Russia - WikiLeaks

Russia 100303
Basic Political Developments . Prime-Tass: Russian calendar: Key events for March 3
o Last day of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to France
o Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to hold meeting of
government commission for high technologies
o Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Karim Masimov to visit Russia
o Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov to visit Azerbaijan
. Mar 5: Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich to visit Moscow
. Mar 8: Public holiday in Russia, International Women's Day
. Mar 14-15: Russian economic and financial forum in Zurich
. Itar-Tass: Sanctions on Tehran aren't on March agenda of UN Security
Council - diplomat
. RIA: UN secretary general to attend Mideast Quartet meeting in Moscow
. Xinhua: UN says Mideast quartet to meet in Moscow on March 19
. RIA: No signal on Iran sanctions for Russia's UN mission - envoy
. News.az: UN General Assembly adopts resolution on cooperation with
CSTO - UN will develop cooperation with the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), including in areas as combating terrorism and
drug threat, according to the resolution adopted in UN General
Assembly at Russia's initiative.
. Itar-Tass: UN GA adopts resolution on UN-CSTO cooperation development
- "The new resolution will make it possible to really strengthen CSTO-
UN interaction, to expand their mutual abilities to assist the efforts
to ensure peace, security and cooperation on the regional and global
scale," Churkin said. The mechanism of CSTO peacekeeping activity "can
be used in peacekeeping operations, including under the aegis of the
United Nations," he added.
. Gazeta.kz: Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan and Russia to discuss
development prospects in space, transport branches
. The Georgian Times: Nino Burjanadze leaves for Moscow
. Aysor: Nino Burjanadze to pay a visit to Moscow
. Trend.az: EU delegation visits Upper Lars checkpoint on Georgia-Russia
border
. RIA: No dispute with Russia on Afghan anti-drug policy - U.S. diplomat
. Interfax: Russian drug control chief criticizes U.S. decision to stop
combating opium in Afghanistan.
. Bernama: Afghan Police Officers Start Anti-Drug Training In Russia - A
group of eleven police officers from Afghanistan will be trained on
how to effectively combat drug trafficking during a two-week OSCE-
organised course that begins Wednesday in Domodedovo, outside Moscow,
Russia's Itar-Tass news agency repored, citing the OSCE press service.
. Interfax: Moscow concerned about news of death of Russian boy adopted
by Americans
. Itar-Tass: Medvedev ends state visit to France
. RIA: Russian, French presidents speak of "common values" at dinner
. Financial Times: Sarkozy shifts stance towards Russia - "Nicolas
Sarkozy has got back on the traditional path of French diplomacy:
speaking to Moscow to hold more sway in Europe and beyond," said
Thomas Gomart, analyst at the French Institute for International
Relations.
. Dow Jones: Total CEO: In Talks On Projects In Russia
. Itar-Tass: Russia plane with humanitarian relief supplies flies to
Chile
. The Moscow Times: Russia Sends Aid to Quake-Hit Chile
. RIA: Russia sends cargo plane with aid to quake-hit Chile
. The Local: Sweden sets sights on easing Russian relations - On Tuesday
Fredrik Reinfeldt and Carl Bildt will head to Moscow to meet prime
minister Vladimir Putin and president Dmitrij Medvedev.
. Radio Sweden: Reinfeldt and Bildt to Moscow - Sweden's approval of the
Russian-led Nord stream pipeline to pass through their waters in the
Baltic sea marked a thawing in relations.
. Euro Weekly News: Russian mafia case collapses - ANTI Corruption
Prosecutors are seeing their two and a half year case against alleged
Russian mob kingpin Gennadios Vasilievich Petrov collapse. Petrov, was
arrested at his 20m euro mansion in Calvia (Mallorca) in June 2008 in
the police 'Operacion Troika' accused of involvement in extortion,
murder, tax evasion illicit association, falsification of documents
and drugs trafficking, and was allegedly the boss of the feared
Russian Tambovskaya-Malyshevskaya organised crime gang.
. Reuters: CORRECTED - UPDATE 1-Russia-U.S. talks on poultry continue-
Vilsack
. Itar-Tass: Putin to hold meeting of govt comsn on high technology,
innovation - During the meetings the heads of ministries, departments,
state corporations, the Russian Academy of Sciences, business
representatives will discuss methods of raising efficiency of the use
of funds allotted for the innovation activity.
. RIA: Putin allocates $37 million to build supercomputers in Russia
. Interfax: Rosatom to get over 55 bln rubles for nuclear plant,
supercomputers, medicine
. Itar-Tass: Russia to allocate 20 bln rbls for milk production this
year
. The Moscow Times: Changes to Economic Crimes Bill Greeted by Business
. The Moscow Times: New State Auctions Web Site Planned
. The Moscow Times: Ban on Jury Trials to Be Considered by Courts
. RIA: Brutal Russian legal system will bring down state - Khodorkovsky
. Barentsnova: New Russian multiple-entries visa for foreigners -
Russian Gvt introduced simpler visas for foreigners that are temporary
residents in Russia.
. RIA: Russian investigators to thoroughly probe abductions in Chechnya
. Interfax: Chechen imams from now on bless marriages only with health
certificate from AIDS Center
. RFE/RL: Reports Of Torture Trigger Protests In Daghestan - Between 500-
1,000 people participated in a 17-hour demonstration in Makhachkala on
March 1 to protest reports that five suspects in the June 2009 murder
of Daghestan's interior minister, Lieutenant General Adilgirey
Magomedtagirov, were subjected to torture so that they would confess
to the murder.
. BarentsObserver: State sells out of Murmansk companies - As
BarentsObserver has reported, also shipping major Sovcomflot is likely
to be on the list of the companies for sale. In addition, the state
has signaled a reduction of its control over oil company Rosneft
. BarentsObserver: Arkhangelsk opposition unites - The movement plans to
arrange a large demonstration in the town center on April 4, newspaper
Kommersant reports. The new movement is prepared to drop the use of
political slogans in the demonstration to draw as many supporters as
possible. In the demonstration in April only social and economic
slogans will be used.
. Brahmand: India to buy 42 more Russian made Su-30MKI aircraft
. RIA: Russian Volga region moves to produce flying saucers - The first
such aircraft, officially named "aerostatic thermoballasted vehicle"
or simply "Locomoskayner" after its manufacturer LocomoSky, was
presented MAKS-2009 air show. The prototype flying saucer was seven
meters (23 feet) in diameter and was able to transport 20 kg (44.4
lbs) of cargo.
. Russia-IC: Tsar's Medallion Stolen from Hermitage Returns from USA to
Russia
. The Moscow Times: Today in Vedomosti
o Clubs Raise The Bar During Downturn
o Editorial: Petty State Cases Choking Arbitration Courts
o Customs Officer Who Sold Database Sentenced
o Debtors May Lose Driving License
. Russia Today: 03 March, 2010 in Russian Newspapers
o Izvestiya: A crossing of dead ends
o Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Kabul's poppies
o Nezavisimaya: China plans to become top power
o Pravda: Ukraine Not Mischievous with Russia's Gazprom Anymore National Economic Trends . Bloomberg: Russian Service Industries Expanded at Slowest Pace Since
July - The Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 51 last month from 51.9
in January, VTB Capital said in an e-mailed statement today. The
index, which is based on a survey of about 300 purchasing managers,
shows expansion with a reading above 50.
. Prime-Tass: VTB Capital: Growth of Russian services sector further
slows Feb
. Bloomberg: Russian Central Bank May Take New Measures to Stem Hot
Money - Higher taxes on foreign borrowing by corporations and control
of foreign borrowing by companies in which the state holds a stake are
among "other measures under consideration," Moscow-based Bank Rossii
said. A return to capital controls isn't being considered. Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions . Reuters: Russian markets -- Factors to Watch on Mar 3: Russian energy
giant Gazprom to swap its 10 percent stake in Russian largest non-
state gas producer Novatek for 51 percent of small gas firm
Sibneftegas, the daily Kommersant reports.
. Bloomberg: Silvinit, Uralkali, Sberbank, Gazprom: Russian Equity
Preview
. Russia Today: IPO horizon opens up for Russian companies
. Bloomberg: Russian IPO Bets Are 'Lamentable' for Investors, Troika
Says
. Steel Guru: Russia issues 2009 import and export data
. Steel Guru: EU quota utilization levels of Russia and Kazakhstan
. RBC: Chelyabinsk-based pipe plant and Metalloinvest ink cooperation
deal
. Cbonds: S&P: Russian Group OJSC Novolipetsk Steel Outlook Revised To
Stable On Likely Steady Performance; 'BBB-' Affirmed
. RenCap: Lucchini family exercises put option, sells 20% stake to
Severstal
. Reuters: Russia's Evraz wins back Mezhegei coal field -source
. RenCap: Evraz wins Mezhegey coal deposit licence again
. RenCap: Renault ready to consider larger AvtoVAZ stake; AvtoVAZ needs
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