipov that the joint statement issued by the Presidents of Moldova, Pridnestrovie and Russia on March 18, 2009 is not seen by the Moldovan side as full agreement within the negotiation process. Pridnestrovie’s politician reminded that the peacekeeping operation in Pridnestrovie was launched in 1992 when the presidents of Moldova and Russia signed an agreement on the principles of peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in the Pridnestrovian region of Moldova, in which the parties have a commitment to cease fire, withdraw the armed forces and prevent sanctions and blockades. "This document marked the beginning of the negotiation process for the peaceful settlement of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict and served as the foundation for further agreements. This agreement established the original format of the peacekeeping operation on the banks of the Dniester River. Any change to this format, the distribution of powers and other issues related to the peacekeeping contingent were the subject of discussion in Russia-Moldova-Pridnestrovie format, and were the prerogative of the discussion at the highest level - at the presidential level”, the Renewal leader said.

“In my view, the joint statement signed by the presidents of Russia, Pridnestrovie and Moldova in March 2009 in Moscow, demonstrates the consistency of the parties to agree on peacekeeping issues and is a logical development of the previously signed agreements. I am sure that another format of agreements or any changes to the format of peacekeeping operations without the tripartite decision would not be consistent. The main objectives of the peacekeeping operation are to preserve peace and to prevent the resumption of the violent phase of the conflict. A high stabilizing role of peacekeepers on the banks of the Dniester River is quite evident, and the joint statement of Presidents of the three parties, in my opinion, confirms the inviolability of the existing peacekeeping format until its final political settlement. This basic position is a cornerstone in maintaining stability and I am sure it must be respected by all parties, irrespective of the internal situation of any party to the conflict ", the parliamentarian said.

An attempt to link the agreement reached at the highest level with the legitimacy of leadership of their own country in the election period, according to the Pridnestrovian politic, creates serious grounds for concern and it is not a constructive basis for a confidence-building measures and a dialogue. "There is an established system of regulation of political processes, including international ones, regardless of electoral cycles in each state. In the existing practice the procedure for making changes in international treaties (such as the 1992 Agreement), the signature revocation or refusal to fulfill previous commitments and adhere to expressed opinions (such as a statement of the Presidents, 2009), should be governed by international law. In my opinion, such statements of a person, who has no equal powers with the signatories - the highest officials of the States, bring more uncertainty into the spirit of constructive cooperation between the parties in maintaining stability in the region mentioned in the joint statement of the Presidents in 2009", Yevgeny Shevchuk concluded.

Let’s remind that on January 22 in a live television broadcast Moldovan Vice Prime Minister for Reintegration of Moldova Viktor Osipov said that a joint declaration signed on March 18 and its provisions are taken into account by the Moldovan side, but are not regarded as full agreement within the negotiation process. The document, according to Mr. Osipov, is "a manifestation of inexperience of the Moldovan diplomacy", it appeared “in the wake of the election campaign, which took place in Moldova at that time".

Source: www.regnum.ru

http://www.vspmr.org/News/?ID=3723