The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

MiG-31 interceptors to hold live firing exercises in Siberia

Up to 20 long-range interceptors will conduct launches of guided missiles during a tactical exercise in Siberia on Wednesday, a Russian Air Force spokesman said. The live firing drills, involving MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors from an air regiment based in the Chita Region, will be held at the Telemba firing range. "During the exercise, MiG-31 interceptors will fire missiles at airborne and ground targets at night and during the day," Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said. "About 20 combat jets will participate in the drills." The MiG-31 Foxhound is a two-seat supersonic interceptor aircraft developed to replace the MiG-25 Foxbat. It is equipped with two D-30F6 turbofan two-shaft engines with a common afterburner and a variable supersonic nozzle, which allow the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds of up to Mach 2.83. The interceptor also features unique air-to-air missiles capable of hitting targets at ranges exceeding 200 kilometers (125 miles), including aircraft with stealth capabilities, cruise missiles, and supersonic aircraft. According to various sources, about 500 MiG-31s have been produced since production began in 1978, approximately 370 of which remain in service with the Russian Air Force. Russia plans to modernize its whole fleet of MiG-31interceptors, which have been in service for 25 years, and extend their service life with the air force until 2015. Drobyshevsky also said more than 10 units from the 5th Air Army based in the Urals Military District will participate in large-scale combined-arms exercises at the Kapustin Yar and Ashuluk training grounds, both in south Russia's Astrakhan region near the Caspian Sea. The exercises will be held on April 1-10, and will involve MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors, Su-24 Fencer fighter-bombers, Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters and transport planes.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080325/102147896.html

In related news:

NATO fighters accompany Russian bombers near Alaska

NATO fighters accompanied Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers on a regular strategic patrol flight on Wednesday, a Russian Air Force spokesman said. Two Bear bombers and two Il-78 aerial tankers conducted a 16-hour patrol mission on Wednesday over the Arctic and the Pacific Ocean and performed aerial refueling. "During the flight over neutral waters near Alaska, the Russian planes were accompanied by NATO fighters," Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said. Interceptions of Russian combat aircraft by NATO fighters have been a common occurrence since Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by President Vladimir Putin. Drobyshevsky reiterated on Wednesday that regular patrols of Russian strategic bombers do not pose a threat to other countries, and Russia always issues prior warnings of their patrols. He said that the main purpose of these missions was to train pilots in instrument flight and aerial refueling.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080326/102258387.html

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Nabucco trans-Caspian gas pipeline in jeopardy - paper

The future of the Western-backed Nabucco trans-Caspian gas pipeline that is designed to bypass Russia could be in jeopardy, the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet said on Tuesday. Commenting on the results of talks held between the Turkmen president and Turkish leaders on Monday in Ankara, the paper said that the parties had failed to agree on the delivery of Turkmenistan's natural gas to Turkey for the Nabucco project. The $7-8 billion Nabucco pipeline, backed by the EU and the U.S., is expected to link energy-rich Central Asia to Europe through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. Construction has been tentatively scheduled to begin in 2010. Without the support of Turkmenistan, a major natural gas producer in Central Asia, the Nabucco project is unrealistic, the paper said. In what was widely seen as a major blow to the Nabucco project, Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan signed a deal in December to supply the Asian states' Caspian gas via Russia. Moscow also reached deals with Bulgaria and Serbia earlier this year on the South Stream pipeline to pump Central Asian gas to Europe.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20080325/102139756.html

In related news:

BP suspends 148 workers over visa dispute with Russia

BP’s problems in Russia escalated yesterday after the oil giant was forced to suspend 148 employees seconded to TNK-BP, its Moscow-based joint venture, after a dispute over visas. Fears that BP had become the latest victim of an ongoing power struggle between the Kremlin and Western energy groups were compounded when the Russian Interior Ministry said that it had launched a criminal investigation into allegations of “large-scale tax evasion” at a former unit of TNK-BP. BP said that the visa row affected specialist technical staff, such as oilfield engineers and reservoir managers, from countries including Britain, the United States, China and Germany. A spokesman in London said that most of the employees had chosen to remain in the country until the dispute had been resolved, although they were not permitted to work.

The suspension comes after difficulties experienced by BP in renewing visas after a recent legal change and the raid last week on TNK-BP’s Moscow headquarters, which led to a junior employee being charged with industrial espionage. BP and Russian law enforcement agencies insisted that there was no connection between the visa dispute and the raid or the claims of tax evasion, but the timing has fuelled concerns that a political motive may be behind the dispute. BP owns half of TNK-BP, Russia’s third-biggest oil company. The remainder belongs to a consortium of oligarchs – Mikhail Fridman, Viktor Vekselberg and Len Blavatnik. A lock-in agreement that prevented the Russians from selling expired at the end of last year and there has been speculation that Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled gas monopoly, wants to acquire an interest in TNK-BP.

TNK-BP said that the suspension was a temporary measure taken due to “a lack of clarity over their current visa status”. Russian officials said that the problems “have existed for some time and are due to violations of Russian migration law. Some employees entered Russia with business visas, although working visas were required for permanent residence and work in the country. Also, attempts were made to obtain visas on the basis of the quotas of other, “ ‘dummy’ firms, which is against the law.” About 40 more senior TNK-BP employees, including Bob Dudley, the chief executive officer, and Tim Summers, the chief operating officer, who used to work directly for BP were not affected.

The Interior Ministry said it was investigating allegations that more than one billion roubles (Ł231 million) of tax was evaded by Sidanco, the former TNK-BP oil unit that was liquidated in 2005 after its assets were merged into the parent group. BP declined comment on the investigation. The Russian environmental agency added to the pressures on BP last week when it began an inquiry into TNK-BP’s Samotlor oilfield. The investigation is being led by Oleg Mitvol, the rumbustious head of the RosPrirodNadzor state agency. Mr Mitvol also headed the inquiry into Shell’s gas development on Sakhalin Island in eastern Siberia, which carried a threat of large fines and ultimately led to Shell’s loss of control of the project and the transfer of a majority stake to Gazprom.

Other UK energy companies that have faced difficulty trying to do business in Russia include Sibir Energy, the oil firm which claimed to have been cheated out of its Russian assets, leading to a claim for damages against Roman Abramovich, who sold his majority stake in Russian energy giant Sibneft to Gazprom for $13 billion (Ł6.5 billion). Relations between Britain and Russia have sunk to their lowest point in years, despite claims by president-elect Dmitri Medvedev, the chairman of Gazprom, that there was no political motivation to the disputes concerning TNK-BP. The joint venture employs 66,000 people and is a major oil and gas company in its own right. At the end of 2006 it was producing 1.7 million barrels of oil per day and had reserves of 7.8 billion barrels, which is equivalent to a large multinational oil firm.

Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle3621968.ece

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Will Kosovo be turned over to the Pentagon?

Predictions made by experts before Kosovo's illegal declaration of independence are coming true - the territory seized from Serbia is turning into a big military base of the United States and NATO. Thus, George W. Bush ordered arms shipments to Kosovo. Because of this, Moscow insisted on an emergency session of the NATO-Russia Council - it will be held in Brussels on March 28. Incidentally, Bush issued this order two days after the Moscow visit of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who urged Moscow to promote cooperation, expand consultations, and display more openness in general. The haste with which the Pentagon is trying to take the fledgling Kosovo under its wing demonstrates the West's lack of confidence that peace will come to the Balkans after Kosovo's cessation. But the West was actively using this rhetoric - the need to put an end to the Yugoslav crisis - in order to justify its support for the Kosovo separatists. There can be no peace when one side is being equipped with weapons against the other. This means pouring more fuel on the fire...

The Serbs have already got the message. In the city of Kosovska Mitrovica (in northern Kosovo), they desperately rushed to defend their last shelter - a courthouse. Previously, it was the venue of Serbian justice, but now it is occupied by international lawyers who will turn it over to their Albanian colleagues. Blood was spilled there during clashes with peacekeepers. There are numerous rallies in Belgrade supporting the Serbian minority in Kosovo. The city divided into Albanian and Serbian parts by the Ibar River will be a bone of contention for a long time to come. Belgrade has already sent an appeal to the UN, demanding that Kosovo's northern region adjacent to Kosovska Mitrovica with a compact Serb population be returned to Serbia. These people primarily need physical protection, but the advocates of Kosovo's independence are not likely to be worried about that. In the first half of the 1990s, Western countries shut their eyes to the expulsion of 300,000 Serbs from Croatia. They won't bother about a mere hundred thousand. People in Belgrade say that if 300,000 birds suddenly left a region, the world would be alarmed, but it did not even notice the Serbian tragedy.

One of the reasons behind Washington's decision to supply Kosovo with arms is its intention to keep Kosovska Mitrovica in Kosovo, because it is a turbulent and strategically important Serbian city. But the main goal is to give Kosovars carte-blanche to suppress the protests in Serbian enclaves on Kosovo's entire territory. This opinion is held by Yelena Guskova, head of the Balkans Crisis Center at the Institute of Slavic Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences. Arms shipments to Kosovars are designed to legalize future Albanian efforts to oust the Serbian minority from the province. In other words, the Kosovars are given a chance to complete what they have started - drive non-Albanians out of the province, but with their own hands so as not to cast a shadow on the NATO-led KFOR peace keepers, not to mention the United States. It seems that Kosovo will be the first state under NATO's complete protection. The KFOR peacekeepers have been a guarantor of order in the province for nine years now. Considering the intentions of Albania, Macedonia, and Croatia to join the North Atlantic alliance at its summit in Bucharest on April 2-4, Kosovo may become NATO's most powerful support in the Balkans. The Pentagon has already built the world's biggest military base on its territory - Camp Bondsteel. Now it has started the construction of a second military base, Guskova said.

Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov, President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, is convinced that Washington, at least under the current administration, does not need stability in the Balkans or the rest of Europe: "The United States cannot influence events in a stable situation. If it is calm in Europe, the United States has nothing to do there. U.S. political strategy is based on control through chaos." He mentioned that as far as he knows, initially Washington will supply Kosovo with small arms and armored vehicles without heavy equipment. Subsequently the Albanians will be trained for air force and tank units. Under the circumstances, there is little Russia can do. Guskova and Ivashov believe that in addition to humanitarian aid to the Serbian enclaves in Kosovo, the Kremlin could suggest bringing Russian peacekeepers into the district of Kosovska Mitrovica. Russian experts are actively discussing the introduction of Russian peacekeepers into Serbia's southern regions bordering on Kosovo. But pro-Western President Boris Tadic is not likely to turn to Russia with such a request. Hence, Russia will have to use only diplomatic levers. As for economic levers - Kosovo's participation in the South Stream gas project - Russia either did not want to use them, or failed to do so.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080325/102208039.html

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russia to continue Arctic shelf research

Russian scientists will continue to study the Arctic shelf in order to bolster the country's claim to a large swathe of seabed believed to be rich in oil and gas, a Russian lawmaker said on Thursday. President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia's Arctic research is aimed at establishing the country's right to a part of the Arctic shelf. Artur Chilingarov, a member of the lower house of Russia's parliament and a veteran explorer, said there had been sufficient funding for Arctic research in 2008, adding that international cooperation in the area would also continue. "We are for international cooperation in the Arctic, but we will never give away what is ours by right," he said. He also said Russia's economic interests should be given priority in Arctic research, adding that by 2009 Russia should submit "documentary substantiation of the external boundaries of the Russian Federation's territorial shelf to the UN." 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. The expedition irritated a number of Western countries, particularly Canada, and Peter MacKay, the Canadian foreign minister, accused Moscow of making an unsubstantiated claim to the area. Russia's oceanology research institute has undertaken two Arctic expeditions - to the Mendeleyev underwater chain in 2005 and to the Lomonosov ridge last summer - to back Russian claims to the region. The area is believed to contain vast oil and gas reserves and other mineral riches, likely to become accessible in future decades due to man-made global warming. Researchers have conducted deepwater seismic probes, aerial and geophysical surveys, and seismic-acoustic probes from the Akademik Fedorov and Rossiya icebreakers. Russia first claimed the territory in 2001, but the UN demanded more evidence. Under international law, the five Arctic Circle countries - the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Norway and Russia - each have a 322-kilometer (200-mile) economic zone in the Arctic Ocean.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080327/102381783.html

“We believe, as many others do, that the most prolific remaining conventional oil and gas resources are in the Arctic or sub-Arctic, because we’ve pretty much developed the geologies south, whether that’s in the United States or whether that’s in Europe or Asia,” Shell's CEO john Hofmeister said recently.

THE NORTH POLE IS OURS, NOT RUSSIA'S: The sensational headlines say, “Russian Arctic Team Reaches North Pole.” But the U.S. was there first—back in the early 1900s. America, not Russia, has a valid claim to the North Pole... Russian claims in this area are so flimsy that they were rejected before—by the U.N. itself. The proceedings of the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf demonstrate that Russian claims about the outer limits of the continental shelf in the Arctic and Pacific oceans were considered during a series of meetings in 2002 and they were told to make “revised” submissions. That is, the Russian case was weak. .......

Source: http://www.unoilgas.com/recent_arcti...news_links.htm

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russia's military says no further personnel cuts

Russia will not scale down its Armed Forces in the near future through ongoing organizational reform, a senior military official said on Thursday. "We are optimizing the organizational structure of the Russian Armed Forces, but we are not planning any reductions either in the number of troops or the number of staff at the Defense Ministry's central offices," said Colonel General Vasily Smirnov, deputy chief of the General Staff. Russia has downsized its Armed Forces to about 1.1 million personnel, while the staff at central offices has been reduced to 10,500 personnel. "All further restructuring will be implemented within these numbers," Smirnov said, adding that the reforms would primarily affect support structures, where civilians could replace military officers. The scale and the context of military reforms is believed to be a major source of a long-running conflict between the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense, which intensified after the appointment of Anatoly Serdyukov as defense minister. Russian media have recently circulated reports claiming the country may soon see new faces among its top military commanders as a result of a major military leadership reshuffle. According to various sources, one of the most high-profile figures in the shake-up will be Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen.Yury Baluyevsky, who could leave his post as early as May. He is likely to be replaced by one of his deputies. Baluyevsky, 61, traditionally thought of as a commanding officer with good strategic planning skills, has recently expressed strong criticism over some controversial issues in Russia's military policy, including the relocation of the Navy Headquarters from Moscow to St. Petersburg and the role and place of the General Staff in the management of the Russian military. Unconfirmed rumors in the Russian media say Baluyevsky has submitted his resignation several times in the past six months and is ready to leave the post shortly after Dmitry Medvedev's inauguration as Russia's new president.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080327/102365513.html

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Although there are a few wrinkles that need to be ironed out, for better or for worst, Armenia's future lies with the Russian Federation. Why Russia? Besides the centuries long history between Armenians and Russians, besides the fact that due to a Russian presence in the region there is an Armenia in the Caucasus today, besides the fact that Russia is amongst the most culturally advanced nations on earth - Armenians need to understand that the twenty-first century potentially belongs to Russia and that is, in essence, why we are currently seeing a frenzy of activity in the West to contain and undermine the Russian Federation throughout Eurasia. What's more, Armenians need to understand that Russia is a natural bulwork against pan-Turkism, western imperialism and Sunni fundamentalism. I am very glad that the "Hanrapetakan" party in Armenia, represented today by president elect Serzh Sargsyan, has had the strategic foresight to make sure that Armenia remains firmly within Moscow's sphere of influence. Concurrently, I am grateful that Moscow continues to realize the vital strategic importance of the Armenian Republic within the Caucasus. Why is Armenia important for Russia? For geostrategic reasons, namely to keep NATO and Turks out of the Caucasus and to secure its oil/gas distribution networks, Moscow needs Armenia as a powerful state in the region. And as noted above, for geostrategic, economic and survival reasons - Armenia needs Russia. The fact of the matter is, the West has no real interests within the tiny landlocked resource-less Armenian Republic other than to make sure official Yerevan does not interfere with their regional projects. The West's interest in the region is primarily the exploitation of Caspian Sea basin oil and gas, keeping the large powerful nation of Turkey within its sphere of influence and keeping Russia at bay, out of the Caucasus. Needless to say, without the Russian factor at play in the Caucasus, the every existence of the Armenian nation can be at risk. For the West, Armenia is simply a geopolitical obstacle, a nuisance. Thus, the formula that promotes Russo-Armenian relations today is relatively a simple one: For Russia, Armenia is a strategic gate, a foothold in the Caucasus, that it has to protect for its national interests. For Armenia, Russia is a sustainer that it needs to stay alive in a very volatile and complicated geopolitical environment. For a small, landlocked and resources-less nation surrounded by historic enemies in an increasingly complicated world, Armenia has no other option but to place its longterm and short term hopes on Mother Russia. May God bless the Russo-Armenian alliance.

Armenian

**********************************

Sargsyan Wins Putin's Seal of Approval

President Vladimir Putin and Serzh Sargsyan on Monday pledged continuity in bilateral relations, as the Armenian president-elect made Moscow his first destination after being declared the winner in a controversial election last month. "I know that political processes in Armenia are not developing easily, but we very much hope that everything we have built up in bilateral relations in recent years will remain and develop further in the future, regardless of events inside Armenia," Putin said at the start of the talks in the Kremlin.

Sargsyan was elected in a Feb. 19 vote that the opposition says was rigged. The growing protests that followed were then violently dispersed by police and a 20-day state of emergency was imposed. The state of emergency ended last week. Sargsyan thanked Putin for Russia's support, including its backing in the run-up to the Armenian vote. "Both [Armenian President Robert Kocharyan] and our ambassador passed your personal messages on to me, and I will be honest: Never before have we witnessed such an unambiguous approach," he said. Sargsyan's trip comes on the heels of a visit by Kocharyan, who came to Moscow for an informal Commonwealth of Independent States summit on Feb. 22.

Putin congratulated Sargsyan, currently prime minister, on his victory, while Sargsyan said the election of First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as Putin's replacement in March instilled hope that the bilateral relations would continue to develop positively. Sargsyan met Medvedev earlier on Monday. Sargsyan is to be inaugurated on April 9, while the ceremony for Medvedev will take place on May 7. The talks between Putin and Sargsyan were to focus on expanding trade and economic relations, including nuclear cooperation, the Kremlin said in a statement on Monday. Armenia has been invited to join Russia's international uranium enrichment center in Angarsk and is expected to finalize its commitment in the near future.

Azhdar Kurtov, an analyst with the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, said continuity in relations with Yerevan was important for Moscow, as Armenia remains virtually its only ally in the South Caucasus. "Armenia has been successful so far in keeping the Caucasus from drifting toward the West or, rather, the south," said Kurtov, who focuses on the CIS. Landlocked Armenia borders Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey, in a region that is becoming a key transit route for oil exports to European and world markets. Georgia and Azerbaijan have both said they are interested in NATO membership.

The difference between Moscow's relations with Armenia and its relationship with Georgia was evident, Kurtov said, from the Russian media coverage of postelection riots in Yerevan and of the earlier riots in Tbilisi. The disturbances and the police reaction in Armenia have received much less coverage than did the events in Georgia, he said. Armenia, which hosts a Russian military base, is part of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, a regional body aimed at strengthening military and political ties. Armenia will take over the chairmanship of the organization this fall.

Russian investment in Armenia totaled about $1 billion at the end of 2007, a year that saw trade between the countries top $800 million, the Kremlin said, adding that a figure of $1 billion was a realistic forecast for the near future. In a standard indication of good relations between the countries, the Kremlin said Armenia would host a series of Russian cultural events this year, while Russia would host a "Season of Armenian Culture" in 2009. Despite the pledges of continued friendship, however, Gazprom is soon likely to significantly hike the prices that Armenia pays it for gas, analysts have said. Armenia currently pays a mere $110 per thousand cubic meters.

Source: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/storie...03/25/003.html

Putin: Russian-Armenian relations entering new level

“Despite the hard times in the political process in Armenia, Armenian-Russian are going to develop at a new level,” president of Russia Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Armenia's president-elect Serzh Sargsyan in Kremlin. Vladimir Putin said at the meeting that he is informed of complicated internal political processes in Armenia. Nevertheless, he observed, Russia hopes that, regardless the course of internal political events in Armenia, “everything that has been created in the preceding years, is preserved and developed in the future.” Sargsyan, for his part, said that Armenia needs to further develop relations with Russia. “We have always appreciated your help to Armenia,” Sargsyan noticed. To remind, Sargsyan has already met on March 24 with Russia's president-elect Dmitry Medvedev. He is also expected to meet with prime minister Viktor Zubkov and Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov.

Source: http://www.regnum.ru/english/975875.html

Sargsyan: Armenia to develop relations with Russia in all fields

President-elect Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia met in Kremlin Monday. Welcoming the guest, Mr Medvedev said, “This visit testifies the high level of the Russian-Armenian ties. I hope for further development of our relations.” “Armenia is willing to develop relations with Russia in all fields on the basis of existing agreements,” the RA President-elect remarked. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his First Deputy Andrey Denivos also attended the meeting, NEWSru.com reports.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=25472

Yuri Luzhkov: Moscow among Armenia’s major partners

Last year the commodity turnover between Moscow and Armenia increased by 65 per cent, Moscow’s Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said at a meeting with Armenia’s President-elect Serzh Sargsyan. “In the initial half of 2007 the turnover amounted to $70,5 million, increasing by 65 per cent during the year,” he said, adding that Moscow is one of Armenia’s major partners. “We opened the House of Moscow in Yerevan where entrepreneurs can get all necessary information for establishing their business in Armenia. A new wholesale center will open in Moscow soon. A new Armenian Church will be built,” the Mayor said. He also congratulated Serzh Sargsyan on election President of Armenia, wished him every success at the post and voiced hope for further development of the Armenian-Russian strategic partnership, Novosti Armenia reports.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=25477

V. ZUBKOV: “ARMENIA CAN ALWAYS RELY ON RUSSIA”

The labor visit of the president-elect Prime Minister of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan in the Russian Federation is over. Yesterday in the evening he returned back to Yerevan. Before his return he had a meeting with the Prime Minister of the RF Viktor Zubkov. According to the Government public relations department, Zubkov congratulated Serzh Sargsyan for his victory in the presidential elections. He said that he was sure Sargsyan’s experience and skills in the state governing sphere will contribute to the salvation of the problems. “We sincerely wish our friend and relative Armenia to be developed. And Armenia can always rely on Russia’s support,” mentioned Zubkov. The Prime Minister of the RF highly evaluated the activities carried out by Serz Sargsyan in the development and improvement of the Armenia-Russian inter-governmental committee. Note that Serzh Sargsyan had meetings with the president of Russia Vladimir Putin, the new president Dmitry Medvedev, and the mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzjkov.

Source: http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2008/03/25/gov/

Putin hopes to develop relations with Armenia

Russian outgoing President Vladimir Putin said he hopes to develop relations with Armenia despite the difficult political situation in the republic. In his meeting with Armenian president-elect Serzh Sarkisyan on Monday, President Putin said, “Despite the difficult political situation in Armenia, I hope that relations will develop dynamically.” “We hope that whatever the internal political situation develops in Armenia what we did in the previous years we’ll continue to develop in the future,” the Russian outgoing president said. Putin congratulated Sarkisyan on the convincing victory in the presidential elections. The Armenian president-elect said his country “needs further development of relations with Russia”. “We’ve always praised your assistance in the pre-election campaign,” Putin told Sarkisyan. “Both the president (Robert Kocharyan) and our ambassador (to Russia) gave me your message. I can say we’d never felt such approach,” Sarkisyan said. He also expressed hope for further development of cooperation with Russia. “We know Dmitry Medvedev as your like-minded person. Armenia hopes that his taking office will facilitate the development of relations between the two countries. We need further strengthening of cooperation,” Sarkisyan said.

Source: http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2....9712&PageNum=0

Russia and Armenia are to move on in strategic partnership

The newly elected Armenian president made Russia its first official visit. The two countries are to deepen relations. Yesterday the new Armenian president Serge Sarkisian visited Moscow. The Russian and Armenian presidents discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation in political, military and other spheres. The two countries share the same opinions in lots of international problems. Yesterday in the focus of attention was Nagorno-Karabakh issue and trade-economic relations, strengthening on the gas cooperation. Russia and Armenia are bound with strategic partnership relations. Russia satisfies all Armenian gas needs and has one third of all investments in Armenia. Russia is keeping a military base in Armenia.

Source: http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/6023/

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

With historic land disputes with its Turkic neighbors, with good relations with Iran and with a deep rooted strategic alliance with the Russian Federation - Armenia today is a political obstacle in the Caucasus region, as far as the West is concerned. Nevertheless, the West can not risk having more inter-ethnic wars in the region either because such wars can potentially have a destabilizing effect upon the pro-West capitols of Tbilisi and Baku, such wars can disrupt oil/gas flow to the West from the Caspian Sea region and may also serve to draw Russia back into the South Caucasus. Thus, due to these geopolitical/economic factors, the West will not forcefully engage in efforts to undermine the Armenian state. It is important to note, however, that the West will not risk attempting a forceful regime change in Yerevan only as long as it believes that the Armenian state is militarily and politically powerful and has Russian support. Thus, it's conditional. Nevertheless, the West will instead resort to blackmail, bribes and the promotion of internal strife within the Armenian Republic in an attempt to pry Yerevan away from Moscow and make it conform to its regional agenda. The tools that will be used for such an attempt will undoubtedly be pro-West and Turk-tolerant politicians such as Levon Ter-Petrosian, the exploitation of internal sociological strife (Artsakhtsi versus Hayastantsi sentiments) and the deceptive/manipulative utilization of concepts such as liberty, justice and the American way... As we have seen, the West is equipped with a vast array of weapons. If nations won't conform, they bomb them (Serbia and Iraq). Where bombs would not work, they use money/bribes (Central Asian republics and Arab nations in the Persian Gulf region). Where bombs and/or money do not work, they use the notion of democracy, human rights as well as western pop culture to soften the masses (Armenia). This, in essence, is western style Realpolitik. Do we still have masses of idiots believing in the deceptive and destructive concepts of democracy, freedom, human rights, fair elections, etc, as preached by the West? I'm afraid recent developments have revealed that we do. Nevertheless, as we can see by the statements of one of Washington's most senior statesmen, the West can never be trusted by Yerevan.

Armenian

******************************

ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI: KOSOVO WON'T SET PRECEDENT FOR ABKHAZIA, SOUTH OSSETIA AND KARABAKH

Caucasus is a shaky region where local conflicts can easily burst out. That is why the international community should be more cautious about Caucasus' security problems and address settlement of territorial and ethnic conflicts, said Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carrter, CSIS Counselor and Trustee. Commenting on Kosovo as a precedent, Mr Brzezinski said, "Kosovo's aspiration for independence was supported by the European Union, which is responsible for further decisions. Independence was a democratic expression of will of Kosovars. I do not think that Kosovo can set a precedent for Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Karabakh." Asked about U.S.' reaction to possible recognition of Abkhazia by Russia, Mr Brzezinski said, "America will not recognize seudo-independence," Georgia Online reports.

Source: http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg226572.html

ARMENIA SEEKS STRONGER TIES WITH RUSSIA

Serzh Sarkisan, whose controversial election as president of Armenia precipitated political violence in Yerevan, is hoping closer ties with Russia can hasten a return of stability in the South Caucasus country. Sarkisian -- the current prime minister who is scheduled to be inaugurated as President Robert Kocharian’s successor on April 9 -- flew to Moscow on March 24 for meetings with Russia’s presidential tandem, outgoing chief executive/incoming prime minister Vladimir Putin and president-elect Dmitry Medvedev. Already Russia’s closest ally in the region, Sarkisian said he was committed to “deepening and expanding” Armenian-Russian ties. He also expressed gratitude for Moscow’s support of the Armenian government’s handling of the political crisis in Yerevan. "We always felt your assistance in the election process," Sarkisian said during a meeting with Putin. “To be honest, we never expected such clear-cut” support.

Putin and Medvedev seemed happy to take the Armenian leader up on his offer of closer relations. “This is your first visit after the elections, and, of course, we see special symbolism in this fact,” Medvedev said. Putin, meanwhile, clearly indicated that Armenia’s current domestic difficulties would not hamper the Kremlin’s ability to do business with Sarkisian. “I know that political processes in Armenia are complicated,” Putin acknowledged. The Russian leader then expressed confidence that “no matter how the internal political process in Armenia unfolds, what has been built in the past years in relations between the Russian Federation and Armenia will be maintained and will develop in the future.” Sarkisian indicated that his incoming administration would seek to quickly restore a sense of stability in the country, pledging to create “an atmosphere of tolerance.” The centerpiece of his emerging stabilization program is an initiative to boost social welfare and economic opportunity.

The two countries have been doing a lot of business in recent years. Trade between Russia and Armenia reached $800 million in 2007, marking a 60 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Russian official statistics. Moscow voiced expectations that bilateral commerce would top $1 billion in the near future. Trade between Russia and Armenia has been hampered by transportation bottlenecks. For over a year, Sarkisian has been lobbying Russian officials to expedite the opening of ferry service connecting Russian Black Sea ports and the Georgian city of Poti, a move that would ease Armenia’s transport woes. Moscow’s recent decision to ease transport restriction with Georgia could revive hopes that ferry service could begin soon.

One notable bilateral trade development occurred February 6, when Atomredmetzoloto, a uranium mining subsidiary of Russia's nuclear monopoly Rosatom, created a joint venture in Armenia to develop uranium reserves estimated at 30,000-60,000 tons. The deal was clinched during a visit to Armenia of the Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, who was accompanied by Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Rosatom. In Yerevan, Kiriyenko pledged to participate in a tender to build a new nuclear power plant in Armenia. The initial estimated cost of the project is $1 billion. Zubkov and his Armenian counterpart Sarkisian also inked an agreement covering Armenia's participation in the International Enrichment Center in Angarsk, in Russia's Irkutsk region.

One potential trouble spot in relations centers on energy supplies. Armenian officials have hoped to ensure, through their expressions of loyalty to Moscow, that the Kremlin-controlled energy conglomerate Gazprom would give Armenia a preferential price for gas. Armenia currently pays $110 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) and this contract price remains effective till January 1, 2009. That price is far lower than what some other former Soviet states pay Gazprom. Yet, even if Gazprom was inclined to maintain Armenia’s favorable rate, events now seem to mandate that Yerevan will face a substantial price increase in 2009. Gazprom’s recent pledge to pay “European market” prices to Central Asian producers means that the gas that it obtains from the region with cost the Russian company upwards of $300/tcm. It will have no choice, then, but to pass costs on to its customers.

Source: http://www.eurasianet.org/department...v032708a.shtml

[skhara]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Caucasus is a shaky region where local conflicts can easily burst out. That is why the international community should be more cautious about Caucasus' security problems and address settlement of territorial and ethnic conflicts, said Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carrter, CSIS Counselor and Trustee. Commenting on Kosovo as a precedent, Mr Brzezinski said, "Kosovo's aspiration for independence was supported by the European Union, which is responsible for further decisions. Independence was a democratic expression of will of Kosovars. I do not think that Kosovo can set a precedent for Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Karabakh." Asked about U.S.' reaction to possible recognition of Abkhazia by Russia, Mr Brzezinski said, "America will not recognize seudo-independence," Georgia Online reports.

These guys never make any sense. It is one thing to argue what is or is not in the interest of their ambitions -- it is another to just be illogical -- which this is.

[skhara]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2670984420080326

Georgia says NATO "no" would fuel conflicts

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Failure by NATO to offer Georgia a membership plan at a summit next week would be seen by Russia as a victory and fuel separatist conflicts in Georgia, the foreign minister of the Caucasus state said on Wednesday.

David Bakradze said after talks at NATO that some European capitals remained skeptical about offering it and fellow ex-Soviet republic Ukraine a Membership Action Plan (MAP) at the April 2-4 summit, but urged them to be firm with Moscow.

Bakradze said a "no" to Georgia would show Moscow it could exercise an indirect veto over which countries could join NATO and show the success of its encouragement of so-called frozen conflicts in two breakaway Georgian regions backed by Russia.

"A no in Bucharest will have very, very threatening and negative implications for conflict resolution," he told reporters before the meetings.

"It will be very clearly seen that this policy of creating problems works ... and then we will have zero chances to resolve those conflicts peacefully and it will encourage those in Moscow who think it is better to maintain those conflicts."

Speaking after he met envoys of the 26 NATO nations, Bakradze said some of them still had doubts about granting Georgia a MAP in Bucharest but said he had been encouraged.

"I think it went very well ... there is no discussion about the question of whether (a MAP should be offered)," he said.

President George W. Bush said this month he would urge NATO allies to begin the membership process for Georgia at the summit, but he faces west European resistance in the face of strong Russian opposition.

When NATO foreign ministers met earlier this month, diplomats said 11 west European countries including France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Portugal spoke against giving Kiev and Tbilisi membership plans now.

NO INTERIM DEAL

They have concerns over Georgia's frozen conflicts and its imposition of a state of emergency and media clampdown in the face of opposition protests last year. The low level of public support for NATO in Ukraine is also a major hurdle.

Diplomats said one of the skeptical NATO countries had since indicated it would not stand in the way of a MAP offer for the two, but said others were sticking to their position.

On Tuesday, Russian president-elect Dmitry Medvedev maintained pressure on NATO not to grant membership to Georgia or Ukraine, saying this would undermine European security.

Bakradze rejected concerns that granting Georgia a membership plan could inflame ties between Russia and the West. He argued that the transition in the Russian presidency from Vladimir Putin to Medvedev presented a "window of opportunity".

"Now it a unique time when there is no longer an old president and not yet the new president, so there is no personality in Russia who can take NATO's enlargement as his personal failure."

Medvedev will be sworn in to succeed Putin in May.

Bakradze insisted Georgia was not interested in accepting an interim agreement leading to a future offer of MAP, as has been mooted by some diplomats as a possible move.

"It is not a serious option for us. Either there is MAP or there is no MAP," he said.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Replace Russia with India in the G8? Is this simply a statement made by an internet blogger trying to be silly? I'm afraid not. The statement in question is actually one of the several ludicrous foreign policy wishes of presidential candidate John McCain, who I'm afraid is the most likely candidate to win the next presidential election in the US. I'm afraid Americans, and the rest of the world for that matter, need to get used to the idea of four more years of Neocon BS...

Armenian

********************************

India should replace Russia in G8: McCain

WASHINGTON: India and Brazil should replace Russia in the Group of Eight (G8) forum, US Republican presidential candidate John McCain has said in a major foreign policy address that defends his hardline views on the ongoing war on terror while forsaking the Bush administration's unilateralism. The 3800-word speech, billed as McCain's most comprehensive foreign policy statement, has upbeat references to India, citations that might please New Delhi considering another Republican administration is a distinct possibility given the bloodletting on the Democratic side. Another Congress-led government in India may also have to carry the nuclear deal forward with a McCain administration if it is not consummated during the current dispensations.

Outside this narrow perspective too, McCain's address at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council contained much that would resonate well with New Delhi, including promises of US alliances with democracies, an ideal that McCain himself has help dilute with support to dubious military regimes like the one in Pakistan. ''We cannot build an enduring peace, based on freedom by ourselves, and we do not want to. We have to strengthen our global alliances as the core of a new global compact - a league of democracies - that can harness the vast influence of the more than one hundred democratic nations around the world to advance our values and defend our shared interests,'' McCain said, naming India, Japan, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, South Africa, Turkey and Israel, among democratic countries that should wield greater influence on events.

But it was his stab at India's old ally Russia, a country with which the Bush administration forged a close partnership in the beginning, that surprised analysts. Warning against the dangers posed by a ''revanchist'' Russia, McCain said the US should ensure that the G8, the group of eight highly industrialized states, becomes again a club of leading market democracies: it should include Brazil and India but exclude Russia, he said. The Group of Eight members include besides the US and Russia, Japan, Germany, UK, Canada, France and Italy. McCain's gripe against Russia appeared more political than economic, since some of the other countries have even smaller economies than that of a resurgent Russia. ''Rather than tolerate Russia's nuclear blackmail or cyber attacks, Western nations should make clear that the solidarity of Nato, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, is indivisible and that the organization's doors remain open to all democracies committed to the defense of freedom,'' McCain said.

McCain did not address the rise of China in the geo-political context, nor mention the recent troubles in Tibet. But he acknowledged China and India as ''economic powerhouses'' while rejecting any idea of US isolationism or protectionism, saying Americans should lead by example and participate in globalization. But it was McCains stand on Iraq, a war which he has supported unequivocally, that was much awaited. And he showed no change of heart or policy on that big ticket, conflating the war on terror to the widely-condemned US invasion of Iraq. ''We have enemies for whom no attack is too cruel, and no innocent life safe, and who would, if they could, strike us with the world's most terrible weapons. "There are states that support them, and which might help them acquire those weapons because they share with terrorists the same animating hatred for the West, and will not be placated by fresh appeals to the better angels of their nature. "This is the central threat of our time, and we must understand the implications of our decisions on all manner of regional and global challenges could have for our success in defeating it,'' McCain said, continuing to blur the line between Iraq and the more toxic regimes that drew the US into the so-called war on terror.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I...ow/2905310.cms

McCain Accuses Russia of Blackmail

U.S. Presidential candidate John McCain suggested revamping the Group of Eight, a trans-Atlantic group that deals with economic policy, to exclude Russia, which he accused of "nuclear blackmail." McCain, almost certain to be the Republican candidate in November's election to replace President George W. Bush, gave a broad outline of his foreign policy views Wednesday in a speech in California. "We should start by ensuring that the G-8 ... becomes again a club of leading market democracies: It should include Brazil and India but exclude Russia," McCain said. McCain, a harsh critic of President Vladimir Putin, also said that "[Rather] than tolerate Russia's nuclear blackmail or cyber-attacks, Western nations should make clear that the solidarity of NATO, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, is indivisible and that the organization's doors remain open to all democracies committed to the defense of freedom." Addressing relations with Europe, McCain recommended changes from Bush policies. "The United States did not single-handedly win the Cold War," McCain said. "The trans-Atlantic alliance did, in concert with partners around the world. The bonds we share with Europe in terms of history, values and interests are unique. Americans should welcome the rise of a strong, confident European Union as we continue to support a strong NATO," he said.

Source: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/storie...03/28/018.html