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The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

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

    HUGO CHAVEZ



    With his strong and persistent anti-US rhetoric, his political alliances with Cuba, Iran and Russia, and his gradual monopolization of Venezuela's economic assets, Hugo Chavez is fast becoming a serious obstacle in South America for policy makers in Washington DC. A major concern in Washington DC has also been the arming of the Venezuelan military by sophisticated Russian weaponry, and Chavez's concerted efforts at creating an international geopolitical union that is fully independent of Washington's influence.

    Moscow's close relationship with Hugo Chavez is beginning to resemble that of the Soviet Union's strategic relationship with Cuba during the Cold War. With Castro slowly withering away in his old age, Chavez has been the one providing a new ideological push, a new energy, within South America. The biggest difference between Venezuela and Cuba, however, is that Venezuela is economically self-sufficient due to its vast oil reserves. As a result, Venezuela is not dependent on Moscow for handouts, which makes for an ideal relationship between the two strategic partners.

    Obviously, policy makers in Washington DC have been looking for ways to remove the popularly elected leader in Caracas. There are serious concerns in Washington DC that Venezuela is fast becoming an anti-United States stronghold, and a Russian outpost, within the very backyard of the United States. As a result, Washington DC has tried very hard to overthrow the democratically elected Chavez. Washington DC has also been strengthening its relationship with Colombia and building up its military with the hopes of creating a balance of power in the region. Although the Middle East and Central Asia gets much of the media coverage, there is a real risk today that a major international war will break out inside South America, most probably between Washington backed Colombia and Venezuela.

    Hugo Chavez resembles Vladimir Putin in many ways: Chavez has put Venezuela firmly on the geopolitical map; he has thwarted attempts at driving him out of power; he has driven trouble makers out of his country; he is gradually taking over control of the nation's assets out from the hands of foreign exploiters; he is feverishly modernizing and building up the Venezuelan armed forces; and, along with Putin and Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez has been one of the few loud voices against the global wrong doings of Washington DC.

    Armenian

    Russia supplies weapons to Venezuela without any political strings attached



    RIA Novosti military commentator Andrei Vasilyev writes: President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is arriving in Russia at the end of June on an official visit. Pundits are asking whether the two sides will sign new contracts for arms supplies, in particular, submarines. The United States is particularly interested. For some reason it thinks its opinion must be taken into account in the decision-making process.

    * The Bush administration has cause for concern. Russia has entered the arms market so aggressively in recent years that many, including the US itself, have called American dominance into doubt.

    Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States dominated the highly competitive market for conventional arms, military analyst Richard Grimmet said in December 2006. Now the situation has changed. Moscow is acting more aggressively. Many countries like Russian weapons, and not only regular buyers. Recently more armies have changed suppliers, finding that equipment from Russia is more advanced, more reliable and less expensive. Colombia's armed forces purchased 10 Mi-17 military transport helicopters, which not only perform better than American Black Hawks, but also cost $18 million less -- an important factor for a country which is not among the richest on the continent. Lastly, when in March 2005 Venezuela set aside $3.4 billion for 100,000 Russian-made AK-103 automatic rifles, 24 Su-30 MK2 fighter jets and 38 Mi-35 military helicopters, Washington's anger boiled over. Chavez then protested that Venezuela had no other option, since the U.S. had imposed an embargo on arms exports to the country under the pretext that Caracas was not cooperative enough with Washington in fighting terrorism. Meanwhile, Russia, unlike the US, supplies weapons to Venezuela without any political strings attached and respects the country's sovereignty.

    * Nor did the United States' attempt to put pressure on Russia have any effect.

    The first person to protest was US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who could not understand why Venezuela needed a hundred thousand Kalashnikov rifles. Then, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice voiced concerns over the contract during her visit to Moscow. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told her that Russian military cooperation with Venezuela did not violate international law. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov put an end to the matter by saying that "the contract was not liable for review ... 24 aircraft are not too many to protect a country as large as Venezuela ... The country is subject to no international sanctions, and there are no restrictions on fulfilling the contract."

    The Venezuelan breakthrough has proved a contagious case of disobedience, one that could seriously harm American influence on the continent. When Argentina looked into possible purchases of Russian military equipment last year, its defense minister, Nilda Garre, said that Buenos Aires was not afraid that the US might react negatively. Arms purchases are the sovereign right of every country, she said, and should not cause any grudges. In 2005, Russian arms exports totaled $6.13 billion. The figure for the US was almost twice as high: $12.3 billion. And the US kept the 33% share of the market it had in 2004. But it is still concerned, because in previous years the US controlled up to 50% of the market. The last thing Washington wants is for Russia's role to increase.

    For Russia, growing military exports provide a chance to develop the most advanced sector of its economy, which has in the past two years demonstrated its ability to serve as an engine for growth in other sectors. Gone, fortunately, are the days when the defense industry was advised to produce vacuum cleaners or broiling pans rather than develop new generations of weapons. It is now understood that modern bombers and interceptors can fetch more money. An example is the Irkut corporation, whose president, Oleg Demchenko, told a recent news conference at the Le Bourget air show that his company would supply 242 multi-role Su-30 MKI fighters worth a total of about $7 billion to foreign countries by 2014.

    This in no way contradicts Russia's military doctrine. After all, people in all countries want a peaceful life ... but such a life requires that the borders be tight and secure. And when President Chavez says he intends to build a national air defense system "covering all the Caribbean" that can pick up targets 200 km away and destroy them 100 km from Venezuela, that it his right, if only because the project in no way threatens American security. It is anybody's guess whether the coming visit will spawn additional arms contracts. It is quite possible that there is no substance behind the ballyhoo raised by the press, and submarines will not come up in the negotiations. But whether or not they do is Caracas' business -- and Moscow's. But not Washington's -- it is the third wheel.

    Source: http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=73589
    Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

    Նժդեհ


    Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

    Comment


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

      thats great. i really prefer ruskies to become a superpower again. i am tired of artificial arabian enemies

      Comment


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

        Russian Influence Returning in Black Sea



        Putin said Russia was back as a key player in the Black Sea region.

        President Vladimir Putin said on Monday Russia was back as a key player in the Black Sea region and urged its neighbours to turn their loose regional grouping into an effective tool of economic cooperation. "The Balkans and the Black Sea have always been a sphere of our special interests," he told reporters after a summit of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation (BSEC). "And it is but natural that a resurgent Russia in returning here."

        Russia lost much of its clout in the region after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, but is seeing its influence revive on the back of its strong economic growth and booming oil and gas exports. Many of the 12 BSEC members are ex-Soviet republics or former Cold War allies of Russia. Putin told the Istanbul summit, called to mark the 15th anniversary of the grouping, that the Black Sea had great potential as a hub for delivering oil and gas from Central Asia and the Caspian region to European markets.

        "Energy supplies are becoming an increasingly important factor in progress," Putin told fellow leaders.

        "We are ready to solve with our regional partners major tasks that affect not only the economic climate in the region but also the European and world economy," he said in the sumptuous Ciragan Palace beside the Bosphorus straits. Last month, Putin told a conference in St Petersburg that flexible regional groups could challenge the domination of established Western-led international bodies, which he said had failed to fully take into account emerging nations' interests. In Istanbul, he said the BSEC could become such a grouping.

        "We propose to enhance the stability of local energy markets, among other things through long-term contacts," he said "Diversification of energy delivery routes is also on the agenda."

        Apart from its Blue Stream project, which delivers Russian gas to Europe via Turkey, Russian monopoly Gazprom last week signed a deal with Italy's ENI to build a pipeline under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and on to Europe.

        RIVAL ROUTES

        Analysts say the pipeline expansion plans are part of Moscow's strategy to head off the creation of rival routes bypassing Russia. European countries are keen to lessen their heavy dependence on Russia for their oil and natural gas.

        "All projects, small and big, should be economically viable, otherwise they will be just idle talk bringing disappointment," Putin said, in an apparent reference to the rival projects. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that other projects backed by Russia that the BSEC could undertake included a ring road around the Black Sea coast, a joint energy network and the revival of ferry traffic between major ports. But Lavrov signalled Russia's reluctance to allow the grouping to tackle the region's political conflicts.

        "Any attempts to politicise its work are counterproductive. The conflicts should be solved in formats that have been approved by the United Nations," he said. In particular, Armenia and Azerbaijan are at loggerheads over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have broken away from central control in Georgia. The leaders of Serbia and Albania -- both members of the BSEC though they are not on the Black Sea -- sparred at Monday's meeting over Kosovo, the mainly ethnic Albanian province that is seeking independence from Belgrade.

        Source: http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=56754
        Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

        Նժդեհ


        Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

        Comment


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

          Russia begins deployment of mountain brigades in North Caucasus



          Russia has begun deploying two mountain brigades in the North Caucasus, near the border with Georgia, an Air Force spokesman said Tuesday. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in March that the brigades would be completely formed by December 2007 and would be based in the republics of Daghestan and Karachayevo-Circassia. "Over two months, Il-76 planes will conduct about 20 flights to transport personnel of the mountain brigades to the North Caucasus military district," Alexander Drobyshevsky said. The Defense Ministry plans to deploy a reconnaissance and a motorized infantry battalion in the area in July-August, and complete deliveries of military equipment and ammunition to the brigades by October. The two brigades will be manned with contract soldiers and will total about 4,500 personnel.

          Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070626/67827837.html

          Russia enters new stage of missile systems development - Ivanov-1



          Russia is making a transition to a new stage in the development of the country's strategic and tactical nuclear arsenals, a Russian first deputy prime minister said Tuesday. "We are entering an important new stage in the development of both strategic nuclear forces and tactical missile systems," Sergei Ivanov said. The former defense minister said he was mainly talking about the commissioning of new Topol-M ICBMs, including with multiple warheads, and Iskander-M missile systems. As of December 2006, the Strategic Missile Forces operated 44 silo-based and three mobile missile systems. The SMF press service said earlier that, while 48 silo-based systems would be on duty by late 2007, the Teikovo base in central Russia's Ivanovo Region is being migrated to cutting-edge road-mobile missiles.

          Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070626/67859639.html
          Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

          Նժդեհ


          Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

          Comment


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

            Venezuela opposed to U.S. missile shield in Europe - Chavez



            Venezuela supports Russia's opposition to the deployment of a U.S missile shield in Europe, President Hugo Chavez said Thursday.

            "The U.S. is planning to deploy its missile shield in Europe, and Russia is against it," Chavez said during his current visit to Russia, adding that Venezuela is in agreement with Moscow on the issue. The U.S. proposed in January deploying 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a missile defense radar in the Czech Republic as part of a proposed missile shield designed to counter alleged threats from "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea. Russia, infuriated by the idea of a U.S. missile shield on the territories of its former ally states, has repeatedly condemned the plan, claiming that it could be a "destabilizing factor" and threaten Russia's national security. Moscow warned the West that "appropriate measures" would be taken in response.

            "We support Russia [in its stance], we need Russia, which is becoming stronger day by day," he said, adding that Venezuela intended to continue cooperating closely with Moscow, including in the military sphere. Russia has repeatedly stated that it would actively participate in the modernization of the Venezuelan armed forces until 2013. In 2005-2006, Venezuela ordered weaponry from Russia worth $3.4 billion, including 24 Su-30MK2V Flanker fighters, Tor-M1 air defense missile systems, Mi-17B multi-role helicopters, Mi-35 Hind E attack helicopters and Mi-26 Halo heavy transport helicopters. The country also purchased 100,000 AK-103 Kalashnikov assault rifles from Russia in 2005 and sent its fighter and helicopter pilots for training in Russia.

            Russian business daily Kommersant said in June that during his visit to Russia, Hugo Chavez could finalize a deal to purchase Russian diesel submarines for the Venezuelan Navy. The contract reportedly is for the supply of five Project 636 Kilo-class diesel submarines and four state-of-the-art Project 677 Amur submarines. The South American country has been vigorously pursuing the modernization of its armed forces to counter a possible U.S. blockade of its oil fields and to prepare for a direct military confrontation with Washington.

            "If the United States attacks Venezuela, we are ready to die defending our sacred land," Chavez said Thursday. He also said the world must change and adopt a multi-polar model of political development. "If that does not happen, then humankind might disappear. We cannot allow that to happen. Either we defeat American imperialism, or imperialism defeats us," the Venezuelan president said.

            Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20070628/67980682.html

            In related News:

            Chavez slams the 'Empire's designs'

            Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called for a strategic partnership with Belarus, saying his Belarusian counterpart is a ''brother-in-arms'' and lamenting the pressure he said the United States was putting on Minsk and Caracas. Chavez travelled to Belarus on Friday to meet with President Alexander Lukashenko after wrapping up two-days of meetings in Moscow, where Russia media speculated that Chavez was trying to arrange a new major purchase of Russian weaponry.

            In Minsk, Chavez told Lukashenko that economic and military ties between the two countries were developing, and he referred to the United States as ''the Empire.'' ''There are few nations in the world that are put under as strong pressure from the Empire as Belarus,'' Chavez said. He called on Lukashenko to ''develop relations in the form of a union and a strategic alliance.

            ''The enemy's forces are trying to turn the world into a unipolar world. We must overcome many obstacles from these forces. The Empire that has called us dictatorships itself wants to create a world dictatorship,'' he said. Chavez also joked about what he said were the many successes the two countries had seen since his last visit to Belarus in 2006.

            ''If in one year we were able to do so much, then what will be able to do in the 20 years that we will be in power?'' Chavez asked. ''Don't scare the Americans,'' Lukashenko responded, smiling. Earlier, during meetings in Moscow with Russian lawmakers, Chavez again suggested the United States had threatened Venezuela and was categorically opposed to Venezuela's buying submarines.

            ''They began raising a racket over there in the United States: 'What does Venezuela want with submarines?' Well, what are we going to do with submarines if we have 600,000 sq km of Venezuelan sea? (there's the) Caribbean and the Atlantic,'' Chavez said in comments broadcast by Venezuelan state television.

            ''The Empire is a threat. So it's possible that we may buy some submarines and some transport planes,'' he added. ''Therefore we are taking some measures to strengthen our air force, our air defense systems. We are working with Russia, with Belarus jointly wherever our possibilities allow us,'' he said.

            Deals with Russia

            Chavez arrived in Moscow on Wednesday amid widespread speculation that he wanted to sign a major arms deal, and President Vladimir Putin said the weapons trade was among the topics of talks late on Thursday when he met with Chavez. Earlier, an official with the Russian arms sales monopoly Rosoboronexport said the sides were in talks on the possible purchase of five Project 636 Kilo-class diesel submarines, according to a news report.

            ''We are conducting these talks, and I hope that this agreement is possible,'' Innokenty Naletov was quoted as saying by RIA-Novosti. He said there were also talks on supplies of military equipment for ground and air forces. Caracas already has purchased some $3 billion worth of arms from Russia, including 53 military helicopters, 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles, 24 SU-30 Sukhoi fighter jets and other weapons. The United States has voiced concern about Venezuela's military spending.

            In Moscow, Chavez told Russian business leaders that he expects development of a ''road map'' that will boost and diversify Russian-Venezuelan business ties - especially in the energy sector, including construction of a natural gas pipeline and oil refineries.

            ''We are very satisfied with the presence of Russian companies in our oil industry, and will do our best to develop this cooperation further,'' he said in an address to Russia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said that at dinner on Thursday night with Putin, they agreed to create a fund to support joint projects. With Russia's help, Venezuela is ready to build four oil refineries and plans another 13, he said. He also invited Russian oil companies to help develop the Orinoco River basin, recognized as the world's single-largest known oil deposit, potentially holding 1.2 trillion barrels of extra-heavy crude.

            US giants Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhillips refused to sign deals this week to keep pumping heavy oil under tougher terms in the basin, signalling their departure from the deposit as Chavez tightens state control over the oil industry. Other major oil companies Chevron Corp, Britain's BP PLC, France's Total SA and Norway's Statoil ASA accepted the terms, taking new minority stakes.

            'Count Dracula'

            Chavez, who has called US President George W Bush a devil, a donkey and a drunkard, again lambasted the US and its ''imperialist'' policies. ''US companies act like Count Dracula, like vampires bleeding our country dry,'' he said. Chavez urged Russian companies to invest in construction of an 8,000-km natural gas pipeline to Argentina, retrofitting Venezuela's dilapidated seaports, and developing its gold mining and chemical and industries.

            ''For the Americas, Venezuela is like Russia for Europe and Asia - a source of oil and natural gas,'' he said. Both Venezuela and Russia have revisited contracts signed in the 1990s with major oil companies, and slapped back-tax claims on private companies.

            Source: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv...WEN20070017250
            Chávez: Russian submarines are to defend the revolution

            Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez told Friday a group of Russian deputies that his government is negotiating the purchase of five Russian submarines to "defend" the Venezuelan revolution, quoted news agency Ria-Novosti. Chávez explained to the congresspersons of Duma, the Russian Parliament Lower Chamber, that Venezuela has extensive territorial waters, Deputy Elena Drapeko told Ria-Novosti following a meeting behind closed doors. "The United States threatens us continuously. We need to defend our revolution," Chávez said, as quoted by the deputy of minority political Fair Russia party.

            Venezuela is holding talks with Russia to buy five diesel-powered submarines, reported Friday a spokesman of Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport, news agency Interfax quoted.bChávez made the remarks following a meeting the day before with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and another meeting with Russian businesspersons.bDuring his talks with the businesspersons, which were open to the media, Chávez declared: "Some claim that I came here to buy weapons, as if it were my exclusive intention. This is not my priority. However, we are also working on this scientific-military cooperation, particularly after the US government resolved to disarm us."

            Source: http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/...9A892087.shtml
            Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

            Նժդեհ


            Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

            Comment


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

              Strategic missile mass production begins in Russia



              Russia has begun mass production of the Topol-M strategic missile, First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Tuesday. "We are now moving on to a new and very important rearmament stage for both our nuclear strategic forces and our tactical complexes," he said at the plant at Votkinsk in Udmurtia, some 1,000km east of Moscow, quoted by the Interfax news agency. "These are not prototypes but mass production," he said. The Topol-M is known to NATO as the SS-27 and is a three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 10,000km which can be deployed on both stationary and mobile launch platforms.

              TENSE TIES

              Meanwhile, NATO's chief put a brave face on the alliance's increasingly tense ties with Russia on Tuesday, acknowledging disputes over missile defense, arms control and Kosovo, as Moscow said the two sides face "difficult work." With Russian warnings to NATO and the US becoming more and more belligerent, NATO's secretary general appeared to scold Moscow for threatening to retarget missiles at European cities. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also acknowledged that a Soviet-era treaty governing the placement of heavy military equipment around Europe was a "bone of contention."

              President Vladimir Putin made the threat to retarget Russian missiles last month in what appeared to be a response to US plans to deploy a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Putin has also threatened to pull out of the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. "The NATO-Russian relation is one of partnership and discussion, and the targeting of missiles will not fit in that discussion," he said. NATO, he said, also "deplores Russia's decision to put the fate of the CFE in danger." But de Hoop Scheffer also said both Western and Russian leaders should tone down their rhetoric. He said Russia and NATO had made good progress in building "a durable, mutually beneficial partnership."

              "It is advisable to lower the volume of public comments on both sides," he said. Earlier, at a meeting of the council, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned the NATO-Russia Council against steps that would compromise Russian security and pointed to persistent disagreements on arms control. "These issues touch on key aspects of European and international security, and aspects of strategic stability," he said. "Of course, it's necessary to approach them in a way that reflects care for each other's stability and security -- not taking any steps aimed at improving someone's security at the expense of the security of others."

              NEW TREATY

              Russia has demanded that the West sign the new CFE treaty; Western allies say Russia must first remove troops and materiel from two former Soviet republics, Moldova and Georgia. Moscow has also taken umbrage over US plans to deploy missile defense facilities in the former Soviet bloc states of Poland and the Czech Republic. And Russia, a historic ally of Serbia, has strenuously objected to a UN-backed plan to grant internationally supervised independence to Kosovo, suggesting it would use its UN Security Council to block the plan. Scheffer cited some areas of bilateral cooperation, such as anti-terrorism efforts, including patrols in the Mediterranean Sea and joint efforts to fight drug trafficking from Afghanistan.

              "NATO cannot do without its important partner Russia, and I think Russia cannot do without NATO," he said. For his part, President Vladimir Putin, during his meeting with Scheffer at the Kremlin, tried to portray the relationship between the alliance and its former opponent positively. "We have moved from a period of confrontation to cooperation with the organization," Putin said. "Naturally, this is big, multifaceted work, and it cannot happen without problems."

              Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worl.../28/2003367184

              Russia: Moscow Turns Its Attention To The Balkans



              Two summits in two Southeast European cities. One loud and clear message from Russian President Vladimir Putin: We're back. Addressing a Balkan energy summit in Zagreb, Croatia on June 24, Putin was as poker-faced as ever as he trumpeted a landmark deal that could secure Moscow's continued dominance of Europe's energy market.

              "As you know, yesterday [June 23] Gazprom and the Italian [energy] company Eni signed a memorandum on the possible construction of a gas pipeline under the Black Sea," Putin told 10 heads of state from the Balkan region. Putin also said Russia wants to build "underground storage facilities in several Balkan states, which will not only improve energy supplies to the region, but will make it more attractive and more important from the perspective of solving energy problems in Europe as a whole."

              A day later at a meeting of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in Istanbul, Turkey, Putin urged member states to foster stability in the region's energy markets by signing long-term contracts -- presumably with Russia. Putin later told reporters that "the Balkans and the Black Sea [region] has always been a sphere of our special interests," adding that it is "natural that a resurgent Russia is returning there." Analysts say Putin's energy diplomacy in the Balkans and Turkey was partially aimed at frustrating the European Union's efforts to diversify the continents energy supply to lessen dependence on Moscow. But Putin also had a larger agenda: reestablishing a Russian sphere of influence in Southeastern Europe.

              South Stream

              The highlight of Putin's energy diplomacy this week was Gazprom's deal with Eni to build the South Stream pipeline, which would pump 30 billion cubic meters of Russian gas a year under the Black Sea to Bulgaria. The pipeline, which is slated to be finished by 2011, would then branch off in two directions: north to Austria and south to Italy. Energy analysts say South Stream severely hampers the European Union's efforts to diversify the continent's energy supplies to reduce dependency on Russia.

              Federico Bordonaro, a Rome-based energy analyst for the "Power and Interest News Report," says it's another big move in the chess game. "We cannot talk about a bloc. What we can talk about is Russia's attempt to undermine the Washington-backed vision of a very homogenous wider Black Sea area" "I don't think this kills other possible projects, but what it kills is the possibility that these other projects will be as decisive as they were actually thought to be," Bordonaro says. A key component of the EU strategy is the proposed Nabucco pipeline, which would transport gas from Central Asia and the Caspian Sea region to Western Europe via Turkey and the Balkans -- without going through Russia.

              To block this strategy and maintain its dominance, Moscow is seeking to gain control over energy routes in Southern Europe so Caspian and Central Asian gas is exported to international markets via Russia. In May, Russia moved closer toward that goal when Putin, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev agreed to build a pipeline along the Caspian Sea coast to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan to Europe via Kazakhstan and Russia. And the South Stream project is another giant step in that direction.

              "I think it makes it much more complicated to find the backing for projects like the Nabucco pipeline. Particularly if South Stream seems to be looking at two onshore routes once it gets to Bulgaria -- one, perhaps, going across to Italy and one going to Austria. And that second one would be in competition with Nabucco," says Julian Lee, a senior analyst with the London-based Center for Global Energy Studies

              More Roads Lead To Europe

              The EU strategy has also been frustrated by nuclear-free countries like Germany and Italy who are among the most heavily dependent on Russian energy to generate electricity. Moscow has also courted countries like Hungary, which decided in March to back another Gazprom plan to extend Russia's Blue Stream pipeline under the Black Sea. According to the plan, Hungary would then serve as a hub to transport Russian gas to Europe.

              Russia's Druzhba pipeline "Actually, if we see the whole thing in a broader perspective, this kind of strategy that wants to decisively reduce Russian influence is not working so well. I think that Russia reacted with an intelligent strategy," Bordonaro says. Like many analysts, Marshall Goldman, a professor emeritus of Russian economics at Wellesley College and the author of a forthcoming book on Putin's energy policy, compares Putin's energy policy to a game of chess. "The end game is to make sure that Russia maintains its monopoly control and to prevent anything from undercutting that kind of activity," Goldman says. "Gazprom's next step now is to pressure to gain control of the distribution lines within Europe, both Central and Western Europe."

              New Kid On The Bloc

              But Goldman and other analysts say Russia's grand strategy goes further than dominating Europe's energy market. After being largely sidelined from European affairs since the 1991 Soviet breakup, Moscow is trying to use its energy might to reestablish a foothold -- some even say a "sphere of influence" -- on the continent. And Russia sees a major window of opportunity in the western Balkans, where Moscow has longstanding cultural and historical ties and where countries like Serbia and Montenegro are becoming increasingly frustrated with the EU's reluctance to admit them.

              "This energy game in the western Balkans is actually linked to geopolitical moves and to Russia's desire to become once again an influential player in the region, so that it will balance the EU and United States combined and the European Union's enlargement," Bordonaro says. Bordonaro says that while Russia is a long way from establishing anything close to the old Soviet bloc, they are successfully "infiltrating a would-be Western bloc" on the continent: "We cannot talk about a bloc," Bordonaro says. "What we can talk about is Russia's attempt to undermine the Washington-backed vision of a very homogenous wider Black Sea area, which is secured for NATO and Western security," he added. And this assures Moscow a measure of political support -- or at least acquiescence -- in Europe.

              "You certainly do have a sphere of influence because once those countries become addicted to using Russian natural gas they begin to hesitate to strike out in a different direction for fear that the Russians will cut them off," Goldman says. But despite Russia's gas-powered geopolitical resurgence, most analysts point out that one of Europe's greatest fears, that Moscow will use energy as a political weapon against the West, is unfounded. "Europe is dependent on Russia for a very large proportion of its natural-gas imports. Europe is not nearly as dependent on Russia as Russia is on Europe as a market for its gas exports," Lee says.

              "Russia doesn't export significant quantities of gas anywhere other than to Europe. It exports some to the former Soviet republics, and it is beginning to bring prices there into line with its European prices. But it has no gas-export pipelines that go anywhere other than Europe." Despite Gazprom's current might, it could have other problems in the future supplying its customers with gas. Many analysts say that some of its fields are underdeveloped and need more investment to meet growing demand.

              Source: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle...7911031DC.html
              Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

              Նժդեհ


              Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

              Comment


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

                Russia reports successful missile test



                Russia said a new sea-based ballistic missile made its first successful test flight Thursday after several previous failures, in what was the country's second major test of new rocket technology in a month. Capt. Igor Dygalo, a spokesman for the Russian navy, said the Bulava missile was fired from the submarine Dmitry Donskoi in northern Russia's White Sea and hit its target on the Pacific peninsula of Kamchatka, about 4,200 miles east of Moscow. President Vladimir Putin has hailed Bulava as a key component of Russia's nuclear forces for years to come, saying it has the ability to penetrate any prospective missile defenses. However, three earlier tests in recent years failed, raising doubts about the missile.

                Russian media speculated the military was trying to avoid embarrassing Sergei Ivanov, the former defense minister who is now a first deputy prime minister and widely considered a leading candidate to succeed Putin in next year's presidential election. According to Russian news reports, the Bulava is designed to have a range of 6,200 miles and carry six individually targeted nuclear warheads. It is expected to equip three new Borei-class nuclear submarines that are under construction.

                Thursday's test comes amid an aggressive Russian effort to upgrade its missile forces after years of underfunding and a lack of testing. On May 29, the Strategic Rocket Force said it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple independent warheads. A U.S. plan to deploy a ballistic-missile defense system in eastern Europe has been criticized by Putin and other Russian officials, who say it will undermine Russian security. Putin meets with President Bush on Sunday and Monday at the Bush family estate in Maine in a bid to address divisions between the countries.

                Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm..._russia29.html

                Russia successfully launches military satellite

                A Russian-built space rocket on Friday sent a new military satellite into orbit, military officials said. A Zenit-2M booster rocket put the Kosmos-2428 satellite into its designated orbit 13 minutes after its launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Russian Space Forces said in a statement. It was the first successful launch of the Zenit-2M rocket with an additional booster, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It is similar to the Zenit-3SL rocket used at an oceangoing platform floating on the equator in the Pacific, the ministry said.

                "The satellite will expand the orbital group of Russia's military satellites," the statement said. It did not elaborate on the satellite's purpose and characteristics. Russia is believed to have a network of about 60-70 military reconnaissance satellites, though much of the country's satellite fleet is thought to have suffered amid the persistent funding crunch that the armed forces and military industries suffered in the 1990s. While Russia's manned space program is widely seen as a success — Russian rockets consistently and reliably shuttle crews and cargo up to the international space station — its efforts to expand into lucrative commercial satellite launches have seen several embarrassing failures. On Thursday, a Russian-built Dnepr rocket carried a private U.S.-built spacecraft into orbit from a launch pad in the western Ural Mountains.

                Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...ite-Launch.php
                Russia to boost military base in Kyrgyzstan

                Russia will continue to boost its military base in Kyrgyzstan, Russia’s defence minister said late Wednesday, stressing that the base in this Central Asian country, already home to a US military installation, was strategically important. “We must hold strong here - strategically it is a very important place, and the presence of the Russian army here is important too,” Anatoly Serdyukov said as quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency. Serdyukov, who toured the Kant base during a short visit, praised the improved infrastructure, which includes a new school and a gym, but stressed the need to upgrade the base’s air field, as “a large and heavy airplane will not be able to even land here.” In Kyrgyzstan tensions have risen around the US-run airbase, which shares the premises of the country’s largest airport, Manas, outside the capital Bishkek, and since 2001 has provided logistical support to coalition forces stationed in nearby Afghanistan. Moscow, Kyrgyzstan’s Soviet-era master, has called for the early closure of the US base as it set up the Kant airbase in 2003. afp

                Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-6-2007_pg4_22
                Russia could claim millions of miles of land under Arctic Ocean

                Scientists say Russia could lay claim to millions of square kilometers (miles) of territory under the Arctic Ocean, following their discovery of a link between a major underwater ridge and Russia's coastal shelf, Russian media reported Friday. The director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute was quoted by the Izvestia daily as saying that an expedition has determined that the Lomonosov Ridge running across the North Pole is an extension of the Eurasian continent. The six-week-long expedition on a nuclear icebreaker measured 700 square kilometers (270 sq. miles) of seabed and conducted a series of detailed scans and acoustic measurements of the relief, the newspaper reported. ''The Lomonosov Ridge forms an inalienable part of Russia's Siberian platform,'' institute deputy director Viktor Posyolov was quoted by ITAR-Tass as saying. The discovery could not be independently confirmed and no Russian officials could be reached for comment Friday.

                The reports said the find means Russia could potentially claim an area the size of Germany, France and Italy combined, which may contain up to 10 billion cubic meters of hydrocarbons, along with diamonds and metal ores. International law says that a country can claim rights to seabed within 200 miles (320 kilometers) of its continental shelf. Russia has repeatedly claimed wide swaths of undersea Arctic territory, though four other polar countries _ Norway, Denmark, Canada and the United States _ have objected to its bid, which was first presented to the United Nations in 2001. Experts say global warming is opening up the Arctic to new economic pressures, as receding ice exposes new areas of ocean and tundra to exploration and ice-free zones result in shorter shipping lanes.

                Source: http://www.plentymag.com/news/2007/0...illions_of.php
                Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

                Նժդեհ


                Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

                Comment


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

                  YEREVAN REMAINS LOYAL TO MOSCOW



                  ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HIS COUNTRY WILL NOT JOIN NATO; Armenian
                  President Robert Kocharian has put an end to speculations about
                  whether Armenia might join NATO. No such move is being considered.


                  Armenia seems determined to continue its policy of prioritizing
                  relations with Russia, while also maintaining a moderate level of
                  cooperation with NATO.

                  Armenian President Robert Kocharian has put an end to speculations
                  about whether Armenia might join NATO. "It would bring down the level
                  of security and create some serious new problems, he said. Kocharian
                  made his statement about the dangers involved in NATO membership
                  at a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart, Karolos
                  Papoulias, in Yerevan. "When considering membership of military
                  alliances, a country should decide whether this will enhance its
                  national security. We believe that the existing framework of security
                  maintenance is optimal for Armenia," Kocharian said, referring to
                  the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization.

                  "Joining NATO is not on Armenia's agenda," said Kocharian. He added,
                  however, that Yerevan intends to expand cooperation with NATO within
                  the framework of the IPAP - holding regular consultations with NATO on
                  regional security, designing security strategy and military doctrine,
                  improving the process of defense and budget planning.

                  Kocharian has effectively dispelled suspicions that NATO official
                  Robert Summons, who visited Armenia recently, received a signal
                  indicating Yerevan's intention to raise relations with NATO to an
                  entirely new level. Let everything remain as it is: cooperation with
                  NATO will continue, perhaps even expand, but no radical changes are
                  being considered in Armenia.

                  Armenia seems determined to continue its policy of prioritizing
                  relations with Russia. The first meeting of the Armenian-Russian
                  nuclear industry cooperation group has been held in Yerevan.

                  Specialists discussed broad cooperation in construction of new reactors
                  in Armenia.

                  Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian refused to commit himself by saying
                  which plan, Russian or American, will be chosen. "Building a new
                  nuclear power plant is in Armenia's interests," he said, "but there's
                  no use discussing it now, since we don't even know the financing
                  sources for the project, or the technologies, or other vital factors."

                  Experts maintain that one of the options proposed to Yerevan involves
                  building a thousand-megawatt nuclear power plant at a cost of about
                  $2 billion.

                  Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 28, 2007, p. 7
                  Agency WPS DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
                  Մեր ժողովուրդն արանց հայրենասիրութեան այն է, ինչ որ մի մարմին' առանց հոգու:

                  Նժդեհ


                  Please visit me at my Heralding the Rise of Russia blog: http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/

                  Comment


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

                    Kocharian look like a giant next to Putin.

                    Comment


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

                      Armenian,

                      Do you have a main site (or several sites you go to, to find the articles that you find?)

                      I mean you link stuff from so many different sites. I used to go to newsbrew, but they aren't operational any more

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