Russia 100422
Basic Political Developments
· RIA: Russia's State Duma to discuss ratification of Russian naval base deal
· Reuters: Ukraine suspends Vimpelcom/Kyivstar merger approval
· Oil and Gas Eurasia: Russia Ready to Invest in Iranian Petrochemicals - Russia is interested in investing in Iranian petrochemical projects and will send a delegation to Iran next week to discuss possibilities with Iranian officials, Iran's ambassador to Russia Seyed Reza Sadjadi said 21 April.
· Xinhua: China, Russia to further advance economic cooperation- In talks with Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Khristenko said Russia and China, as neighboring countries of strong economic complementarity and collectively tasked with economic restructuring and modernization, share a broad prospect for economic and trade cooperation.
· RIA: Washington-Moscow flight strands passengers in Azores after emergency landing
· Russia Today: Plane with Russian crew crashes in Philippines
· RUVR: Cargo plane crashes in Philippines - An An-12 cargo plane crashed in the Philippines on Wednesday evening. The national civil aviation agency says there were three Russian citizens, two Uzbeks and one Bulgarian aboard.
· Vesti: Names of the pilots killed in jet crash announced - The Russian-made cargo plane crashed and burst into flames in a rice field north of the Philippine capital late Wednesday as it attempted a landing.
· Itar-Tass: New START not to constrain US missile defence programmes – Tauscher
· Itar-Tass: US top military leadership to attend VE Day parade in Moscow
· RIA: Russia's George ribbons to be distributed across world ahead of Victory Day
· Itar-Tass: Russian, Australian FMs to discuss economic, political cooperation
· Australia and Russia: Enhancing our Agricultural Cooperation
· Australia and Russia: Closer education ties
· RIA: Russian, EU diplomats to discuss European security in Veliky Novgorod
· NY Times: Russian Court Ordered to Hear Appeal in Katyn Case
· AllAfrica: Zimbabwe: Russian Firms to Comply With Law - Speaking to journalists after meeting Vice President John Nkomo at his Munhumutapa Offices in Harare yesterday, Professor Shubin Vladimir said Russians are aware of Zimbabwean laws on investment and would respect them.
· VoA: Congressman Asks US Treasury Department to Probe Russian's Zimbabwe Dealings
· RIA: Russian Navy successfully delivers anti-cruise missiles in maneuver
· Hindustan Times: India to arm Russia-built jets with BrahMos missiles
· RIA: Mexico to create its first space center on Yucatan Peninsula - Russia and Mexico signed an agreement on the cooperation in space research and exploration for peaceful purposes in 1996. In March 2009, a delegation of experts from Russian space agency Roscosmos visited the Latin American state to discuss the creation of the Mexican space agency with local lawmakers.
· Itar-Tass: Russia to show best projects at Technology in Machine-Building 2010 forum
· Itar-Tass: CSTO anti-terror exercises to begin in northern Tajikistan - The exercise will begin at the military training range Chorukh-Dairon, 300 kilometres north of Dushanbe, on Thursday, April 22.
· Panorama.am: OSCE MG to have full staff meeting in Moscow
· Georgian Times: Koba Davitashvili and Kakha Kukava Leave for Moscow
· RIA: Georgian opposition intends to create 'Georgian lobby' in Russia
· Trend.az: Georgia to demand ICAO to use sanctions against Russia
· AP: Georgia confirms highly enriched uranium seizure
· Panarmenian: CBA chairman to attend Moscow Interstate Bank Council meeting - Moscow Interstate Bank is an international financial organization founded in 1993 by 10 CIS countries. The bank mainly focuses on the problems CIS countries experience when cooperating in the financial sector.
· Itar-Tass: Timoshenko demands extraordinary parliament session over deal with Russia
· Ukrainian Journal: Yanukovych bars Ukrainian reporters from Medvedev press conference
· Broadband TV News: Russian channels enter Ukraine
· Itar-Tass: Ukraine okays broadcasting 2 Russian television channels
· Reuters: World Bank chief urges action to save wild tigers - A summit in September in Vladivostok, Russia, will try to push for conservation commitments for the world's remaining tigers.
· Itar-Tass: Putin to chair meeting on demographic policy
· RUVR: Another orphan to come back to Russia
· Russia Profile: Born to Be Refused - Russia May Halt International Adoptions, but Can It Stop Violence Against Children at Home?
· Itar-Tass: Ildar Khalikov elected Tatarstan’s prime minister - Since 1993 Khalikov occupied senior positions at Chelny Bank. In 1995 he joined KAMAZ - a famous Soviet brand for one of the biggest machine building plants, that was going through a serious crisis then. In the post of deputy chief of the KAMAZ juridical department, KAMAZ financial director and its deputy Director General Ildar Khalikov earned a prestigious title of anti-crisis manager. Since 2003 Ildar Khalikov worked in the post of city mayor of Naberezhniye Chelny.
· Newsru: Cossack Ataman Shot In the Dagestan village of Krasny Voskhod
· RIA: Two militants killed in North Caucasus - Two militants in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria were killed in a shootout on Wednesday, a source from the law enforcement agencies told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
· Interfax: In Kabardino-Balkaria are investigating a criminal case in connection with the clashes in a village
· Independent: President is trying to kill me, says Chechen clan leader
· Moscow Times: Scientology Writings Banned as Extremist
· The Star: Hubbard squashed in Russia - The ban relates to 28 books and audio-video discs containing lectures by Hubbard, a US science fiction author who founded Scientology in 1954, the Russian prosecutor-general's office said.
· Korrespondent: In the center of Moscow there was a fight between an employer and migrant workers
· Moscow News: Two men stabbed by skinheads on Hitler’s birthday - A group of skinheads brutally stabbed Moscow resident Alan Al-Khalidi near Belyayevo metro late on April 20 in an attack coinciding with Adolf Hitler's birthday. A few hours later a man of Central Asian descent was attacked in the same part of the city.
· Itar-Tass: Primorye to spend RUR 19 bln in 3 years on road construction
· Russia Today: Russian North’s dilemma: develop or disappear - They are two of the world’s most-northerly inhabited areas, geographically and physically very similar. But while Hummerfest in Norway is a thriving hub, Teriberka in northern Russia is becoming a ghost town.
· Arctic Sounder: Russian delegation shares OCS insights - Pacific Environment hosted its third "cultural exchange," between Alaska and the Russian Far East recently, bringing a group of four Russian, various leaders, scientists and environmental advocates, to Barrow from April 10 to 15.
· Eurasia Review: Air Controller Strike Suggests Russians May Be Overcoming ‘Solidarity Deficit’ - By Paul Goble
· Spero News: Russia's standard of living to drop - By Paul Goble
· Eurasia Review: Baikal Movement Appeals To Leaders Of The World - By Paul Goble
· Moscow Times: Rusnano Fires Lawyer for Money Laundering
· Russia Today: Spring Cleaning for the Power Vertical - Cleaning Up Governance Might Be an Incentive for Russia’s Leaders to Beat Corruption, but Making It Happen Is a Different Matter
· Moscow Times: Academy Denounces United Russia Inventor - A public backlash against Petrik led the Academy of Sciences to create a special commission in February to analyze his patents and alleged inventions, which range from the treatment of radioactive water and the separation of platinum metals to alpha-ray radiators for nuclear medicine.
· RIA: Russia marks 140th anniversary of Lenin's birth
· Bloomberg: Russian Collectors See Bargains as Volcano Cuts Auction Turnout
· Defpro: Russia: Between Terrorism and Foreign Policy - Russia faces security challenges that are increasingly difficult to ignore
· Russia Today: 22 April, 2010 in Russian Newspapers
o Izvestiya: Breaking the vicious cycle
o Gazeta.ru: A calling to serve
o Rossiyskaya Gazeta: The Pentagon considers Russia’s radars
· Businessneweurope: MOSCOW BLOG: Meaningless acronyms spread like VIRUS - There is a new buzzword in Washington: "VIRUS". It is an acronym coined by the policy wonks to describe an alliance between Venezuela, Iran and Russia that is designed to do in the US.
KYRGYZSTAN
o RIA: Ousted Kyrgyz president to hold news conference in Minsk on Friday
o RIA: Kyrgyzstan to hold referendum on new constitution June 27, parliamentary polls October 10
o Itar-Ttass: Presidential elections to be held in Kyrgyzstan on Oct 10
o Reuters: Kyrgyzstan to hold election on Oct 10
o RIA: Brother of ousted Kyrgyz president missing
o RIA: Bakiyev's relatives reported the disappearance of one of his brothers
o RFE/RL: Kyrgyz Interim Government Arrests Bakiev Supporters In South
o Trend.az: Kurmanbek Bakiyev needs medical rehabilitation - Minister of Health of Belarus
National Economic Trends
· Itar-Tass: Russian industrial production down 23 prc because of crisis – minister
· Reuters: Russian rouble stalls near 16-mth peaks
· Interfax: Russia to place $2 bln in 5-yr Eurobonds, $3.5 bln in 10-yr – source
· Reuters: Russia sells $5.5 bln Eurobond on $25 bln demand-UPDATE 1
· Bloomberg: Russia’s New Eurobond May Beat Current Debt, Morgan Stanley Says
· Bloomberg: Russia to Raise $7 Billion as Egypt Returns to Overseas Markets
· Moscow Times: Central Bank Wants Foreign Currency Accounts Closed
· Bne: FX correspondent accounts to close
· Cbonds: Kommersant: Bank of Russia starts new fight against high deposit rates
· Cbonds: IMF calls on Russia to bolster banking sector
· Reuters: Russia c.bank injects 31.7 bln roubles via repos
Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions
· Bloomberg: Mechel, Novorossiysk Sea Port, Rusal: Russian Equity Preview
· Interfax: Energy Ministry adjusting power company investment program
· Reuters: BRIEF-Russia's OGK-3 2009 net profit fallS 36 pct
· RUVR: Russian watchdog grants license to Finland's Nestle company
· Reuters: Russian Railways may raise 2010 investment program
· RBC: Russian Railways mulls expansion of investment program
· Interfax: Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port boosts 2009 net profit 163% to $252.2 mln (Part 2)
· iStockAnalyst: Moody's Upgrades Vneshprombank (Russia) to B2/Baa1.Ru From B3/ Baa2.Ru
· Moscow Times: Foreign Companies Sign Anti-Corruption Pact
· Moscow Times: Russian Technologies Seeks Bigger KamAZ Stake
· Diamonds.net: ALROSA Sells $1B Rough Diamonds in 1Q
· RBC: Sistema shareholders to ponder 2009 dividend
· Moscow Times: For the Record
o Telecoms firm Synterra said Wednesday that it planned to invest 1.7 billion rubles ($58 million) in regional expansion this year. (Bloomberg)
o VimpelCom said Wednesday that 97.87 percent of its shareholders have approved its planned merger with Ukraine’s Kyivstar.(Reuters)
Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)
· RIA: Gas contracts with Ukraine not to affect contracts with other countries - Shmatko
· Reuters: Russia sees no reason to review gas contracts after Ukraine
· Moscow Times: Surgut to Miss MOL Vote
· Portfolio.hu: Surgut seen caught in red tape, voting in Hungarian MOL's AGM unlikely
· Business Wire: NOVATEK signs butane gas supply agreement with Nizhnekamskneftekhim
Gazprom
· Russia-IC: Gas stock exchange may appear in Russia in two years
· RUVR: Gazprom 16th on Forbes' list of top companies
· RenCap: Gazprom insists on netback pricing for the domestic gas market
· Troika: Gazprom Neft and TNK_BP International may divvy up Slavneft
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Basic Political Developments
RIA: Russia's State Duma to discuss ratification of Russian naval base deal
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100422/158696490.html
11:2722/04/2010
The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, will hold on April 27 an additional plenary session on the ratification of a Russian-Ukrainian naval base deal, the head of the State Duma's foreign affairs committee said on Thursday.
The Russian and Ukrainian presidents on Wednesday agreed to extend a lease on a Russian naval base in Ukraine's Crimea in exchange for a 30% cut in gas prices for Ukraine. The lease agreement extends Russian naval presence in the port of Sevastopol for 25 years after the current lease expires in 2017, and may be further extended by another five years.
Konstantin Kosachyov said the agreement may be submitted to the State Duma for the ratification on Friday.
State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov said he hoped the Ukrainian parliament will also ratify the deal.
MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti)
Reuters: Ukraine suspends Vimpelcom/Kyivstar merger approval
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE63L0GH20100422
4:41am EDT
KYEV, April 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine's anti-monopoly committee on Thursday voted unanimously to suspend its earlier decision to approve a merger of Russia's No.2 mobile phone operator Vimpelcom <VIP.N> with Ukraine's Kyivstar.
"The decision means that the participants .. should not take any actions (potentially) leading to concentration," Alexei Kostusev, the head of the regulator, said during the committee's meeting.
He said it could take up to several months to review the March decision.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; writing by Maria Kiselyova)
22.04.2010
Oil and Gas Eurasia: Russia Ready to Invest in Iranian Petrochemicals
http://www.oilandgaseurasia.com/news/p/0/news/7109
Russia is interested in investing in Iranian petrochemical projects and will send a delegation to Iran next week to discuss possibilities with Iranian officials, Iran's ambassador to Russia Seyed Reza Sadjadi said 21 April.
Sadjadi said the two countries were currently negotiating on cooperation in energy projects, concentrating specifically on petrochemicals. He also noted that Iran and Russian delegation would be able to get acquainted with the capabilities of the Asalu petrochemicals complex during their visit.
Sadjadi added that Deputy Russian Energy Minister Sergey Kudryashov would attend the international Oil, gas and petrochemicals exhibition April 23-26 in Tehran. Kudryashov will discuss the oil and gas "road map" for Russian-Iranian cooperation while in Iran.
Copyright 2010, Oil and Gas Information Agency. All rights reserved.
Xinhua: China, Russia to further advance economic cooperation
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-04/22/c_13262845.htm
2010-04-22 15:28:26
MOSCOW, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Officials from China and Russia, in talks held here on Wednesday, agreed to fully tap the potential of bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries.
In talks with Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Khristenko said Russia and China, as neighboring countries of strong economic complementarity and collectively tasked with economic restructuring and modernization, share a broad prospect for economic and trade cooperation.