Russia 090519
Basic Political Developments
· Russia to Focus on Energy in Norway Talks, Kommersant Reports
· Medvedev, Stoltenberg to discuss coop'n, stability Tue
· The new Barents Programme - The Barents Programme adopted last November by the Barents Regional Council covers the period 2009-2013 and is a basis for cross-border cooperation between the 13 participating Nordic and Northwest Russian regions Tha Daily Mail - The coldest war: Russia and U.S. face off over Arctic resources
· U.S.-Russian Team Deems Missile Shield in Europe Ineffective - A planned U.S. missile shield to protect Europe from a possible Iranian attack would be ineffective against the kinds of missiles Iran is likely to deploy, according to a joint analysis by top U.S. and Russian scientists.
· MT: U.S. Diplomat Flies In for Key Nuclear Talks - Crucial disarmament talks kick off in Moscow on Tuesday when U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller meets with Foreign Ministry officials to discuss replacing the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START I.
· Russia seeks “acceptable” nuclear reduction in US treaty talks
· US, Russia To Begin High-stakes Nuclear Arms Talks
· Reuters: Russia, U.S. begin talks on cutting nuclear weapons - Russia, U.S. begin talks on cutting nuclear weapons
· WSJ: The Arms-Control Dinosaurs Are Back - By Marc A. Thiessen
· EU-Russia Summit: Another charade - or time for real business?
· South and Nord streams to secure EU’s gas stability – Schroeder
· Putin to visit Kazakhstan on May 21: During the visit V. Putin will discuss the course of realization of the items of the plan of joint actions of Kazakhstan and Russia for 2009 - 2010, the questions in fuel and energy complex areas, including atomic engineering, improvement of contractual-legal base of Baikonur complex, and use and protection of transboundary water objects.
· Russian PM to visit Turkey - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey in June, the Turkish Zaman newspaper reported.
· Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit to visit Russia on 20 May for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov
· Georgia, Russia resume security talks in Geneva
· Some Abkhaz officials are likely to attend Geneva talks – source
· Strength of RF bases in Abkhazia, South Ossetia to be reduced – DM
· Georgia: Abkhazia Hands Airport, Railway Over To Russian Management
· Russia deploys T-90 tanks near Georgia's borders
· UN chief submits delayed Caucasus report - Ruslan Bakhtin confirmed that Russia had received the delayed report, which Abkhazia cited as a reason for pulling out of talks in Geneva, aimed at trying to reduce tension in the regions following a brief conflict between Russia and Georgia. Bakhtin said the report was "being examined."
· Russia to adjust maneuvers with look at NATO drill in Georgia – general
· Russian rocket launches US communications satellite - A Proton-M rocket carrying a ProtoStar-2 telecommunication satellite was launched from the Baikonur space center Saturday, the Russian space agency said.
· French airline orders to underpin outlook for Superjet 100 - Russia's Trade Minister, Viktor Khristenko has told RT a French airline will become the Superjet 100's next buyer. The news comes in turbulent times for the Sukhoi project.
· Russian Helicopters looks to carve its niche on global market: Ahead of the HeliRussia exhibition in Moscow RT spoke with Russian Helicopters boss Andrei Shibitov, as the state run corporation looks for crucial orders, starting with the company’s collaboration with AgustaWestland.
· Thai court to pronounce verdict in Bout’s case in August 11
· Ukraine's leader repeats call to review gas deal with Russia - "The agreements reached by the prime minister [Yulia Tymoshenko] with Russia in January are unfavorable," Yushchenko said in an interview with the Delo newspaper published on Tuesday.
· Security Service of Ukraine requires of Russia to open its archives on deportation of Tatars
· The first world congress of Crimean Tatars is opening in Bakhchisarai
· Medvedev signs decree to fight detrimental falsification of history
· Dmitry Medvedev signed executive orders setting procedures for provision of information on the income, property and liabilities of state officials
· Dmitry Medvedev aide attacks Vladimir Putin's concentration of power - Delivering a rare critique of the political and economic system created by Mr Putin, Igor Yurgens accused the prime minister of abandoning reforms that he had embarked upon in 2000 at the outset of his presidency.
· Work Starts on Floating Nuclear Station - Russia began building its first floating nuclear power plant on Monday as Rosatom chief Sergei Kiriyenko laid out ambitious plans for the sector in a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev.
· Russia starts building world’s first floating nuclear power plant
· Mongolia: The Kremlin Takes Aim At Mongolia’s Uranium Reserves
· Court sends case into tax claims to British Council for new hearings
· Moscow Bows to Dagestan And Picks New Tax Chief - Former Dagestani Vice President Nikolai Chichvarin, appointed by federal authorities to head the Federal Tax Service's branch in the turbulent North Caucasus republic, officially began his work in his new post Monday, Interfax reported.
· A Fascist Establishment in Bloom - Russia’s Top Political and Cultural Figures Are Subscribing to Alexander Dugin’s Fascist Ideology in Greater Numbers
· Politics, Sex and Violence - The Effort Moscow Officials Put into Staging Eurovision Was Predictably Cancelled Out by Another PR Blunder
· Gang of kidnappers connected with Federal Security Service operates in Moscow for decade - newspaper
· Siberian debt collectors seize calves as credit crunch takes hold
National Economic Trends
· Ruble Climbs to 1-Week High Versus Dollar, Gains Against Euro
· Russian unemployment starting to fall - After spiking to over 10% in less than six months the rate of total unemployment is starting to fall, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday May 18.
Minister: Russia’s industrial output may fall 4.5%-6% in 2009
· Nabiullina Says Russian Economy May Shrink up to 8% (Correct)
· Economics: Industrial output hits bottom in April - Record drop in industrial output due to strong base factor. Last month, industrial output in Russia contracted 16.9% YoY, Rosstat reported yesterday.
· WSJ: Russia Sees Gloom Despite Rise in Oil - By Gregory L. White
· State Rolls Out Small Business Plan - Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina rolled out a three-year development program worth 740 billion rubles ($23 billion) for small and medium-sized businesses at the state Presidium meeting on Monday in an ambitious reflection of the government's unprecedented interest in this long-neglected sector of the economy
· Dollar stops being Russia's basic reserve currency - The euro-based share of reserve assets of Russia’s Central Bank increased to the level of 47.5 percent as of January 1, 2009 and exceeded the investments in dollar assets, which made up 41.5 percent, The Vedomosti newspaper wrote.
Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions
· OAO Sberbank, Chelyabinsk Zinc: Russian Stock-Market Preview
· Russia's Rostekhnologii inks cooperation deals with several cos
· Waste not, want not, as Russia looks to boost energy efficiency - “Putting associated gas to use is the best example of energy efficiency in the oil sector. By 2012 we want to use 95% of it. This will be possible only with massive investment in industrial infrastructure on the oil fields.”
· Inter RAO: Rosneft will participate in utilities asset swap
· Kazakh, Russian, and Ukrainian Banks Face another Tough Year of Poor Asset Quality and Thin Liquidity - Standard & Poor's published a report on the banking sectors' prospects in Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan yesterday, Kommersant reports.
· VTB Capital Obtains Licence to Establish a Branch in DIFC
· Sberbank and VTB - looking out for PPOP
· Farimex's pursuit of Telenor expands to Ukraine
· Sistema decides upon MTS/Comstar merger - According to Vedomosti today (19 May) MTS could buy Sistema's 51% stake in Comstar in the near future. MTS will apply to FAS to buy a majority stake in fixed-line operator
· RUSAL targets deal with creditors by end May, IPO in 3-4 yrs
· Russia to levy 8% special duty on Chinese large dia pipes
· Good results for Murmansk Port - The net profits of the port in the period amounted to 361,4 million RUB, company figures show, B-port.com reports.
· Polyus Gold new BoD composition
· Reuters: Q+A-What does Russia want with Germany's Opel?
· Daimler to Price Mercedes Cars in Russia in Rubles From June 1
· AvtoVAZ Plans to Work in One Shift in June to Cut Costs
· PIK - Reports Kerimov could increase stake to 45%
· Government to subsidise modernisation of Russian sugar plants
· Wimm-Bill-Dann Ranks in Top-40 Globally for Corporate Reputation
Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)
· E.Siberian oil tax breaks could start June 1 –report
· Siberia may get oil tax breaks - The tax cuts are designed to stimulate production in hard-to-access oilfields after Russian output declined last year for the first time in a decade, and were first proposed at an industry meeting in February.
· Russia steals march in Europe pipe race - The West's Nabucco pipeline secured a deal at the weekend to obtain gas from Iraq's Kurdistan region, to help cut dependence on Russia's gas supply, but the central government in Baghdad today voiced opposition to the agreement.
· TNK-BP Announces Appointment of the Chief Auditor
· BRIEF-LUKOIL Q1 crude oil production rises 3.2 pct
· Lukoil Increases Hydrocarbon Production by 1.5% in Q1
· Novatek 1Q09: Pricing Premium Under Siege
· Shtokman production to reach 71 billion by 2020
· Implementation of the Shtokman project shall increase an investment to the Russian industry
Gazprom
· Gazprom will not fulfill extra gas agreement? - The Russian company might not increase gas supplies to Poland
· Serbia's South Stream section said to cost $700m
· Gazprom Plans Bank In Serbia - Srbijagas, Serbia's gas distributor, and Gazprom will open a bank to fund the Serbian section of the planned South Stream pipeline, Srbijagas CEO Dusan Bajatovic said Monday in Belgrade.
· Gazprom Drills 20 Wells on Uzbekistan's Ustyurt Plateau
· Russian energy giant set to ditch Lundin's Caspian project
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Basic Political Developments
Russia to Focus on Energy in Norway Talks, Kommersant Reportshttp://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=asovLjdeOoQk
By Alex Nicholson
May 19 (Bloomberg) -- Russia’s political leadership plan to discuss a disputed territory with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg that may hold as much as 18 billion tons of oil equivalent in one field alone, Kommersant reported.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and then President Dmitry Medvedev will meet with Stoltenberg today in Moscow, the newspaper reported, without citing anyone.
The dispute concerns a territory in the Barents Sea covering about 175,000 square kilometers, Kommersant said.
The largest field in the zone may contain as much as 12 billion metric tons of oil equivalent according to Norway, while Russian Natural Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev has put the reserves at 18 billion tons, according to the newspaper.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Nicholson in Moscow at .
Last Updated: May 19, 2009 01:33 EDT
Medvedev, Stoltenberg to discuss coop'n, stability Tue
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=13952035
MOSCOW, May 19 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is to meet with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg here on Tuesday.
All-European stability, cooperation in the Arctic, energy, fisheries, as well as the development of cultural contacts will be the main subjects of discussion at the upcoming talks. The recent triumph won at the Eurovision song competition in Moscow by the Russian-speaking Norwegian singer may serve as yet another pleasant topic in the forthcoming conversation, a presidential press service official has told Itar-Tass.
This is already a third visit to Russia by Stoltenberg. The first two were made in 2001 and 2007. Medvedev and Stoltenberg got acquainted with each other during the St Petersburg Economic Forum in 2007. The Norwegian Premier was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Medvedev on his win in the presidential elections.
A high-level source in the Kremlin has told Itar-Tass, "Midvale and Stoltenberg will discuss the state of and prospects for the development of Russo-Norwegian partnership, and practical matters concerning the entire spectrum of bilateral relations in the trade-and-economic, energy, and investment sectors".
Norway, the Kremlin source recalled, "ranks third in the world, after Saudi Arabia and Russia, by the export of crude oil". The Scandinavian country meets about 20 percent of Western Europe's demand for the import of gas, the second one only after Russia.
The energy dialogue between the two major independent exporters of oil began in 1992 when they signed the first memorandum on joint work to estimate hydrocarbon resources in Arctic areas and develop technologies to tap them. The Heads of Government of the two countries also signed a statement on cooperation in the energy sector, opening up the possibility for Norwegian oil and gas companies to participate in the development of the Shtokman Field in the Barents Sea.
"In 2008, Russia-Norway goods turnover grew by 45 percent to run at a record-high indicator of $2,300 million," the Kremlin official said, citing statistical data and adding that Norwegian investments in the economy of the Russian Federation amount to about $1,500 million.
The Kremlin source states that, against the background of the world financial downturn, (bilateral) trade turnover in the first quarter of the current year decreased by 36.4 percent as compared with the corresponding period of last year. In view of that, the source said, "The President of the RF and the Prime Minister of Norway will devote special attention to the efforts to maintain the dynamism of growth in the scope of reciprocal trade and develop joint projects". Neither does the trade turnover pattern satisfy the two sides.
Raw materials, non-ferrous metals, and marine products account for the bulk of Russian export, which now runs at $1,1000 million. Fish and fish products account for more than 60 percent of import from Norway.
As far as international themes are concerned, "It is planned to touch upon bilateral cooperation in the Arctic Region, and all-European stability as a whole, including that within the context of the Russian initiative aimed at preparing a Treaty on European Security". Medvedev believes that the prospective new document must become a follow-up to the Helsinki Agreements, and that' "it is advisable to include in the future treaty the basic principles for the development of arms control regimes, confidence-building measures, restraint, and reasonable sufficiency in military development".
Apart from serious political and economic subjects, Medvedev and Stoltenberg are sure to discuss the additional factor that came into being literally two days ago and brings Russia and Norway closer together, namely the triumph of Norwegian singer Alexander Rybak, who refers to Norwegian and Russian as his native languages, at the Eurovision-2009 music competition held in Moscow. Russia accorded a warm welcome to Rybak, awarding top mark -- 12 points -- to him. Jens Stoltenberg already congratulated the 23-year-old singer at Oslo airport where Rybak arrived from Moscow. The Prime Minister referred to the singer's success as a "remarkable victory for Norway".
Stoltenberg, 50, is reckoned a long-liver in Norwegian politics: since 1990 he has held a number of government positions, including those of Minister of Petroleum Industry and Energy, and the Minister of Finance. He headed a Norwegian government for the first time in the period from 2000 to 2001. Stoltenberg became Premier again in 2005.
The new Barents Programme