The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Angessa]

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

Hello, Artsakh.

I am Russian, I am an ethnic Russian, and can tell you that these type of discussions (personal attacks I mean) take place and among Russian nationalists too. It happens because any issue that has anything to do with your nation is pretty sensitive, so the conversation can get very emotional...

However....

I have no idea why you began to attack Armenian, but I think it would be better if you conduct that conversation in Armenian or in private, otherwise it looks like you are trying to put up a public show just to derail this thread.

NP

You may be ethically for your technique not a Russian, your an american. So I would not consider you qualified to discuses anything about Russian nationalist.

But I agree with you about these post with silly fighting. I do not come on this forum to view such silly pettiness.

[North Pole]

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

You may be ethically for your technique not a Russian, your an american. So I would not consider you qualified to discuses anything about Russian nationalist.

What does "ethically for your technique" mean?
And why am I an American?


PRESS-RELEASE

28.07.2008

LUKOIL ACQUIRES LARGE RETAIL ASSETS IN TURKEY

President of OAO LUKOIL Vagit Alekperov and owners of the Akpet company signed an agreement on acquiring a 100% interest in Akpet by LUKOIL EURASIA PETROL A.S. (a 100% owned subsidiary of ОАО LUKOIL) today in Istanbul.

Akpet operates 693 gas filling stations on the basis of dealer agreements, accounting for about 5% of the Turkish retail market.

The acquired assets include:

- 8 oil product terminals with the total capacity of 300 thousand m3;

- 5 LNG storage tanks with the total capacity of 7.65 thousand m3;

- 3 jet fuel terminals with the capacity of 7 thousand m3;

- motor oil production and packaging plant with the capacity of 12 thousand tons per year.

6 of the 8 Akpet oil product terminals have access to the sea shipment routes. 3 of the 8 oil terminals are connected to the TUPRAS refinery by a product pipeline network.

Supplies of oil products for sale through the retail outlets will be ensured from LUKOIL Neftokhim Burgas Refinery in Bulgaria and ISAB Refinery in Sicily, Italy.

According to Vagit Alekperov, “acquisition of large retail assets in Turkey expands LUKOIL international retail network by 18%. It is one of the key elements of the Company’s downstream strategy in the Black Sea and Mediterranean markets, aimed at supply of our products to end users with high added value”.

http://www.lukoil.com/press_6_5div__id_21_1id_22907_.html

Turkish mobile gas stations of the past -



Source - http://www.lukoil.com/back/gallery__...5did_289_.html

[Illuminator]

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

You are welcome to have a knock down drag out at ANF, no moderator will interfere.

Get it out of your systems so that you can get back to business.

[North Pole]

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

Artur Chilingarov is in the news again. This time the polar explorer leads expedition to lake Baikal.

By the way, there is video on the BBC site, you can see Artur Chilingarov makes an Eastern Orthodox Sign of the Cross just before the dive.

From BBC:

Russians in landmark Baikal dive

Russian scientists say they have reached the bottom of the world's deepest body of fresh water - Lake Baikal in Siberia.
Before the expedition set off, Mr Chilingarov described it as a complex one.

"There are technological problems, fickle weather conditions. Fresh water dictates its own special conditions," he said.
The two 18-tonne mini-submarines were designed to operate in seawater - but have shed hundreds of kilos to make them buoyant enough in less dense fresh water.
Mr Chilingarov also led a team of scientists to the North Pole in August last year - where they controversially staked Russia's claim by planting a flag on the seabed.

The BBC's James Rodgers, at Lake Baikal, says the latest expedition is another sign of the Kremlin's desire to show the world the kind of feat a newly confident Russia is capable of.




READ MORE AND WATCH THE VIDEO -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7530230.stm

Artur Chilingarov (b. 1939, Leningrad) is a Russian polar explorer and politician of Armenian descent. He is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1986 and the title Hero of the Russian Federation in 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Chilingarov

Russian hero dares U.S., Canada to claim Arctic

2007-08-08 17:38:53

READ MORE - http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_6495673.htm

[HayotzAmrotz]

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

....

[jgk3]

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

North POLE ,you are insisting that you are russian,Iam % 50 russian as well but at least I have the other part armenian in my genetics which is clearly obvious.Now tell me clearly what is your aim to be in this forum ? I suspect is to impose the russian superiority wich one can grasp in every line of your texts.And what is your game ,armenia republic looks like almost of another big city of russia with one difference they spaek and write in armenian,all the institutions,commercial systems work for russian interest.Superiority starts in human quality which has close nconnection with development of his/her brain structure.Thanks armenians who conserves their traditional familly quality wisdom which overcomes every kind of hardship that other nation imposes to use .Racisim is a dead end way to bang your hard had which will not have any cure for your future.

I don't understand why you're suspicious of North Pole, he shows respect towards us Armenians here and is just contributing to threads where the focus of discussion is Russia, what's wrong with that? I like his presence here personally.

[Armenian]

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

Russian Armenians Heed Presidential Appeal for Investment

$290 million pledged since Tuesday

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--Less than a week after President Serzh Sarkisian made his appeal to Armenians around the world to invest in their homeland, Russian Armenian businessmen have pledged almost $300 million in social and economic investments to the Republic of Armenia. The pledges, totaling $290 million, came in response to the President's speech at the "Baze" All Armenian Youth Jamboree. During the jamboree, Sarkisian had issued a call to action for Armenians to become more active in the development of the republic. "[Armenians] must be more active and initiating in the efforts directed towards building, improving and flourishing the homeland," he said. In separate letters responding to President Sarkisian's appeal, Samvel Karapeatian, Sergey Hambardzumian, and Gagik Zakarian pledged to invest in various sectors of Armenia's society and economy. "With great attention and excitement I heard your address to our compatriots at the "Baze" youth gathering," Karapetian's letter said. "Armenia is our homeland and despite the geographic distance a part of our soul and heart is always in the homeland and lives with the pain and concerns of our country, our brothers and sisters, lives with our soil and water." Karapetian on Wednesday promised to allocate $250 million for various social and business projects in Armenia and invest another $50 million for the "implementation of symbolic projects that will support Armenian statehood and serve its future generations." Meanwhile, Hambardzumian, who is the founder and chairman of the board of directors of the "Mon Ar" company, pledged on Thursday to donate $10 million to the development and expansion of the Matenadaran Manuscript complex. "Irrespective of anyone's financial capabilities our only wealth is our homeland and our only pride--our roots, and we all will be rich when we see our country flourishing," Hambardzumian said. Zakarian, whose letter of commitment to Sarkisian came Friday, pledged to invest $30 million in Armenia's mining, insurance and real estate industries. Zakarian is the chairman of Russia's "Yuniastrum" bank. "With this letter I want to convince you in our readiness to contribute and participate in the development of our homeland," Zakarian said. The pledges to invest almost $300 million in the Armenian Republic come as $236.5 million in US Millennium Challenge Corporation funding has been partially frozen by Washington in what appears to be a politically motivated delay aimed at pressuring the Armenian government.

Source: http://armenie.prikpagina.nl/read.ph...&i=2026&t=2008

The Armenian-Russian relations are on a high level, according to RA President.

The forthcoming visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will promote development of Armenian-Russian cooperation. We enjoy relations that can be exemplary for all. Unanimous position on plenty of issues makes our cooperation within international organizations more efficient,” Serzh Sargsyan said.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=26680

Armenia is Russia’s most important ally in South Caucasus

Formally, Russia and Azerbaijan are strategic partners, a Russian expert said.

“However, relations between Armenia and Russia are quite different. Moscow and Yerevan are political and military allies,” Mikhail Alexandrov, head of the Caucasus department at Moscow’s Institute for Commonwealth of Independent States, said when commenting on Declaration on Cooperation signed during Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Baku. For his part, deputy director of the Institute Vladimir Yegorov said that Armenia is Russia’s most important ally in the South Caucasus. He also informed that the Institute will hold an international conference on Caucasus problems in Yerevan in October.

Source:http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=26628

FM: Armenia not planning to join NATO

Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian said the south Caucasus state is not seeking to join NATO, but will enhance cooperation with the alliance, reports reaching here said on Sunday. ""NATO membership does not rank among Armenia's foreign-policy goals, but Armenia is cooperating intensively with the alliance,"" Interfax quoted Nalbandian as saying at a joint news conference with his Czech counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. NATO and Armenia have recently completed a ""positive"" two-year cooperation program, he said, noting a new two-year cooperation program is underway. Russia has repeatedly warned against NATO's eastward expansion, expressing concerns over the bid for the alliance's membership by former Soviet republics, such as Georgia and Ukraine.

Source: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=172679

Russia and Kazakhstan to hold joint war games in 2009-2011

Russia and Kazakhstan will hold joint military exercises in 2009-2011, the two countries' defense ministers announced in Moscow on Monday. Anatoly Serdyukov and Danial Akhmetov ordered their respective offices to draft the details of the joint drills, including the timeframe, locations and forces to be involved. The military exercises will be held on the territories of both states. The two ministers said that joint tactical drills to be held this autumn as part of Center-2008 staff exercises in the Chelyabinsk Region in the Urals, ""will contribute to the further development of a united outlook and approach to the planning of joint actions to maintain the national security of the two countries."" Serdyukov and Akhmetov, who is currently on a two-day trip to Moscow, also praised the military skills displayed by around 2,000 Russian and Kazakh paratroopers who took part in a joint counterinsurgency tactical exercise last Friday. A Kazakh Defense Ministry spokesman said earlier that the 2008 Kazakh-Russian military cooperation program included a series of joint operational and combat training activities. Russia, which is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), has been strengthening military ties with its allies amid growing tensions over NATO expansion and U.S. missile shield plans for Central Europe. An agreement was recently signed by Washington and Prague on deploying a U.S. radar in the Czech Republic, a move that did little to assuage Russian concerns for its national security. The CSTO is a post-Soviet security alliance, which also comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. About 4,000 troops from Armenia, Russia, and Tajikistan will take part in the four-stage Rubezh-2008 military exercises in Armenia and Russia this summer.

Source: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=173280

Russia, Armenia Agree On New Gas Price

Russia’s Gazprom giant and the Armenian government have reached agreement on the new price of Russian natural gas for Armenia set to rise considerably next year, officials in Moscow and Yerevan said on Tuesday. But they would not specify the price hike, saying only that it will not be as sharp as many in Armenia feared. Gazprom already nearly doubled the price of its gas to $110 per thousand cubic meters more than two years ago. However, its cost for Armenian corporate and individual consumers remained virtually unchanged until last May due to a controversial April 2006 agreement that left more Armenian energy assets under Russian ownership. In particular, Gazprom solidified its controlling stake in Armenia’s ARG gas distribution network and paid $249 million for an incomplete but modern thermal-power plant located in the central town of Hrazdan. The Armenian government used the money for subsidizing the domestic gas prices. It ended the subsidies on May 1, triggering a 50 percent surge in the retail prices of gas supplied to Armenian households and business entities. Gazprom announced shortly afterwards that by 2011 Armenia will have to pay for Russian gas at world prices that are currently above $200 per thousand cubic meters. Armenian officials have since been scrambling to minimize the price hike. The issue was high on the agenda of President Serzh Sarkisian’s late May visit to Moscow. The ARG chief executive, Karen Karapetian, visited the Russian capital and met Gazprom’s chairman, Alexei Miller, for the same purpose on Monday. A spokesman for the Russian gas monopoly, Sergei Kuprianov, told RFE/RL that the two men agreed on the new price but refused to disclose it. Kuprianov said only that Gazprom “took into account the allied Russian-Armenian relationship” when deciding how much to charge Armenia in 2009. Karapetian confirmed the information as he spoke to RFE/RL in Yerevan. “There will be a price rise but it will be very pleasant for everyone,” he said, adding that Russian gas will remain “very affordable” for Armenians in the coming years. He did not elaborate. Natural gas is the number one source of winter heating for Armenia’s population. It is also widely used, in liquefied and pressurized forms, by public transportation means and personal cars.

Source: http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeni...A81771B137.ASP

[Armenian]

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

Moscow must answer U.S. shield with Cuban 'spy' site - analyst

'Flight plans' could spark new Cuban missile crisis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaG3dntRzAY

Russia should respond to U.S. missile defense plans for Central Europe by reopening a 'spy' facility in Cuba to gather intelligence on the United States, a Russian analyst said on Wednesday. The electronic monitoring and surveillance facility near Havana at Torrens, also known as the Lourdes facility, the largest Russian Sigint site abroad, was shut down in October 2001 by then- president Vladimir Putin. "Cuba is a unique place to gather intelligence on the United States. I believe that the reopening of this station is both possible and necessary amid the threat that the Americans are creating for Russia," Alexander Pikayev, head of the disarmament and conflict resolution department at the Russian Academy of Sciences' World Economics and International Relations Institute, told a news conference at RIA Novosti. "Russia has every right to respond," he added. Moscow has strongly opposed the possible deployment by the U.S. of 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic as a threat to its security. Washington says the missile shield is needed to deter possible strikes from "rogue states." A Russian military source was earlier quoted as saying that Russian strategic bombers could be stationed again in Cuba, only 90 miles from the U.S. coast, in response to the U.S. missile shield plans for Central Europe. The Lourdes facility reportedly covered a 28 square-mile area, with 1,000-1,500 Russian engineers, technicians, and military personnel working at the base. The complex was capable of monitoring a wide array of commercial and government communications throughout the southeastern United States, and between the United States and Europe. Lourdes intercepted transmissions from microwave towers in the United States, communication satellite downlinks, and a wide range of shortwave and high-frequency radio transmissions. In October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to the brink of nuclear war when Soviet missiles were stationed in Cuba. The crisis was resolved after 12 days when the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, backed down and ordered the missiles removed.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080723/114761709.html

Russia could place bombers in Latin America, N.Africa - paper

Russian strategic bombers may soon be deployed at airbases in Cuba, Venezuela and Algeria as a response to the U.S. missile shield in Europe and NATO's expansion, Russian daily Izvestia said on Thursday. Moscow has strongly opposed the possible deployment by the U.S. of 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and an accompanying tracking radar in the Czech Republic as a threat to its national security. Washington says the defenses are needed to deter a possible strike from Iran, or other "rogue" states. Moscow has also expressed concern over NATO's expansion to Russia's borders and pledged to take "appropriate measures" to counter the U.S. and NATO moves.

Izvestia cited sources in the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that crews of Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers recently visited Cuba and conducted an inspection of a site and facilities for a possible forward landing airfield that could be used as a refueling stopover for Russian strategic bombers. Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by former president Vladimir Putin. At present the Russian military is considering the possibility of establishing so-called "jump-up" bases in various regions of the world to provide refueling and maintenance support for the patrolling bombers. "The flight to the U.S. [from southern Russia where the bombers are based] takes about 10 hours and even with two mid-air refuellings the aircraft can spend only 1.5 hours near the U.S. coast," said Gen. of the Army Pyotr Deinekin, former commander of the Russian Air Force.

The use of forward landing airfields in Latin America would practically erase the time constraints for the Russian bombers and make their presence near the U.S. borders almost permanent, the general said. If a political decision is made, Cuba will most likely host Russian Il-78 aerial tankers, which will provide nuclear-capable strategic bombers with mid-air refueling, sources in the Defense Ministry told Izvestia. Both Tu-160 and Tu-95MS bombers have been recently modernized and fitted with new X-555 cruise missiles with a range of over 3,500 km (2,200 miles). Therefore, the bombers do not have to be permanently based near the U.S. borders to hit any target on U.S. territory in case of a potential conflict. In the meantime, the bombers may be primarily used to spy on the United States using electronic means, much like the former Russian SIGINT station at Lourdes near Havana, which was closed in 2002.

However, another Russian publication, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, said on Thursday that the ambitious plans of Russian politicians and some military commanders may be nothing more than "saber-rattling in empty air." The prospect of maintaining refueling posts for Russian bombers all over the world would require an enormous amount of investment in construction of infrastructure, fuel supplies and re-supplies. The Russian defense budget simply does not have sufficient resources to ensure the implementation of these plans, the newspaper said. Russian bombers with nuclear missiles on board policing the globe would only harm Russia's image in the international arena, and it is unlikely that their presence near the U.S. borders will scare the Americans. The U.S. military consider long-range bombers an obsolete and highly vulnerable component of the nuclear triad. The Pentagon stopped strategic bomber patrols almost two decades ago.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080724/114821813.html

In related news:

Venezuela's Chavez calls for alliance with Russia

Russian energy majors look to Venezuela: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMbacKVuvmI

Energy and arms dominate Russia-Venezuela talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dpfF76_prQ

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, visiting Moscow to pursue weapons and energy deals, on Tuesday called for a strategic alliance with Russia to protect his country from the United States. Chavez has repeatedly accused Washington of plotting an invasion to destabilize his government, despite U.S. denials. The alliance would mean "we can guarantee Venezuela's sovereignty, which is now threatened by the United States," Chavez told reporters shortly after his arrival in Moscow. Chavez is in Russia to broker a number of deals involving weapons purchases, oil exploration and possibly the creation of a joint financial institution. Welcoming Chavez at Meiendorf Castle, his residence outside Moscow, President Dmitry Medvedev said Russian-Venezuelan relations "are one of the key factors of security in the (South American) region." It is the presidents' first meeting since Medvedev took office in May. Venezuela's state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA signed separate deals with three Russian energy companies — Gazprom, Lukoil and TNK-BP — during the first day of Chavez's visit. In addition, Russian media have reported that Chavez is expected to reach a number of agreements for purchasing Russian military hardware while in Moscow, with one paper reporting the deals could be worth up to $2 billion. The newspaper Kommersant, generally regarded as reliable, reported Tuesday that Chavez is looking to order Ilyushin jets, diesel-powered submarines, Tor-M1 air defense systems and possibly tanks. It did not specify its sources. "We want peace, but we are forced to strengthen our defense," Chavez said when asked about the potential deals upon his arrival. Rosoboronexport, Russia's state-owned arms trader, declined to comment on potential deals. Venezuela, which spent $4 billion on international arms purchases between 2005 and 2007, mostly from Russia and China, has a defense budget of $2.6 billion, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. The U.S. stopped supplying arms to Venezuela in 2006. The three energy agreements involve exploring new oil fields in Venezuela. Chavez said they signified the "creation of a new strategic energy alliance" between Russia and Venezuela. The deal with TNK-BP was particularly striking given the company's ongoing dispute between its Russian and British shareholders. "For TNK-BP it is a positive sign that the shareholders' conflict has had no effect on the business," said Valery Nesterov, an analyst at Troika Dialog, an investment bank. On Tuesday BP announced it would recall 60 technical specialists from Russia. Chavez also wants to discuss the possibility of creating a joint bank, according to Alexis Navarro, Venezuela's ambassador to Moscow. The Venezuelan president also met Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and was to meet Russian military and business leaders. Commercial trade between Venezuela and Russia reached $1.1 billion last year, almost double the $517 million in trade during 2006, according to statistics cited by Venezuela's state-run news agency.

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h...d_OTQD9230QC80

Venezuela to buy more weaponry from Russia

Venezuela may purchase man-portable air defense systems, Il-76 transport planes and T-90 tanks from Russian in the near future, a Russian political analyst said Thursday. According to unofficial reports, Russia and Venezuela signed a new framework agreement Wednesday on delivery of Russian air defense systems, tanks and military transport planes to the Latin American country. "The new agreement, most likely, involves purchases of Igla man-portable air defense systems, Il-76MD military transport planes and T-90 main battle tanks," said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. Pukhov has estimated that Venezuela could spend $5 billion or more over the next 10 years on Russian military equipment. He said that after the Swedish Saab announced in 2006 it could not continue sales of portable anti-aircraft systems to Venezuela because of a U.S. arms embargo against President Hugo Chavez's government, Russian Igla missiles became the obvious choice for the Venezuelan army. The embargo also means Caracas experiences difficulties in maintaining a fleet of U.S.-made C-130 Hercules military transport planes. At present, Russia has several Il-76 transport planes available for sale after a deal with China fell through due to technical problems. According to Pukhov, Venezuela could be interested in the purchase of Russian T-90 main battle tanks because of the excellent value for money they provide. A spokesman for Uralvagonzavod, a Urals-based manufacturer of T-90s, said the Russian tanks are superior to foreign models of the same class in terms of firepower, maneuverability, speed and armor protection, but sell for almost half the price. The Uralvagonzavod official said, though, that the plant would have to operate at full capacity to meet outstanding orders, so it would be a few years before the company was able to produce tanks under a new foreign contract. In 2005-2006, Venezuela bought more than 50 combat helicopters, 24 Su-30MK2 fighters, 12 Tor-M1 air defense missile systems and 100,000 AK-103 rifles from Russia. Current contracts are worth about $4 billion, according to various sources. Wednesday's reported deal could see Russia become the main supplier of military equipment to Venezuela. Chavez, an outspoken critic of Washington, has focused his foreign policy on bolstering ties with countries outside the U.S. sphere of influence since coming to power nine years ago.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080724/114840335.html

B]

Russia will support Tehran in case of U.S. attack

[/B]

The U.S. is dependent on Israel, which pushes it to attack Iran, a Russian expert said. “The strong Jewish lobby is concerned about Israel’s security but not the U.S. interests. However, other forces in Washington exclude any possibility of strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. No one knows how a war can end. The U.S. is not ready for it. Moreover, the international community will not keep silent as it was in case with Iraq. The oil price is going up. True, President Bush can “make a final pas” before leaving the office but it will do no good,” Mikhail Alexandrov, head of the Caucasus department at the Institute of CIS Studies, said in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. Asked whose part Russia and Armenia will take in case of hostilities, Mr Alexandrov said, “Russia has always supported Iran. As to Armenia, I think these two states have much in common; they carry out constructive cooperation. Moreover, if a refinery is built in the Armenian territory, the republic will have huge economic dividends. Iran has much oil but needs refineries badly.”

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=26683

[Armenian]

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

Russia's uranium breakthrough

Russia has overtaken Niger to become the world's fourth largest uranium producer, after Canada, Australia, and Kazakhstan. Russia received its new rating in 2007, when it produced 3,527 tons of uranium. It has ambitious plans to mover even further up the league, based on promising deposits in Eastern Siberia and other regions, and opportunities for mutually advantageous cooperation with countries rich in uranium ore. Today, the uranium market is very busy and full of optimism. It is characterized by a high-level of monopolization - three quarters of all uranium is produced by five countries. Having placed its stake on nuclear energy, Russia has left itself no choice but to replenish its uranium reserves under a clear-cut and rational program. In 2006, Russia launched cooperation with Kazakhstan. It owns 49% of shares in the Zarechnoye Joint Venture (JV), which is in charge of a 19,000-ton uranium deposit. Last year, Russia signed a bilateral agreement with Australia, which will supply it with one million dollars worth of uranium for civilian purposes every year.

Also last year, Russia set up joint ventures with Canada's Cameco Corporation to undertake uranium prospecting and extraction in both countries. Potential for uranium production has also been assessed in Armenia; and Russia and Armenia have signed an agreement on uranium prospecting and production. Mongolia may also occupy a major place in the global nuclear industry. In theory, its uranium resources are the biggest in the world, and it only remains to explore and produce them. Russia's state-owned nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, will have to work hard to guarantee the steady growth of its nuclear industry. Expansion is encouraged by uranium prices that are growing even faster than those for oil and gold.

The world is not short of uranium. On the contrary, nature has preordained a future atomic renaissance. Experts believe that there are billions of tons of uranium ore in the entrails of the earth - much more than silver or mercury. It was the nuclear industry that stood behind the dazzling career of the modest 92nd element in Mendeleyev's Periodic Table, having invented technologies that release enormous amounts of energy from it. Against the background of the global energy crisis, this soft, silver-white metal has become highly precious. One cubic centimeter of uranium is equivalent to 60,000 liters of gasoline, 110-160 tons of coal, or almost 60,000 cubic meters of natural gas. The Priargun mining and dressing plant in the city of Krasnokamensk in the Chita Region in Russia's Far East produces 93% of Russia's uranium. The deposit's proven reserves are estimated at 150,000 tons, with 2,500-3,000 tons mined annually using expensive conventional methods. Another seven percent are extracted more cheaply by underground leaching in the Kurgan Region (Dalur), and the Republic of Buryatia (Khiagda). These deposits are enough to meet the national demand for uranium, but this is about it.

Meanwhile, Russia has to supply uranium to nuclear power plants that were built abroad in Soviet times, and it also has export contracts for uranium enrichment and processing. If we take into account all these factors, the gap between demand and supply adds up to 6,000 tons a year. Russia currently makes up for the shortfall with uranium from "secondary reserves" - depots of fissionable materials, converted nuclear weapons, and so-called "depleted uranium tails" (uranium ore used twice). But these secondary reserves, which every nuclear power has stockpiled since the start of the nuclear era, are disappearing fast. They will last no more than 10 or 15 years. Aware of the situation, Russia is building up its uranium ore production. The process is carried out by Rosatom's uranium monopoly, Atomredmetzoloto. This year, the company plans to produce 3,880 tons of uranium, bringing its extraction to 20,000 tons by 2024.

Russia has some 564,000 tons of proven uranium reserves, including its biggest deposit at Elkon (344,000 tons) on the shores of the Aldan River in the north of Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). This deposit is hard to access; it is located in permafrost, and the ore lies deep. But the requirements of the nuclear Renaissance are tough and call for extreme efforts. Russia wants to extract no less than 5,000 tons of uranium from the Elkon deposit by 2020. At the same time, it is planning to increase uranium production at its joint ventures in Kazakhstan. Experts believe that Russia's total uranium potential (natural and weapons-grade) will enable it to enrich 45% of the world's uranium for nuclear power plants by the year 2030.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080708/113538769.html

[Armenian]

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

A powerful military, largest nation on earth, vast amounts of gas and oil, and now enough food to feed the world?

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

Could Russia Feed The World?

In an area known as the 'Black Earth Belt' a farming revolution is underway. Investors from Russia and abroad are buying up huge chunks of land. The farms are simply massive. They make large farms in the UK look more like allotments. A group of British investors have bought into the new land rush. Heartland Farms now has 75,000 acres in its portfolio. About half of that is being cultivated - the rest is being cleared for use. Heartland Farms currently grows sugar beet, potatoes, barley, wheat and rapeseed. The opportunities, though, are endless, according to operations director Colin Hinchley. "You have such a large land mass that is underutilised. There are some very good Russian farms but the bigger areas are really not at the production levels they could be. That requires investment and management. But the potential to feed Europe and a large part of the world is here." Experts believe Russia could really be instrumental in feeding the world. High-tech farming methods being imported into Russia and are beginning to bear fruit. And that is something borne out in the figures. With calorific consumption going up around the world as developing countries get richer, Russia could be about to cash in on its booming agricultural sector. Hinchley says: "Farming in Russia - not just on a domestic level, because it's a huge consumption area in its own right - has the potential to double or triple its exports in five or six years time." During the old days of the USSR, the black earth belt was called the 'Bread basket of the Soviet Union.' It produced enough grain to export large quantities around the world. But after the fall of communism the farming industry collapsed. Fields that once grew grains became knots of weeds. A new entrepreneurial spirit is now taking root and reversing the trend. Russia is vast - the largest country in the world. High-tech farming methods are now being imported into Russia and are beginning to bear fruit. Heartland Farms chief agronomist, Victor Nageyev, said: "Russia has this black soil - it's another resource just like oil and gas. The land, plus new technologies, should make Russia a world leader again in grain production and exports. Just like it was at the beginning of last century." Global warming may also be helping; the Russian climate can be extreme but shorter winters and more rainfall have meant bumper harvests over the last few years. Experts believe that with the right investment Russia could really be instrumental in feeding the world.

Source: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Wor...00807415061789