The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

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

Russian Navy to hold exercises in the Mediterranean in November

A naval task force from Russia's Northern Fleet will depart from its main base in Severomorsk in early November to participate in joint drills with the Black Sea Fleet in the Mediterranean, a senior Navy official said on Thursday. "The task force from the Northern Fleet [headed by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier] will join a naval task force from the Black Sea Fleet headed by the Moskva missile cruiser in the Mediterranean and conduct exercises simulating a sea battle between two opposing naval task forces," the source said. The group of warships from the Northern Fleet will spend a total of three months on the upcoming tour of duty in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. "The main goals of the tour are to accomplish a number of operative and strategic tasks, to demonstrate Russia's presence in the world's oceans, and to pay visits to foreign ports," the official said, adding that the Moskva missile cruiser, for instance, would call at the port of Messina in Sicily. A task force from the Northern Fleet, consisting of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Udaloy class destroyers Admiral Levchenko and Admiral Chabanenko, as well as auxiliary vessels, conducted from December 2007 to February 2008 a two-month tour of duty in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081030/118036772.html

Russia's new nuclear attack submarine starts sea trials

The Amur shipyard in Russia's Far East said on Monday it had started sea trials of a newly built nuclear-powered attack submarine, which according to media reports may be leased to India. The construction of the Akula II class Nerpa nuclear attack submarine started in 1991 but has been suspended for over a decade due to lack of funding. Akula II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest of Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines. "The submarine, built under a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry, has been moved from the shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur to a maintenance facility in the Primorye Territory and fitted with all necessary equipment. At present it is undergoing sea trials," a spokesman for the shipyard told RIA Novosti. Indian media have reported on various occasions that the construction of the submarine was partially financed by the Indian government. India has reportedly paid $650 million for a 10-year lease of the 12,000-ton submarine. According to Indian defense sources, Nerpa is expected to join the Indian navy under the designation INS Chakra in the second half of 2009. The submarine will not be equipped with long-range cruise missiles due to international restrictions on missile technology proliferation, but India may later opt to fit it with domestically designed long-range nuclear-capable missiles. However, a spokesman for the Amur shipyard earlier said that Nerpa differed considerably from the previous Akula-class submarines. "Our Nerpa is fitted with more sophisticated navigation, sonar, and hydraulic systems," he said. Russian state officials have categorically denied reports of a possible lease of a nuclear submarine to India. Asked in late September to comment on media reports on alleged plans to export nuclear submarines, in particular to India, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said: "The press discusses lots of things. We do not export nuclear submarines." India previously leased a Charlie I class nuclear submarine from the Soviet Union from 1988 to 1991. Russia recently handed over to India the INS Sindhuvijay diesel-electric submarine after an extensive overhaul at a shipyard in northern Russia.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081027/117976941.html

Russia to float out new missile frigate in 2011

The first Russian Project 22350 frigate being built at a shipyard in St. Petersburg will be launched in 2011, a Russian deputy prime minister said on Thursday. The St. Petersburg-based Severnaya Verf shipyard started building the Admiral Sergei Gorshkov frigate in February 2006. According to military sources, Russia's Navy intends to procure up to 20 such vessels. "As we agreed today, the frigate must be floated out in 2011," Sergei Ivanov told a meeting of Russia's Military-Industrial Commission. The frigate has a displacement of about 4,500 metric tons, a length of over 130 meters (430 feet), a maximum width of 16 meters (51 feet), and a range of over 4,000 miles. The main weapons of the ship are reported to include eight SS-NX-26 Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles, a new 130-mm gun mount, a Medvedka-2 ASW system, and a Hurricane medium-range air defense missile system. Ivanov, who is responsible for overseeing the defense, aerospace, nanotechnology and transport industries, also said that the second Project 20380 missile corvette, the Stoykiy, would be ready in 2010. The first corvette of the series, the Steregushchy, was commissioned with the Navy in 2007. Russia plans to have up to 20 vessels of this class to ensure the protection of its coastal waters, especially in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. Ivanov said that timely construction of combat ships is now a priority task of the Russian shipbuilding industry. "The current situation in the world makes us realize that only the possession of modern warships of various classes can ensure the reliable protection of Russia's national interests in coastal and international waters," he said. "In this respect we could hardly overestimate the importance of fast, maneuverable, and well-armed frigates and corvettes [for the Russian Navy]," the deputy prime minister said.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081030/118043727.html

In related news:

Russia, Venezuela to hold joint air force drills in 2009

Venezuela and Russia are planning to conduct joint air force exercises in 2009, the Venezuelan air force chief has said. "Joint Russian-Venezuelan air force drills have been planned for next year. We could have participated in joint naval exercises due in November if they included a simulated air attack, but this has not been included in the plans so far," Luis Acosta was quoted as saying by the Venezuelan Ministry of Communications and Information on its website. Two Russian strategic bombers recently carried out patrols along the coast of South America during a visit to Venezuela and a naval task force led by the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy is on its way to the country for joint exercises in the Caribbean in November. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in mid-August that the Bush administration was unhappy with flights by Russian strategic bombers near U.S. borders and accused Moscow of playing a "dangerous game." However, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov subsequently denied Western media reports that military cooperation between Russia and Venezuela was aimed against the United States. "I do not know how such conclusions are drawn. Neither Russia nor Venezuela have any plans to attack anyone. Russia and Venezuela enjoy cooperation basing on the norms of international law," Lavrov said.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20081031/118054642.html

Libya 'ready to host Russian naval base'

Libya is willing to host a Russian naval base as a means of security against any possible U.S. attack, a Russian business daily said on Friday. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi will pay an official visit to Russia at the invitation of President Dmitry Medvedev from October 31 to November 2. The Kommersant newspaper cited a source close to the preparations for the visit as saying that the Libyan leader was planning to raise the naval base issue during talks with the Russian leadership. "The Libyan leader believes that a Russian military presence in the country would prevent possible attacks by the United States, which despite numerous Libyan attempts to amend bilateral relations is not in a hurry to embrace Colonel Qaddafi," the paper said. Russia desperately needs a naval base in the Mediterranean to establish a permanent military presence in the region. As a sign of a possible deal with Libya, Russian warships have recently paid a number of visits to the North African country. A naval task force from Russia's Northern Fleet, led by the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, visited the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in October and the Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet has also recently called at Tripoli to replenish supplies. Another Russian business daily, Vedomosti, said last week that deals to supply arms to Libya worth more than $2 billion could be signed during Qaddafi's visit. Qaddafi, who has ruled oil and gas-rich Libya since 1969, last visited the Russian capital in 1985, before the breakup of the Soviet Union. The paper also cited an official in the Russian Technology Corporation as saying that contracts had been discussed on the supply of 16 SU-30 MKI Flanker-H multirole fighters, T-90 tanks, and TOR-M2E air defense systems to Libya. Libya's Soviet-era $4.6 billion debt was recently written off in lieu of a host of new contracts, the largest being a $3 billion deal under which the Russian Railways monopoly is to build a 554-km (344-mile) railroad in Libya. The deal was signed when the then president and current prime minister, Vladimir Putin, visited the country in April 2008.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20081031/118052964.html

Putin seeks to further build ties with Iran

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia and Iran must continue to develop bilateral and multilateral projects, and welcomed Iran's contribution to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Putin met with Iranian First Vice President Parviz Davoodi on the sidelines of a meeting in Kazakhstan between the heads of government of SCO member states, comprising Russia, China, and four Central Asian countries. "Our relations are developing in a diversified manner in many directions," Putin said. He noted the countries' strong political ties, growing trade, which has reached $3.5 billion, and the large number of "perspective projects in bilateral as well as multilateral formats". On Iran's observer role in the SCO, Putin said: "we have welcomed Iran's participation in this international organization from the outset." The SCO, widely seen as a counterweight to NATO's influence in Eurasia, comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The group primarily addresses security issues, but has recently moved to embrace economic and energy projects. Iran and Pakistan, who have held observer status in the SCO since 2005, previously announced their desire to become permanent members of the organization, but their request was not considered at a SCO foreign ministers meeting in Tajikistan on July 25. Russia and China have been cautious over admitting Iran, embroiled in a long-running dispute with the West and Israel over its nuclear program and alleged support for radical groups in Lebanon and other countries. Both China and Russia have major commercial interests in Iran. China wants Iranian oil and gas, and to sell weapons and other goods to the country, while Moscow hopes to sell more weapons and nuclear energy technology to Tehran. The Kremlin also needs Iran's endorsement for a multinational arrangement to exploit the Caspian Sea's energy resources. The other observers in the group are India and Mongolia.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20081030/118046285.html

[Armenian]

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

Armenia Is The Place To Invest With Confidence: PM

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Tigran Sargsyan, received the representatives of Gazprombank OJSC, one of the largest banks in Russia, headed by Executive Vice-President Alexander Kaznacheev. The President of the Board of Areksimbank Karen Karapetyan and Executive Director Armen Khandikyan were present at the meeting. The Prime Minister extended congratulations on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Areksimbank, wished success and soon implementation of joint programs with Gazprombank. Armenia has declared the goal of becoming a regional financial center as an economic priority and the government works very closely with the banks helping them with logistical support. Armenia intends to be the second Dubai in the region by becoming a financial bridge between East and West. During the meeting the Prime Minister was introduced to the future programs of the Areksimbank and the perspectives of development expected as a result of cooperation with Gazprombank. Tigran Sargsyan suggested to pay a great attention to the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises. According to the Armenian PM, if Gazprombank is striving to gain a leading position in the competitive banking market of Armenia, it should act quickly and make efficient use of the existing opportunities. Tigran Sargsyan stressed that Armenia is the place where one can invest confidently.

Source: http://www.huliq.com/1/71848/armenia...-confidence-pm

[Armenian]

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

Despite Crisis, Wealthy Russians Are Buying Up Coastal Montenegro

The global financial crisis has buffeted the balance sheets of Russia’s legion of billionaires. But suitcases of cash and Russian-owned luxury yachts keep arriving in this idyllic town on the Adriatic, helping Montenegro earn the nickname Moscow-on-the-Sea. Among the biggest investors is the Russian developer Vyentseslav Leibman, a young millionaire who is pressing ahead with investments of $310 million, including plans for a 27-floor modernist hotel, luxury seaside villas, docks for the pleasure boats of the Russian superrich and a water park for their children. The investment might seem daring given the way the economic downturn has hit several of his fellow wealthy Russians. But Mr. Leibman, a Muscovite who is managing partner at Mirax Group, the company owned by the Russian billionaire developer Sergei Polonsky, insists he can barely keep up with demand.

He said more than half of the sprawling condominiums in Mirax’s new complex — which sell for more than $10,400 per square foot and come with outdoor marble Jacuzzis — had been sold to executives of giant Russian companies like Gazprom, Lukoil and VTB. They paid, he said, upfront and in cash. Despite the financial crisis, “the money keeps coming,” said Mr. Leibman, who recently helped bring Madonna to perform in Budva to promote his development. “And hopefully the global financial crisis will help sober up the cost of land here, which is now more expensive than in Monaco.” Thanks in large part to wealthy Russians, Montenegro has received more foreign investment per capita than any other country on the Continent. In recent years, Russian investors have gobbled up land on the Montenegrin coast, a fashionable alternative to the South of France and coastal Turkey. Russians, including the heavily leveraged Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, have also made huge investments in the country’s industrial sector.

In neighboring Serbia, Gazprom, the Russian state energy monopoly, recently bought a majority stake in the national energy company, Petroleum Industry of Serbia, for $520 million and agreed to invest another $650 million by 2012. The deal will give Gazprom a dominant position in Serbia’s energy market while transforming Serbia into a gateway for the transportation of Russian gas into western Europe. As governments across the western Balkans have turned toward the United States and Europe — and actively seek European Union and NATO membership — the influx of Russian capital is seen by some in Brussels and Washington as a retaliatory move by Moscow to assert influence in a formerly Communist region with which it has long had close ties. Gen. Blagoje Grahovac, a senior adviser to the speaker of Montenegro’s Parliament, warned in a recent interview with the Serbian newspaper Nedeljni Telegraf that the United States, the European Union and NATO were being “outmaneuvered” in the western Balkans. “Whoever holds the upper hand economically will also do so politically,” he said.

The European Parliament late last year commissioned a study of Russian investment; among its concerns is that a burgeoning property market provides an ideal front for illegal transactions. The European Commission has repeatedly warned of money laundering in Montenegro. But Dmitri S. Peskov, spokesman for Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, dismissed the notion that Russian investment was geopolitically motivated as “utter nonsense.” “When British people 30 years ago were investing in Spanish coastal areas, it would never come to anyone’s mind to speak about enhancing political influence,” Mr. Peskov said. “When tens or hundreds of thousands of British or American people are investing in the Gulf countries, this is not a political pressure. But every time when it comes to Russia or Russians, it is immediately treated as flexing political muscle.” But the Russianization here is unmistakable. Russians can be seen and heard everywhere: on the beaches, in clubs, in upscale restaurants and in a recently opened Russian-language elementary school. Until recently, a billboard at the airport in Podgorica, the capital, greeted visitors in Russian: “Come where they like you!”

Lazar Radenovic, Budva’s young deputy mayor, said Russians started to invest here eight years ago, after the Balkan wars of the 1990s, when real estate prices were severely depressed. Russian investment has since grown to more than $13 billion, he said. In Budva, he noted, the influx had created a new class of millionaires — 500 at last count — who had improved the town’s tax base and development. Mr. Leibman said Russians were attracted to the Balkans by a cultural connection stretching back to the 18th century. Serbia and Montenegro, he noted, share a Slavic Orthodox identity with Russia. “When Russians come here,” he said, “we don’t feel like we have crossed over the border.” Zarko Radulovic, co-owner of Hotel Splendid — luxury penthouse suites, swimming pools and boutiques backed by a Russian investment fund — insisted the threat of economic colonization was exaggerated. “The perception that the Russians have bought everything is wrong,” he said. “Only 1 percent of Montenegro is owned by foreigners.” But the European Parliament report countered that official statistics had minimized the scale of Russian investment because many Russians invested through third countries or by teaming up with Montenegrins.

Mr. Radulovic insisted that most businesspeople support Montenegro’s entry into the European Union, since being outside the bloc hampers business. When he recently decided to invest $12 million for new air conditioning to make the hotel’s kitchen comply with European Union regulations, he waited two days for a visa to travel to Belgium to buy it, an annoyance, he said, that “makes me want to buy Russian technology instead.” Many here argue that Russian investment, paradoxically, will help Westernize Balkan countries by aiding economic development, thereby accelerating readiness to join the European Union and NATO. Branimir Gvozdenovic, minister for economic development and a close ally of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, said that Russia was Montenegro’s second-biggest foreign investor after Hungary, and that Russians accounted for 12 percent of tourists last year. “We welcome investments from more than 80 countries, so why not Russia?” he said. Yet the relationship does appear to have a political dimension. Russia’s emergencies minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, has warned that relations between Russia and Montenegro could be damaged if Montenegro pursued NATO membership. Two years ago, when Mr. Putin received Mr. Djukanovic in his residence at Sochi, Mr. Putin praised Montenegro for promoting business with Russia and urged closer ties. In July, Mr. Putin moved to permit visa-free travel between the two countries.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Serbia, where the pro-Western government of President Boris Tadic has been pressing for European Union membership, some critics argue that Russia is using pipeline politics to keep Belgrade in Russia’s sphere of influence. In a recently announced energy deal, Gazprom agreed to make Serbia a transit country for its South Stream pipeline, a $14 billion project that will stretch 560 miles undersea from Russia to Europe. The project — which Gazprom insists will forge ahead despite the global financial crisis — is a direct challenge to Nabucco, a pipeline championed by the United States and the European Union to bring natural gas to Europe via Central Asia, offsetting energy dependence on Russia. Danica Popovic, chief economist at the Center for Liberal-Democratic Studies in Belgrade, an economic research institute, argued that economic relations shifted fundamentally in Russia’s favor after Moscow repeatedly invoked its veto in the United Nations Security Council to prevent it from recognizing Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia last February.

“By Moscow controlling our energy sector, we can become vassals of Russia just like South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia,” she said, noting that attitudes toward the European Union were hardening in Serbia, even among members of the pro-Western government, who are increasingly frustrated with the union’s conditions for membership. Milutin Nikolic, director of Citadel, a Belgrade-based mergers and acquisitions firm that has advised on the biggest Russian deals in Serbia, said he did not believe the recent influx of Russian investments reflected a coordinated Kremlin strategy. If Moscow had influence, Mr. Nikolic contended, it was because Serbs were still smarting over recent history, including the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999 and the West’s backing of Kosovo’s independence. “Russia doesn’t need to economically colonize Serbia,” he said, “because Moscow already has serious political influence here.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/wo...html?ref=world

[truAnatolian]

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

Big Moves! Too bad they really don't care about us.

[Merv]

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

I thought I'd chip in since the last article is Balkans related. Personally, the whole Montenegro thing makes me a bit nauseous. There was a time when all Montenegrins considered themselves the proudest Serbs. There was a never a distinction between the two peoples. Being a Montenegrin was denoting the region you were from and perhaps a badge of "rugged independence" from the Turks (Montenegro, being quite mountainous, was never fully conquered by the Turks). Several of my great-grandparents were Montenegrins and they always considered themselves Serbs.

Now, out of political expediency, the Montenegrins are groveling before the EU and NATO and even have tried to switch from Cyrillic, which they've used for over 1000 years, to Roman script and have already switched from the dinar to the euro.

I think it is good that Russians are buying up Montenegro - much preferrable to the Germans who are buying up Bulgaria's coastline. They will bring in a much needed influx of cash, and will hopefully keep Montenegro aligned with Russia and Serbia rather than NATO/EU.

As an aside, many Serbs are bitter at having lost a coastline. Originally, the Serbs settled precisely on the Adriatic coast, on the area stretching from the modern Croatian town of Split (those Croats there were Catholic Serbs who switched national identity rather recently) down to Lake Skadar, in a series of principalities, the most important one being Doclea/Dujlja. After the whole Yugoslav "project" Bosnia and Slovenia, which historically didn't have coastlines, managed to snatch these territories, while the Serbs, via various manipulations such as expulsion, lumping Catholic Serbs as Croats, and fabricating a Montenegrin ethnicity, have lost a coastline they had for nearly 1500 years.

[Armenian]

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

Some interesting comments from that Dugin character...

And of all people, look at the article at the bottom to see who's talking about Russia not wanting to resolve the Nagorno Karabagh dispute. Yes, the infamous Paul Goble. Are American policy makers this out of touch with reality or simply xxxxed up?

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Medvedev has Karabakh resolution scheme

Russia has a plan for resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict which envisages deployment of Russian peacekeepers and return of civilians who suffered from the ethnic cleansing, a Russian expert said. “It’s important to understand that borders we are speaking about are mere conventions which were hastily recognized as dogmas of the international law, without any historical reason and ethnic factors. All this caused a number of problems, including that of Nagorno Karabakh,” said Alexander Dugin, head of the center of geopolitical expertise, leader of the international Eurasian movement. Re-annexation of Karabakh to Azerbaijan is unreal, according to him. “True, this territory was under Azerbaijan’s control but it was inhabited by Armenians from time immemorial. Presently, Armenians have a certain stand on determination of the land’s status. But the most important goal should be to remove the U.S. from the process, as completely destructive, mentally retarded and immoral force which not only aggravates any situation but also incites new conflicts,” Dugin said. “We can’t divide the world into “good and bad guys”, like Americans do. Removal of the U.S. will considerably improve the situation,” he said. “The European Union is responsible and it can be allowed into the process. So, the main task is to save the region from the U.S. ascendancy,” Dugin concluded, Nakanune.ru reports.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27527

Russia doesn’t want an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The Russian government doesn’t want an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Paul A. Goble, Director of Research and Publications at Azerbaijani Diplomatic Academy. He suggests that President Dmitri Medvedev may have invited the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to come to Moscow on Sunday for negotiations on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict partly as a way of demonstrating Russia’s preeminent position vis-a-vis the other Minsk Group countries. Goble says that, if Moscow decides it is in its greater interest to back Azerbaijan, there will be in his words a “possibility of movement.” But, he adds, Russia’s geopolitical calculations in the southern Caucasus have clearly changed, The Voice of America reports.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27532

[Armenian]

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

Russian warships to hold drills in Indian Ocean

Russian warships from the Pacific and Northern Fleets will conduct exercises in the Indian Ocean later this year, a Navy spokesman said on Saturday. A group of Northern Fleet warships, led by the missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great), will go to the Indian Ocean after joint drills with the Venezuelan Navy in the Caribbean. "Pacific and Northern Fleet warships will meet up and jointly perform a series of combat training missions in the Indian Ocean," Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said. He added that later this month a group of Pacific Fleet warships would go the Arabian Sea, calling at a number of ports en route. The Arabian Sea is strategically important as an intersection of major trading routes. The region has also lately been exposed to pirate attacks against commercial and civilian vessels. Russia has vowed to protect the world's main shipping routes against piracy. A missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet started on Tuesday patrolling waters in the Gulf of Aden to protect Russian ships and crews from pirate attacks. Another Northern Fleet task force, led by the missile cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, will conduct joint exercises with Black Sea Fleet warships in the Mediterranean in December.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081101/118089035.html

Muammar Gaddafi Visits Moscow

Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi arrives today in Moscow for an official visit. He faces difficult a talk with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Libya did not fulfill the agreement reached in April with Prime Minster Vladimir Putin, even though Russia wrote off $4.5 billion in Libyan debt. But Kommersant has learned that Libya has a pleasant surprise for Russia as well. It is willing to host a Russian naval base. The Libyan leader’s visit is fraught with unsettled issues, not the least of which is where to erect the Bedouin tent that he travels with and spends most of his time in. Gaddafi will spend three days in Russia. The last time he was here was 23 years ago. Like his previous visit, this trip will focus to a great extent on ordering Russian arms. Libya ran up a $5.4-billion debt for arms at one time. That debt was a stumbling block in bilateral relations after the collapse of the Soviet Union. A breakthrough in relations came with Putin’s visit to Tripoli earlier this year, when he cancelled much of the Libyan debt in exchange for promises to conclude contracts with Russian heavy industry and construction companies and to buy a shipment of arms. They value of the contracts was to reach $4.5 billion, the same amount that was written off Libya’s debt. Libya has taken no action to fulfill its side of the agreement, however. Russian Railways, which has a contract worth $3.2 billion for the construction of a rail line from Sirt to Benghazi, has received only a small advance payment from Libya. Libya has also disappointed Russian hopes for the creation of a “gas OPEC.” Libya and Qatar were Russia’s original choice for partners in the undertaking, but Tripoli refused to cooperate. Qatar was unwilling to form an organization with only two members. Iran stepped in to save the plan at the last moment, even though it does not export natural gas. Gaddafi has suggested that allowing Libyan gas companies to operate in Russia would improve bilateral relations. That idea has not created enthusiasm in Russia.

Source: http://www.kommersant.com/p1049923/R...yan_relations/

Russian Arms Still Bestsellers

A report prepared for the U.S. Congress entitled “Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Countries 2000-2007” states that Russia was the world’s second largest arms exporter in 2007, and the four previous years, sandwiched between traditional leader the United States and Great Britain in third place. The Russian military industrial complex earned $10.4 billion last year. The U.S. earned $24.8 billion that year, up 50 percent from 2006. That figure is not expected to continue to increase, due to the financial crisis. Great Britain sold $9.8 billion worth of weapons in 2007. Mikhail Barabanov, editor-in-chief of Moscow Defense Brief, told Kommersant that, if all weapons supplies are considered, and not just those to developing countries, the U.S. remains in first place, Great Britain is in second place and Russia and France share the third position. Great Britain and France do a brisk arms trade with developed countries. Konstantin Makienko, deputy director of the Center of the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said that the volume of Russia’s arms exports has grown from $3.7 billion in 200 to $7.5 billion today. The total portfolio of orders reaches $32 billion, of which $23 billion rests with Rosoboronexport. Vyacheslav Davidenko, head of the Rosoboronexport press service, said that competition between Russia and the U.S. is very keen on the arms market. He added that the three sanctions placed on Russian corporations by the U.S. in recent years have had no effect on trade. The biggest purchasers of Russian arms are China and India. Venezuela has joined their ranks recently as well. Since 1999, for example, China has bought 100 Su-30MK jet fighters, India has bought about 50, and Venezuela 24. Algeria and Malaysia are also notable customers. They have bought 28 and 18 of the jet fighters, respectively.

Source: http://www.kommersant.com/p1049910/arms_sales/

[Armenian]

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

Caucasian knot may be untied in Moscow

Caucasian knot may be untied in Moscow (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiPrS26dzL0

The presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia are meeting in Moscow to discuss ways of resolving the ongoing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. Also known as the Artsakh Republic, the region, which is inhabited mainly by Armenians unilaterally declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991. An armed conflict broke out, which ended with an unofficial ceasefire three years later, but the region is still in limbo. Seven hundred couples getting married at the same time - that's what you can truly call a mass celebration. Such a large-scale wedding is an unusual event for any place, but especially for Nagorno-Karabakh, a land with a grim past and uncertain future. As the presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia meet in Moscow to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, the main question is how effective will the talks be. Aleksandr Karavayev from the Centre for CIS Studies at Moscow State University doesn't expect much from these talks. He does admit, however, that they could serve as a conduit to further meetings. “We shouldn't expect any breakthroughs, but perhaps this new format of talks could help Armenia and Azerbaijan create a new base for further negotiations,” Karavayev says. So far, attempts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute have been mediated by the twelve-member Minsk Group of the OSCE, co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France. The idea of a separate, three-way meeting between the two sides and Russia was proposed by President Dmitry Medvedev during his recent visit to Armenia. “France and the U.S. are not regional players in this dispute and can only monitor from outside, but Russia is. The new format doesn't replace the Minsk Group and Washington has already said it's not against this idea,” says Karavayev. Nagorno-Karabakh is mostly populated by Armenians and used to be part of the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan in the USSR. In 1991 the region unilaterally declared independence, which resulted in several years of violence and tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the area. Since the ceasefire in 1994, most of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as a number of regions of Azerbaijan in close proximity, remain under joint Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh military control. Armenia remains committed to the region’s independence, while Azerbaijan says its territorial integrity must be respected.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/32772

Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan agree to work for Caucasus stability

The leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on Sunday to work together for improving the situation in the Caucasus and instructed their foreign ministers to intensify efforts to settle the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met in the presence of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to discuss a settlement to the conflict. Following the meeting, the three presidents signed a declaration on the Nagorny Karabakh dispute. The declaration calls for a peaceful settlement of the conflict on the basis of international law and decisions and documents adopted within this framework to create favorable conditions for economic development and comprehensive cooperation in the region. Nagorny Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan with a largely Armenian population, declared its independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia in 1988 and has been a source of conflict ever since.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081102/118101761.html

Nagorno-Karabakh agreement signed

Armenia and Azerbaijan have signed a joint agreement aimed at resolving their dispute over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh at talks near Moscow. Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisian, agreed to intensify their efforts to find a political settlement. It is the first time in nearly 15 years that such a deal has been reached. Sporadic clashes have continued over Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the signing of a ceasefire agreement in 1994. It is internationally recognised as being part of Azerbaijan, but controlled by ethnic Armenians. Correspondents say Russia's brief war with Georgia in August has given impetus to international efforts to resolve disputes in the Caucasus, a region where Moscow is seeking greater influence.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7705067.stm

In related news:

Moscow declaration to remain on paper without Karabakh participation

A 5-item declaration was signed by the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 2. “It’s not accidental that the declaration was sealed on the threshold of presidential election in the U.S., whose interest to the Caucasus has waned recently,” Andrey Areshev, head of Moscow-based Strategic Culture Fund, commented to a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. The declaration is rather vague, what is quite natural in case of complicated conflicts, according to him “The norms of the international law will be interpreted by the sides in compliance with their diametrically opposite approaches to the problem, as it was before. But actually, the agreement to continue peaceful talks is worthy of praise,” Areshev said. “Mention of the OSCE Minsk Group role in the process is, to all appearance, a sedative measure for the U.S. and EU, which always suspect Russia of “imperial ambitions” and whose activity in the Caucasus is conditioned by the wish to secure their economic and strategic interests in the region,” he added. At that, the expert made special mention of item 3 of the declaration, which says that “the sides (including Russia) agree that peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be achieved through international guarantees.” “Neither the degree of these guarantees nor their parameters have been outlined yet. With the status of Karabakh undetermined, deployment of peacekeeping force in the security zone might ‘unfreeze’ the conflict. Resolution is impossible without engaging Stepanakert as a full-fledged party in talks, in compliance with the 1994 Budapest summit agreement and other fundamental documents. The Declaration will remain on paper without NKR’s participation in the process,” he said. “Declaration is an interim step meant to assert Russia’s positions in resolution of Caucasus conflicts. However, attempts to neglect the future status of Karabakh and guarantees of its security are doomed to failure,” Andrey Areshev concluded.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27549

Mammadyarov: observing international law norms, Baku recognizes right to self-determination

On October 31, Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia met in Moscow to discuss the Karabakh process. “We base on the OSCE record saying that Azerbaijan and Armenia are parties to Karabakh conflict. As to the Azeri and Armenian communities of Nagorno Karabakh, they participated in talks until then-President Robert Kocharian declared that Armenia will continue negotiations on behalf of the Armenian community,” Azerbaijani acting Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said when commenting on Karabakh leadership’s statement that NKR’s non-participation in talks will slow down the settlement process. “There is no need to change the format because we negotiate with Armenia,” he said, 1news.az reports. Touching on RA President Serzh Sarsgyan’s statement that the problem can’t be resolved unless Azerbaijan recognizes the right of Karabakh people to self-determination, Mammadryarov said, “A signatory of the Helsinki Final Act and observer of the international law norms, Azerbaijan recognizes the right of nations to self-determination. However, it doesn’t mean that territorial integrity can be violated by armed intrusion. Moreover, the principle of territorial integrity prevails over that of self-determination in international legal documents.”

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27542

[gmd]

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

IS GUUAM DEAD?

cafebabel.com Nov 3 2008 France

By AriRusila on Monday, November 3 2008, 09:34 - Caucasus -
Permalink After "Cold War" US has all the while expanded its
influence post-Soviet territory with aim to guide those region's
natural resources under US companies. As stakes have been control
over the oil and gas of the Caspian Sea/Black Sea/Caucasus basin,
and the control of multiple key energy pipelines criss-crossing
the region. Economical interests have been linked to political game
e.g. Nato enlargement. While EU has been more bystander Russia has
during last couple of years weight down the scale in favour of its
own interests by series of successful operations.

GUUAM & SRS

GUUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova) Group was
founded 1999 with help of US to foster favourable conditions conducive
to economic growth through development of an Europe-Caucasus-Asia
transport corridor. GUUAM was dominated by Anglo-American oil
interests, ultimately purports to exclude Russia from oil and gas
deposits in the Caspian area, as well as isolating Moscow politically.

>From its part GUUAM was designed to support sc. Silk Road Strategy
Act - adopted by US Cogress March 1999 - which defined America's
broad economic and strategic interests in a region extending from the
Mediterranean to Central Asia. The Silk Road Strategy (SRS) outlines
a framework for the development of America's business empire through
development of an Europe-Caucasus-Asia transport corridor. (More
about this in my previous article "War on Pipes" Sep. 2008, in my
Archive:Blog )

Cracks

Now GUUAM is coming to end of its short road. Already earlier
Uzbekistan withdraw from it leaving behind a stump GUAM. Then Georgia
started its aggressions with false idea of western support leading
today's situation and possibility to escalate to "small intensity war"
between present Georgian leadership and separatist regions Abkhazia
and South-Ossetia.

Moldova was aiming towards Nato and EU but after conflict in Georgia
it started to look other alternatives. Russia has offered its help
to solve Moldova's long term problem with Transdnistria and if a
federation model will be accepted by local stakeholders it probably
neutralizes Moldova's position between US/EU and Russia.

Last weekend was also highlight of tendency where political attitudes
of Azerbaijan and Russia have approached each other. Russia again took
the initiative acting as a mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan to
solve long term conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh and a common memorandum
signed 2nd November 2008 is first step of solution.

The last piece of GUUAM is Ukraine, which is deeply divided pro-Russian
East and pro-Nato/EU West. When political struggle now has made
cracks also inside western orientated part also this last fortress
has degenerated to stagnation.

KO

Parallel with Russia's able foreign policy the US actions have been
short-sighted, weak and fruitless. Waiting for elections and financial
turmoil have took their part but in energy sector also some states
in South-America have now more independent and selfish position than
before. Same time Iraq occupation is coming to end when also Alaska
can keep its energy reserves when new US President takes his office the
perspectives of US energy giants are more foggy than for a long time.

If one would like to see a bright side with this depression - or
even knock out - of US foreign/energy policy it could be the need to
reduce pollutions and to support alternative energy solutions which
at global scale could help to deal with clima change.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg249113.html

[Armenian]

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

Russia just celebrated a recently adopted holiday called Day of Unity. Before Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union and before Napoleon's invasion of the Russian Empire, unknown to many non-Russians there was the Vatican led Polish/Lithuanian invasion of Russia during the early 1600s. This invasion of Russia by the "West" eventually led to series of epic battles that eventually expelled the invaders from Russian territory between 1612 and 1618. With western forces soundly defeated, Russia finally managed to unite as a nation, eventually forming one of the greatest empires in world history. The clear political message of this newly adopted national holiday, its strong play on Russian nationalism and its subtle promotion of distrust towards the West is unmistakable. A high budget action film about this historic event called 1612 was released just last year to resounding international acclaim. As a film, 1612 rivals even the best motion picture Hollywood has yet produced within this genre. This film along with many others such as Ostrov, Slovochi (parts of which were filmed in Armenia) and Mongol are products of a renaissance Russia's film industry is enjoying as of late. See film trailer of 1612 below.

Armenian

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

Russia's president honors liberators on Unity Day

1612 (Film Trailer): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VKkc1CVSAc

President Dmitry Medvedev attended celebrations of Russia's Unity Day in the Kremlin on Tuesday, and gave a speech hailing the 1612 liberation of Moscow as a key event in the nation's development. Russia has marked Unity Day each November 4 since 2005, following a 2004 law signed by then-president Vladimir Putin. The holiday commemorates the expulsion of Polish-Lithuanian occupiers from Moscow. "The volunteer corps was led by Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin - these were true patriots, and their manliness, ability to rally the people, and loyalty to the fatherland defined the destiny of our country as an independent, self-reliant, and strong state," Medvedev told guests at the Kremlin, including leaders of non-governmental and cultural organizations, scientists, and prominent Russians living abroad. The president said Unity Day has added significance amid difficult times for the country. "This year was not an easy one for Russia. In a time of trials - military, political, and economic - we felt your support, your true love for Russia, for the people who live and work here." The ruling United Russia Party has organized various public celebrations to be held throughout the country, marking Unity Day. Unity Day effectively replaces celebrations of the Bolshevik Revolution, which had been held on November 7. Celebrations were moved forward by three days to avoid associations with the revolution.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081104/118120918.html

Action movie an allegory for Putin's Russia

In a film that hit cinema screens this week, patriotic Russians despairing at the lack of a strong leader rise up, throw out their Western overlords and make Russia a proud country once again. It could be a documentary about how President Vladimir Putin put an end to the turmoil that followed the Soviet Union's collapse. In fact, it is based on a period in the 17th century known as the "Time of Troubles". But the parallels may be more than a coincidence: the film was commissioned by the Kremlin to mark National Unity Day on Sunday, and the director makes little secret that it is an allegory for modern Russia. The film is being released a month before Russia votes in a parliamentary election that many observers say is a referendum on Putin's rule, during which he has accumulated huge power and hit back at what he calls Western encroachment. "I ... consider the 17th century an extremely important period in our history, without which you simply cannot understand Russia," director Vladimir Khotinenko said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper. "And now those times are really relevant," he said. "I am talking about the period after Perestroika. We lived in a Time of Troubles. Its duration even coincided with the one in the 17th century." He added: "I'm convinced -- and I have nothing against democracy -- that Russians have a strong desire for a Tsar."

FIGHT SCENES

The film, called "1612", centres around a ragtag group of Russian peasants who assemble what cannons they can and employ the services of wayward knight to dispatch their Polish occupiers. It is an action movie, featuring huge battle scenes, sword-fighting in period costume, stunt horse-riding and a siege at a castle. It also has mythical elements: talking fish and a unicorn feature in the story. At a lavish premiere in Moscow this week, limousines disgorged VIP guests onto a red carpet and two models in white leather outfits handed out glasses of birch-flavoured vodka. The Time of Troubles is the term used in Russia to describe the period starting in 1598, when a ruling family dynasty in what was then known as Muscovy died out. In the absence of a true royal descendant, Russian peasants fell under the rule of foreign powers, including Swedish, Lithuanian, German and Polish occupiers. That period ended when the Romanov dynasty took over the throne in 1613. Many Russians see Putin as a leader who brought stability and prosperity to the country after a new Time of Trouble -- the post-Soviet 1990s marked with economic chaos, political turmoil and Western blocs moving closer to Russia's borders. Critics though say he has sacrificed democracy to achieve stability and has taken on the role of a new Tsar. The film has an impeccable pro-Kremlin pedigree. It was produced by Nikita Mikhalkov, a director who won the 1994 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for his "Burnt by the Sun". Last month he put his name to an open letter asking Putin -- required by the constitution to step down when his second term ends next year -- to stay in office. The Gazeta.ru Internet news site reported that oil tycoon Viktor Vekselberg pitched in $4 million of his fortune to help finance the film. He has made a name for himself by using his wealth to buy back Russian cultural treasures -- including a collection of Faberge eggs -- that had been sold abroad.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaE...30309520071103