Gorbachev calls for purge museum

The Soviet Union’s last leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, has signed a petition for a museum to commemorate the millions of victims of communist repression.

Mr Gorbachev said the special museum should be set up inside what was one of the most notorious Soviet detention centres, the Butyrka prison in Moscow.

The petition’s organisers, Memorial, said Russians today were in danger of forgetting the brutality of the past.

They also criticised the glorification of former leader Josef Stalin by some.

In 1937, Stalin launched his campaign against anyone he saw as a threat to his regime. Those included political opponents, but also the army, the intelligentsia, members of the clergy and peasants.

Overlooking purges

The leader famous for introducing the reforms which eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union now wants to ensure that the worst excesses of the communist regime are not forgotten.

Mr Gorbachev, along with other political figures, scientists and human rights activists, signed a petition calling for the museum to be built inside the Butyrka prison in the centre of the Russian capital.

During the purges ordered by Stalin, 20 political prisoners were held at a time inside this jail.

Those who escaped the firing squad were transported to the prison camps around the country known as the Gulag.

Amongst those who spent time at Butyrka was Alexander Solzhenitsyn, one of the Soviet Union’s most famous dissidents and writers.

Human rights activists at Wednesday’s news conference said they were concerned that the Russian people were in danger of forgetting what happened under the communists.

They said many of those who survived the brutal punishments had now died and they warned, as a result, that Stalin was already being rehabilitated in the national consciousness.

Some historians focus on the rapid industrialisation of Russia under Stalin, overlooking the cost in terms of starvation, repression and extermination of opponents.

Russia warns Lithuania on US missile defense

Russian lawmakers warned Lithuania against agreeing to place U.S. missile defense sites in the Baltic country, saying Wednesday that such a move could trigger a Russian military buildup in the region.

Russia could deploy more troops to its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad if Lithuania offers its soil for the deployment of U.S. missile interceptors, said a statement approved unanimously by the Kremlin-controlled lower house, the State Duma.

Lithuania’s Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas was in Washington on Wednesday for talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he did not know if the two were discussing the possibility of placing missile-defense components in the former Soviet country on Russia’s northern border.

But on Tuesday, the Pentagon had said Lithuania would be a “good alternative” to Poland if negotiations with Warsaw collapse. Poland has demanded increased U.S. military aid in exchange for approving the deal.

The Caspian Sea: a new economic profile

Igor Zonn for RIA Novosti) - The Caspian Sea is becoming a hub of the world’s economy.

Western corporations are increasingly tapping its oil and gas resources and pumping them to the rest of the world. They pump them not only through oil and gas pipelines running through Russia, but also via lines bypassing Russia: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Supsa, and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum. This undermines Russia’s monopoly on the transportation of hydrocarbons from this geostrategic area. But its attempts to build a parallel line next to the CPC (Caspian Pipeline Consortium) oil pipeline and a Caspian gas pipeline are mired in bureaucratic red tape.

Who benefits from the shower of petrodollars in Russia?

RIA Novosti political commentator Maxim Krans

The 12th annual World Wealth Report, published the other day by Merrill Lynch and Capgemini, points to a sustained growth in the number and wealth of high-net-worth-individuals (HNWIs) in Russia.

“Russia was also home to one of the world’s 10 fastest-growing HNWI populations, despite growth decelerating from 15.5% in 2006 to 14.4% in 2007,” the report says. The world’s average growth was 6%.

In 2007, the number of wealthy Russians grew by 17,000 to 136,000, or 10% of Russia’s population, largely due to skyrocketing energy prices. Does this mean the living standards of the rest of the people have improved too?

What kind of air-defense system do we need?

RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov) - The discussion amongst highly placed generals in early July of creating a Joint CIS Air-Defense System is good news. However, it would be more appropriate to assess the state of Russia’s air defenses and to choose an optimal system with up-to-date weapons.

In late June, Lieutenant General Anatoly Boyarintsev, commander of the Russian Air Force’s radio engineering troops, announced that air-defense radars had started scanning an additional 480,000 square kilometres of air space in north-eastern Russia during the implementation of the federal target program “Streamlining the Federal Air Space Reconnaissance and Control System in 2007-2010.”

What kind of nuclear forces does Russia need?

RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov

If the Defense Ministry sticks to its plans to devote three-fourths of this year’s booster rocket launches to placing new satellites in orbit, there is hope that our future strategic nuclear missile forces will be not only the sword, but also a strong shield, of our country.

Besides missiles, silos and submarines, modern nuclear weapons systems also depend on a space-based component, comprising telecommunications and early warning satellites. Today, timely and precise information on a nuclear attack and adequate counter-measures are equally necessary for the effective use of strategic missile systems.

Abkhaz leader says Georgia planned to invade Abkhazia in spring

Sergei Bagapsh, the leader of Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia said on Saturday that Georgia had plans to attack and invade the region in April-May this year.

“The plan [developed by Georgia's Defense Ministry] has been obtained by the Abkhaz military intelligence services and clearly demonstrates that Georgia intended to occupy…the entire territory of Abkhazia,” Bagapsh told a news conference in Sukhumi.

Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich quits as Chukotka governor

Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire owner of Chelsea FC, has quit as governor of a remote Far East region, the Kremlin press service said on Thursday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree accepting his resignation, the Kremlin said.

Abramovich’s spokesman said the businessman would continue investing in the region’s development after his resignation.

Medvedev dismisses McCain’s call for Russia to be ousted from G8

Russia’s president has said that United States presidential candidate John McCain’s pledge to seek Russia’s expulsion from the G8 if elected was not a serious statement.

Russia joined the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations in 1997, resulting in the G8. Medvedev will represent Russia for the first time at the forum’s summit in Hokkiado, Japan, on July 7-9.

“As far as I know, recently no one has been saying this. It is perfectly clear that any calls to expel Russia or to pressure Russia are simply not serious,” Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with G8 media on Thursday, in response to a reporter’s question on McCain’s comments.

In October last year, Republican candidate McCain said the G8 should become “a club of leading market democracies: It should include Brazil and India but exclude Russia.” He cited “diminishing political freedoms, a leadership dominated by a clique of former intelligence officers, [and] efforts to bully democratic neighbors” in Russia.

Medvedev said the G8 exists “not because anyone likes or dislikes it, but because it has objectively the largest economies and the most important players in terms of foreign policy.”

Attempts to restrict the group would damage the world order, he said.

Ukraine says ‘no’ to foreign bases

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko says his country has no plans to allow foreign military bases on its territory. The statement came during a joint media conference with the NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (Bilderberg). He’s in Kiev to assess the progress of reforms demanded by the alliance before Ukraine can be given a path to membership.
Viktor Yushchenko said foreign forces won’t be permitted on Ukrainian soil, as “this is an objective of our constitution”.

First female cosmonaut celebrates 45th anniversary of flight

Forty-five years ago today, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to make a journey into space.

Her flight aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft lasted for two days, 22 hours and 50 minutes. She orbited the Earth 48 times. She was 26 years old at the time.

Tereshkova was selected ahead of 400 other applicants and went through a vigorous training program before blasting off on June 16, 1963.

Her historic flight was greeted as a propaganda coup for the U.S.S.R., and after returning to Earth, Tereshkova was given many of the Soviet Union’s highest awards.

She never made a second trip into space, but has said that she would like one day to fly to Mars, even if it meant a one-way trip. “I am ready to fly there without coming back,” she told Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper in 2007 on the occasion of her 70th birthday.

Tereshkova has a crater on the far side of the moon named after her.

Russia restricts Turkish food imports

RIA Novosti economic commentator Vlad Grinkevich

Late last week the agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor introduced restrictions on the import of Turkish fruit and vegetables. The supply of tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, lemons and grapes is bound to plummet, and food prices will rise yet again.

Turkey exports fruit and vegetables all year round, but its firms have more than once been caught at supplying low-quality products. This year alone, the Russian agricultural authority has detected excessive concentrations of nitrates, pesticides and nitrites as well as pests in 86 batches of Turkish fruit and vegetables, coming to nearly 4,000 metric tons of food.

Russia drops issue of early debt repayment to World Bank

Russia is unlikely to pay off most of its $4.5 billion debt to the World Bank early, a Finance Ministry official said on Sunday. Russia’s Finance Ministry earlier said it expected to prepay most of its debt to the World Bank in the second half of the year.

“The issue has been taken off the immediate agenda as it is no longer a top priority for the ministry,” said Andrei Bokarev, deputy director of the ministry’s department for international financial relations, state debt and government financial assets.

Bokarev said penalties for early debt redemption could reduce the effect of saving money on interest payment.

In August 2006, Russia completed the repayment of its 23.7 billion Soviet-era debt to the Paris Club of creditor nations ahead of schedule.

Russia no place to be a terrorist

Since Vladimir Putin Came to Power, Russia Has Effectively Combated Terrorism

If there is a place on earth that could be deemed as “the worst place to be a terrorist,” then Russia is it, claims Carnegie Endowment’s Foreign Policy magazine. In addition to Russia, the shortlist of countries that “are definitely not the kind of places you want to get caught if you’re plotting some terrorist mayhem” is made up of France, Jordan, Egypt and Singapore.

“We looked at a range of factors, although this was by no means a scientific ranking,” explained Blake Hounshell, FP web editor and the author of the list. “What we wanted to find out was, of the states that have a terrorist problem, in which of them would you [the terrorist] least like to be operating? So, countries with effective, but sometimes brutal counterterrorism forces were considered. A place like Saudi Arabia gets ruled out because it puts so many of its detainees into ‘rehabilitation programs’ of questionable value.”

Russia was singled out particularly for its leadership’s willingness to prioritize national security over civil rights. FP cites the example of the Moscow theater hostage crisis in 2002, when “Russian Special Forces pumped an unknown gas into the theater’s ventilation system and then stormed the building, killing nearly all the hostage-takers along with hundreds of casualties.”

Medvedev’s Crackdown on Corrupt Courts

www.russiaprofile.org
Comment by Alena Ledeneva
Special to RIA Novosti

What Hope Is There for Establishing the Rule of Law in Russia?

“Telephone justice” originated in Soviet times. When a top official wanted a particular result in court, he would simply phone the judge and tell him what the party line was. Long after the Communist Party has ceased to exist, pressure on the courts continues - in spite of reforms to the judicial system in the 1990s and of Vladimir Putin’s 40 percent pay raise for judges, as well as financial support of the courts.

But after almost two decades of reforms, the situation has only improved to a limited degree. Medvedev’s priority today is, as he said a couple of days ago, to eliminate “the practice of unfair decisions made through connections or for money,” and to “make the judicial system genuinely independent from the executive and legislative branches of power.”

Arctic region likely to become the center of World War III

Global warming may take the struggle for the division of the Arctic region to the boiling point. The resources of the region will soon become available for mining. About 20-25 percent of world’s crude and natural gas reserves are located on the Arctic shelf, experts say. In addition, Greenland gradually comes out of its ice anabiosis. It is not ruled out that this land will become independent on Denmark to turn into a large oil-mining country.

An international conference with the participation of ministers of five Arctic states – the USA, Russia, Norway, Denmark and Canada, took place last week in the town of Ilulissat, Greenland. The conference was held to discuss the rules of dividing the Arctic. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of world’s oceans. However, the Arctic region, which does not belong to any country, is obviously a tidbit for many. Some experts even say that the next world war will start in the Arctic.

The participants of the conference attempted to pretend that everything is quiet in the Arctic region. The joint declaration of the ministers, which was approved following the results of the meeting, said that the countries did not see a need in elaborating the new international regime to administer the Arctic Ocean. The officials only promised to accordingly observe the development of the situation in the Arctic Ocean.

Russian becomes enemy language in former USSR

Ivan Shmelev
Pravda.ru

The Russian administration has decided to do everything possible to make Russian the official language in all countries of the former USSR (currently known as the Commonwealth of Independent States, CIS). However, the leaders of some of those countries are not eager to follow Russia at this point.

The idea to make the Russian language the official language on the post-Soviet space is not new. Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry started working on the subject in 2003.

“If a country decides to acknowledge Russia its official language then it is up to this country to elaborate necessary mechanisms for it,” a spokesman for the Institute of the CIS, Vladimir Zharikhin told Pravda.ru.

The specialist urged not to politicize the issue of the Russian language in post-Soviet states. “This is a humanitarian mission, first and foremost. Studying the Russian language and culture is one of the ways to become a part of world culture,” he said.

USA chooses politicians of ill reputation to manipulate former USSR

Vladimir Anokhin, Tatiana Barkhatova, Vadim Trukhachev
Pravda.ru

A closer look into biographies of several European leaders makes one wonder how people with such ill reputations have made it to the top. Viktor Yushchenko, Mikhail Saakashvili, Nicolas Sarkozy, prime ministers of the Czech Republic and Kosovo Miroslav Topolanek and Hashim Thaci - they all have common personal qualities. More importantly, all of them are loyal allies of the USA. It seems that the USA is strongly attracted to such people. Deputy Director of the Institute of the USA and Canada, Viktor Kremenyuk, expressed his opinion on the issue in an interview with Pravda.ru.

When you read biographies of European or CIS leaders, you may recall the words which robbers usually say: “It’s not us, it’s life.” Taking into consideration the fact that those leaders receive support from the USA, a question arises about the criterion to support those who would never be allowed to stay in a decent society in the past.

Supposedly, such people are easy to control due to compromising materials. The greater the scandal, the shorter the leash that keeps this or that politician. Suspicious politicians can be used to implement someone else’s plans. Unfortunately, recruits of this “movement” are used against Russia.

Harry Harrison praises Russia and calls USA fascist state

Harry Harrison, a science fiction classic writer, became a special guest at the international congress of science fiction writers Eurocon-2008 in Moscow. In an interview with RBC daily the author of The Stainless Steel Rat said that the USA is gradually becoming a totalitarian state. The author praised Russia for its unusual interest in literature and criticized Russian science fiction for its lack of dynamics and a low level of literary techniques.

 

“The culture undergoes serious changes – these changes are not always progressive. Within several years of Bush’s rule the American democratic power has turned into the state of a fascist or Stalinist type – the president violates the Constitution, such key principles as freedom of speech and freedom of conscience,” the 83-year-old science fiction writer said in the interview.

“Moreover, the USA behaves absolutely undemocratically towards the world: the USA ignores interests of other countries and it does not even try to understand them. As a result, the USA is simply unaware of the situation in the world and thus it’s unaware of the course it takes. It is a vivid illustration of reversible social and cultural progress.”

 

Russia’s Day shows more Russians feel proud of their nation and citizenship

All Russians across the nation celebrate the most important state holiday, Russia’s Day on June 12. The country goes on a long holiday for four days from June 12 to June 16. The holiday was introduced in 1992 in memory of political events which took place in 1990, when the first congress of deputies of the Russian Federation approved the Declaration of Russia’s State Sovereignty. The document became the reference point in the new history of the nation.

The holiday was officially introduced in 1994, when it was named Independence Day. In 2002, the holiday was renamed to Russia’s Day. About a half of the Russian population are certain that June 12 is the day which celebrates the national unity.

Opinion polls show that three-third of all Russians are proud of their citizenship. Most of Russians are familiar with national symbols, which evoke only positive emotions with them.

The holiday already has it traditions. On June 12 the Kremlin holds a special ceremony to present State Awards of the Russian Federation. There will be a grand gala show held on the Red Square at night.

A series of significant events have been timed to Russia’s Day this year. The X International Congress of the Russian Press started working in Moscow yesterday. Representatives of Russian publications from almost 70 countries of the world participate in the Congress. President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended the meeting on the first day of its work.

Making a speech at the forum, Medvedev said that his administration would ensure media freedom and respect for human rights. He said that his government sees freedom of speech and adherence to law as essential to building a free and responsible society.

Putin said at the meeting that Russia was one of the major newsmakers of the modern world. He added that the Russian press, one of the largest in the world, is unique for its openness to people of various nationalities.

About 37 percent of Russian citizens know that the correct name of the holiday sounds like Russia’s Days, not Independence Day, sociologists of Levada Center said.

Five percent of Russians believe that the holiday celebrates the approval of the Declaration of Russia’s Independence. One percent of Russians think that June 12 is the day to celebrate the election of Russia’s first president. Three percent of the polled said that they did not consider June 12 as a holiday at all.

 

Russia’s seven wonders announced

The competition to become one of Russia’s seven wonders is over, and the results have been announced in Red Square in Moscow.

The list includes the man-made masterpieces of St.Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Peterhof in St.Petersburg and the Motherland Statue on the Tumulus of Mamai in Volgograd.

In addition it has the natural marvels Mount Elbrus, Lake Baikal, the Valley of Geysers and the Stone Idols in the Republic of Komi.

The seven wonders were chosen by Internet voting from a list of 49 nominees.

The project was launched in October 2007 and was aimed at popularising Russia’s cultural and natural landmarks.

Bush fails on missile defense

Nikita Petrov exclusively for RIA Novosti) - President Bush’s missile defenses are dying with his presidency, but they might not rest in peace.

The Czech government is on the verge of a crisis. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said that his Cabinet might collapse in the fall. He admitted that the Cabinet lost a firm majority in parliament over the possible deployment of a high-frequency radar of the U.S. third positioning strategic missile defense area in the Czech Republic. Environmentalist deputies did not even want to hear about it, while others insist on a nation-wide referendum, which the government cannot win because 68% of the population is emphatically against the deployment.

The situation in the Czech Republic is not the only bad news for the Pentagon. Its relations with Poland are even worse. Warsaw demands that Washington pay $20 billion for the missile interceptor base at Gorsko. Poland wants to spend the money on reforming its armed forces and protecting itself against a potential Russian threat. It is planning, among other things, to buy American Patriot PAC-3 air defense systems.

Medvedev thanks Chirac for improving Franco-Russian relations

President Dmitry Medvedev conferred a Russian state award on former French president Jacques Chirac on Thursday, and thanked him for his contribution to humanitarian work and to improving ties with Russia.

Medvedev led a state award ceremony in the Kremlin on Russia Day, which marks the June 12, 1990 declaration of sovereignty by the Russian Soviet Republic’s parliament, a key step toward the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Medvedev said: “I am sincerely glad to welcome Mr. Chirac to the Kremlin. His Russian Federation State Award is a recognition of his outstanding achievements in humanitarian work.”

“His enormous personal contribution to integration processes in Europe and the development of Russian-French relations is well known,” Medvedev said.

Russia to seek UN Kosovo mission chief’s dismissal

Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday saying the country will seek the dismissal of the United Nations’ chief representative in Kosovo over his plans to end the UN mission in the province.

Russia continues to view Kosovo as a part of Serbia, and has warned that any transfer of the UN Kosovo mission’s authority to the European Union would contravene international law.

Speech at a Reception to Celebrate the Day of Russia

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DMITRY MEDVEDEV:

Dear friends!

I am sincerely delighted to see you all here and I heartily congratulate you on the Day of Russia. We have gathered in the Kremlin to observe this public holiday together.

It was conceived at a difficult and heady time, when our country was facing a very important historical choice. And we not only consciously adopted it but survived the difficult years that involved becoming a new, democratic Russia.

Alexei Miller

Alexei Borisovich Miller (Алексей Борисович Миллер) is Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Management Committee (CEO) of Russian energy company Gazprom.

He was born on 31 January 1962 to Jewish parents in Leningrad, Soviet Union.

He obtained a PhD in Economics in 1989 from the N.A. Voznesenskii Leningrad Finance and Economics Institute. From 1991 to 1996 Alexei Miller served with the Committee for External Relations of the Saint Petersburg Mayor’s Office under Vladimir Putin.

From 1996 to 1999 he was Director for Development and Investments of the Port of Saint Petersburg. From 1999 to 2000 he served as Director General of the Baltic Pipeline System.
In 2000 Alexei Miller was appointed Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, and since 2001 he has served as Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom.

In December 2005 Miller was named Person of the Year by Expert magazine, influential and respected Russian business weekly. He shared the title in 2005 with Dmitry Medvedev, Chairman of the board of Gazprom.

Iran president says peace proposal to Russia is ‘comprehensive’

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that a “comprehensive” package offered to Russia was aimed at “eradicating” the threats of war.
The comments follow statements by Tehran’s top national security official that he had held talks with his Russian counterpart on a new Iranian proposals to solve world problems, including the nuclear standoff with the West.

Ahmadinejad, after meeting Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, said the “comprehensive” package was based on mutual friendship.

“We have offered a proposal for comprehensive cooperation and constructive dialogue based on friendship and sustainable security to eradicate threats of war,” Ahmadinejad told reporters.

“Its a valued issue we have proposed to discuss with them,” the Iranian leader said, without giving further details of the proposals, which appear to be a wide friendship treaty rather than a specific offer to end the nuclear crisis.

Iran’s top national security official Saeed Jalili said after talks with Russia’s Valentin Sobolev that Tehran planned to have a “good basis for negotiations” with the West.

Analysis: Turks eye carrying Kazakh oil

by John C.K. Daly
www.energy-daily.com

Besides Russia, the former Soviet republics that have hit the energy jackpot are all clustered around the Caspian Sea. While Azerbaijan, with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, is already hardwired into the Western economy, Turkmenistan’s potential has yet to be fully developed, and its natural gas exports have been locked in for the foreseeable future first by Russia and, to a lesser extent, by China.

Kazakhstan, while currently relying on the international joint venture Caspian Pipeline Corp. pipeline to Russia’s Novorossiysk port on the Black Sea, nevertheless has plans to diversify its export routes to international markets and in this desire has no more ardent suitor than energy-poor Turkey, angling to position itself as the Caspian’s premier energy hub.

Turkish intentions were made clear May 6 by Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen in discussions with Kazakh Tourism and Sports Minister Temirhan Minaydarovic Dosmuhambetov, who was in Ankara to attend the Turkey-Kazakhstan Joint Economic Commission meetings.

Tycoon pulls his money out of Russia

Russian tycoon Suleiman Kerimov has reportedly sold his holdings of domestic assets, including stakes in Gazprom and Sberbank. The world’s 36th weathiest man (according to the Forbes rich list) is believed to have bought substantial stock in overseas financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and UBS.
The Russian business newspaper Kommersant reports that Kerimov’s shares in Gazprom and Sberbank have been sold over the past few months.

Referring to unofficial information, the daily says the tycoon’s assets management company Nafta-Moskva held a 4.5% stake in Gazprom at the beginning of the year, worth an estimated $US 15.37 billion. At the same time, it owned 6% of Sberbank, valued at $US 5.4 billion. It’s believed he has retained very few assets in Russia.

Mr. Kerimov has conducted all the deals through western investment banks, mostly Morgan Stanley of London and Credit Suisse.

OPEC blames speculators for rising oil price

The price of crude oil could hit $US 250 per barrel in the foreseeable future, according to the head of the Russian energy giant Gazprom. In response, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries assured the markets that there is no shortage of oil.
Twenty days before France assumes the EU presidency, the stage is set for a burning debate on energy matters.

Speech at the 12th Petersburg International Economic Forum

www.kremlin.ru

June 7, 2008
Saint Petersburg

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, dear friends!

Once again I would like to welcome you sincerely to the Saint Petersburg Economic Forum.

For more than a decade now this international gathering has drawn the attention of delegations from around the world. And the presence here of well-known politicians, businessmen and experts indicates not only the growing interest in the Forum itself but also a clear desire for mutual cooperation.

And, of course, I am particularly pleased to see my colleagues here, the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, along with other heads of state and government. Despite your busy schedules you have found the time to come to the Forum in Saint Petersburg, and we are deeply grateful to you for having done so.

Denmark debates Islamiс integration after embassy attack

A debate is raging in Denmark over the role of Muslims in their society following last week’s suicide bomb attack near the country’s embassy in Pakistan. Six people were killed in the blast.
Denmark has been a focal point of Western-Islamic tension since cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed appeared in newspapers three years ago. The controversy heightened the debate over how much Muslim communities should try to integrate into the western societies they choose to live in.

The U.S. isn’t a global government: Medvedev

Dmitry Medvedev revealed more about his philosophy and approach to governing this week, in a series of speeches in Berlin and in St. Petersburg. He says globalisation is here to stay; the U.S. has misplaced economic ambitions; and Russia is playing a key leadership role in the world.
Medvedev told the 12th International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg that “Atlanticism as a unique principle” was “a thing of the past”.

Russia’s president says America’s aggressive economic policies have pulled a vast amount of people in the world into poverty. He says although the U.S. is pretending to manage the world economy, it is not capable of managing the global credit crisis.

“It is an illusion that one country, even the most powerful, can act as a global government,” Medvedev said. “No matter how large the American market may be, and no matter how reliable the American financial system is, there is no substitute for global goods and financial markets.”

Russian strategic bombers complete 20-hour patrol over Arctic

Two Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers have successfully completed a 20-hour patrol flight over the Arctic, a spokesman for Russia’s Air Force said on Tuesday.

“After completing an almost 20-hour flight, the crews returned to the airbase in Engels. During air patrols, the Russian planes were accompanied by NATO fighters,” Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said, adding that the aircraft practiced midair refueling.

Drik said Monday that a pair of Tu-95s had taken off from the Engels airbase near Saratov in southern Russia for a routine patrol flight over the Arctic Ocean.

Russia, Norway to draw up border facilitation agreement

Russia and Norway will draft an agreement to facilitate border crossing for residents of regions close to the countries’ shared border, the Russian foreign minister said on Tuesday.

“We proposed drafting an intergovernmental agreement on simplified border crossing for residents of border territories. Our Norwegian colleagues agreed to this,” Sergei Lavrov told a press conference after talks with his Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Store.

The Russian minister said border residents should have no problems “for everyday communication with their colleagues on the other side of the border”, adding that the new scheme should not be held back with excessive red tape.

Lavrov said a visa facilitation agreement has been signed, and that the two countries will soon exchange ratification instruments.

The upper house of Russia’s parliament ratified on May 30 a Russian-Norwegian simplified visa issuance agreement, which will apply to officials, businessmen, journalists, scientists, culture and education workers, and students.

Lavrov and Store also opened on Wednesday a laboratory in Murmansk to research the behavior of oil during accident spills, and to formulate recommendations to eliminate the consequences of spills.

The lab was built with financial support from Norway’s TatoilHydro at a cost of 12 million rubles ($510,000).

Murmansk is a major port in northern Russia, and handles large oil tankers departing Russia for Europe and the United States.

Vostok battalion to remain in Chechnya

Russia’s Defense Ministry will keep its Vostok special battalion, allegedly involved in a recent shootout with Chechen presidential guards, in the Chechen Republic, a high-ranking military official said on Tuesday.

Russian military officials earlier denied that a shootout had taken place on April 14 involving rival security convoys under the command of the Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, and Vostok’s commander, Sulim Yamadayev.

What is known is that the two columns of vehicles crashed on a highway in Gudermes after refusing to give way to each other. The Vostok base was subsequently surrounded by Kadyrov’s men. The incident led to wide-spread rumors that the Vostok unit, along with another defense ministry special battalion, Zapad, could be disbanded.

“The battalions are certain to be kept. They perform tasks not only in the framework of the Joint Group of Forces in the North Caucasus, but also peacekeeping tasks in South Ossetia and Abkhazia,” said Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov, head of the Armed Forces combat training directorate.

Chechnya’s Interior Minister Ruslan Alkhanov said after the convoy incident that Sulim Yamadayev’s brother, Badrudi, was suspected of having been behind the incident and that law enforcement officers were conducting an operation to try and trace him.

The Chechen parliament then adopted a statement addressed to Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, requesting the dismissal of Commander Yamadayev and his brother from their posts in the battalion, which was specially formed to conduct military operations against Chechen militants.

“The Yamadayev brothers are linked to a number of serious crimes, including murders and abductions, as well as the events in the Borozdinovskaya [village],” Kadyrov said.

Vostok battalion troops conducted a special military operation in the Borozdinovskaya village in the summer of 2005. Four houses were burnt down, 11 people disappeared and a 77-year-old man died as a result of the operation.

Sulim Yamadayev has accused Kadyrov of provoking the convoy incident in order to force the battalion’s withdrawal from Chechnya. He also expressed his shock in an interview with the Russian Vlast magazine in April that his battalion’s base had been surrounded by “people who fought against Russia [in the Chechen wars].”

Russian Navy to expand presence in Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific

Russia’s Defense Ministry is planning to expand the presence of the Russian Navy in the world’s oceans and extend the operational radius of submarines deployed with the Northern Fleet, a high-ranking military official said on Tuesday.

“The summer training program [running from June 1 to December 1] envisions the increased presence of the Russian Navy, not only in the Atlantic, but also in the Arctic and the Pacific,” said Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov, who heads the Defense Ministry’s combat training directorate.

“We are also planning to increase the operational radius of the Northern Fleet’s submarines,” he said, adding that the General Staff would determine the new composition and size of the Armed Forces by the beginning of July.

The general said that Russia may shift the focus of its military strategy toward the northern latitudes in order to protect its national interests in the Arctic, especially on its continental shelf, which may contain large deposits of oil and natural gas.

“We have a number of highly-professional military units in the Leningrad, Siberian and Far Eastern military districts, which are specifically trained for combat in Arctic regions,” Shamanov said.

Under the Law of the Sea, coastal states hold sovereignty over a zone of 200 nautical mile (370 km) limit, but this area can be extended if it is a part of the country’s continental shelf or shallower waters. Some Arctic shelves extend for hundreds of miles, creating a possibility of overlapping territorial claims.

Last August, as part of a scientific expedition, two Russian mini-subs made a symbolic eight-hour dive beneath the North Pole to bolster the country’s claim that the Arctic’s Lomonosov Ridge lies in the country’s economic zone. A titanium Russian flag was also planted on the seabed. Russia first claimed the territory in 2001, but the UN demanded more evidence.

The expedition irritated a number of Western countries, particularly Canada.

Russia stands up for new world without America

The XII World Economic Forum, which took place last week in St. Petersburg, will be remembered for its daring statements made by Russia’s top economic officials. The opening speech made by President Dmitry Medvedev produced a furore.

“Today Russia is a global player. Realizing our responsibility for the fate of the world, we would like to participate in the creation of new rules of the game not because of the notorious imperial ambition, but because of the fact that we have official opportunities and resources,” Medvedev said.

Medvedev’s statement is based on the extremely unfavorable situation in the world economy. According to Medvedev, the economic crisis, which may become the hardest crisis in history, shows that the system of global financial institutes in its current state does not correspond to present-day challenges. There is virtually no international organization where decisions could be developed and made. Global institutes managing international finances are incapable of showing influence on the strategies of financial market members.

Dmitry Medvedev did not hesitate to point out the major initiator of the unfortunate situation. He believes that the formal role of the United States of America in the global economic system does not comply with its real possibilities.

Medvedev blames U.S. for world financial crisis

The aggressive financial policies of the United States push more and more people into poverty around the world, according to the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. He made the statement during a speech at the 12th International Economic forum in St. Petersburg.
The Russian President noted that for the global financial markets, 2007 was one of the most challenging years of the past few decades.

“And, if we trust the experts, it may have been the most difficult period since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The underestimation of risks by major financial companies, combined with the aggressive financial policies of the largest economy in the world, resulted not just in losses for major corporations. Unfortunately, most people in the world have become poorer,” Medvedev said.

Abbas angers Washington but pleases Moscow

RIA Novosti political commentator Maria Appakova

Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas to resume the dialogue on national reconciliation.

He made this appeal when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and U.S. President George W. Bush met in Washington, D.C. Bush still hopes for peace in the Middle East before the end of his presidential term, but Abbas’s words may bury this hope once and for all.

At the same time, the talks are bound to be welcomed by Moscow, who has always favored resuming inter-Palestinian dialogue.

Almost a year ago Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip, and relations between the movement and the Abbas-led Fatah were finally severed. There was no love lost between them, especially when Hamas won the parliamentary elections and formed its government in 2006. The two movements failed to come to terms with each other, and the situation on the PNA-controlled territory was close to collapse, particularly because of the international boycott of the Hamas government.

Russian economy overheating - German Gref

The Russian economy is overheating, the CEO of Russian state savings bank Sberbank, who was the Russian economic development minister for seven years, said on Saturday.

“The economy is not close to or on the verge of overheating, it is in the process of overheating. Such high inflation is a consequence of overheating,” German Gref told the Russia Today international news channel.

Russia’s Central Bank confirmed on Thursday its 10.5% inflation forecast for 2008 but said the probability of this projection was low.

“The Central Bank’s estimate of 10.5% remains. The forecast remains but the quality of this prediction in the current conditions is quite low,” Central Bank Deputy Chairman Konstantin Korishchenko said.

Over 40 foreign auto-component plants to be built in Russia

Over 40 foreign auto-component manufacturing plants are to be established in Russia, a government official said on Saturday.
“We have already signed 21 investment agreements with component makers,” said Dmitry Levchenkov, director of the economics ministry investment policy department.

He said these agreements would make it possible eventually to halt the import of auto parts.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin earlier this week urged car makers to localize production and manufacture as many auto parts in Russia as possible.

Russia aims to manufacture at least 60% of all auto parts domestically by 2012.

NATO should collapse just like the USSR did, Putin believes

Pravda.ru

Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to France, which ended May 30, left European mass media in mixed feelings. Respectable newspapers, like Britain’s The Times or Switzerland’s Neue Zurcher Zeitung, wrote in their articles that Putin had received an inappropriate welcome in Paris, which did not match his official position of the prime minister. European journalists were surprised to see that Putin’s meeting with his French counterpart Francois Fillon was held without reporters. To crown it all, President Sarkozy invited Putin for private dinner.

Western journalists believe that Putin arrived in Paris to discuss not only common issues of economic cooperation, but also issues of foreign politics, which are generally not included in the powers of a prime minister. However, Putin strictly adhered to the official protocol of foreign visits during his public appearances in Paris.

A recent issue of Le Monde newspaper, which published an exclusive interview with Vladimir Putin, dotted all the “i”s on the matter.

Who rules Russia, Medvedev or Putin? That was one of the first questions which French journalists asked Putin. The Russian prime minister replied that there was no ambiguity in the question at all. “Politicians execute certain functions and remain human beings at that. First and foremost, I deal with economic and social issues. However, as a member of Russia’s Security Council, I am pertinent to the questions that we discussed with the President of France,” Putin said.

Russia warns Ukraine over NATO, Black Sea Fleet dispute

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told his Ukrainian counterpart on Friday that Kiev’s plans to join NATO run counter to the bilateral treaty on friendship, Russia’s foreign minister said on Friday.

Medvedev also cautioned Viktor Yushchenko at a meeting near St. Petersburg against unilateral steps to expel Russia’s Black Sea Fleet from naval facilities leased from Ukraine, Sergei Lavrov said after the meeting.

“Ukraine’s membership in such an alliance [NATO] cannot be treated as friendly toward Russia,” Lavrov said.

Up to 20,000 Russian fans likely to attend Euro 2008

Up to 20,000 Russian fans are expected to cheer their side on at Euro 2008, to be jointly held in Austria and Switzerland this month, the head of the Russian Football Union said on Friday.

 

Russia’s international reserves up $71 bln as of June - CBR

Russia’s international reserves have grown to $547.4 billion as of June 1, up $71 billion since the start of 2008, the Central Bank of Russia said on Friday.

As of May 1, reserves amounted to $534.4 billion, the Central Bank said on its website.

The international reserves are composed of foreign currency, gold, special drawing rights (SDRs), a reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other assets.

Russia warns Georgian NATO entry would spark new confrontations

Georgia’s accession to NATO would cause a new spiral of confrontation in the Caucasus region, Russia’s foreign minister said on Friday.

“If Georgia believes its entry to NATO will help resolve conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, it is mistaken - this will trigger new bloodshed,” Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting between the Russian and Georgian presidents.

Tbilisi was promised eventual membership in NATO at the alliance’s summit in April, but no accession timeframe was set. Russia has treated the Western bloc’s eastward expansion as a security threat.

 

Russia’s top General resigns

Russian Chief of General Staff Yury Baluevsky has resigned. He will now be Deputy Secretary of the national Security Council. The news was announced by President Dmitry Medvedev.
The new officer to take the post is Nikolay Makarov, deputy to Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

Army Gen. Yuri Baluefsky

There has been speculation among journalists about Baluevsky’s possible resignation for some time.
He publicly announced that he would resign in January 2007, when he turned 60. But President Putin rejected his request, saying he expected the general to serve for three more years.

It has also been reported that Baluevsky has had a long-running conflict with Serdyukov. It is claimed that military officer Baluevsky didn’t get on with the civilian Defence Minister when it came to the future of the Russian armed forces.

Nikolay Makarov is the new Chief of General Staff

General Yury Baluevsky biography

Born in 1947 in Ukraine. Graduated from military school in 1970. Served in the Soviet group of armies in Germany.

Headed the Russian military group in the Caucasus during the Georgian-Abkhazian war.

Took part in talks with NATO on several issues, including missile defence and the reduction of strategic arms.

Headed Russia’s General Staff in 2004. Sponsored large-scale military reform about to be launched.

Fight between Russians and immigrants in Moscow - Russia to the Russians !!!

Police have reported five people injured - one of them seriously - in a mass brawl in Moscow. News website Gazeta.ru claims up to 200 people took part in a pre-planned fight between football fans and an immigrant community.
The melee lasted several minutes before police came and dispersed the crowd, the report said.

Meanwhile, Interfax news agency reports a much smaller number of 20 battlers, citing official information. The agency said baseball bats and non-lethal weapons were used in the fight resulting in the injuries.

And RIA Novosti news agency said up to 30 people took part in the clash, which took place at a construction yard in Moscow’s south-east.

Russia to the Russians !!!

Lenin must be finally buried! - Gorbachev

Vladimir Lenin’s embalmed body has been in Red Square for more than 80 years, but former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev says it’s time for him to be buried. He wants Lenin’s body and tomb to be removed from the square.
“One day for sure we will come to see the mausoleum lose its significance and Lenin’s body finally committed to the ground, like his family members had wanted,” Gorbachev said.

The fate of Russia’s first Communist leader has been continuously brought up since the fall of the Soviet Union. However, communists have blocked any attempts to move Lenin’s body. They argue the tomb is a part of Russian history and should remain intact.

Lenin’s embalmed body has been on public display ever since his death in 1924.