The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

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

The fifth-generation fighter

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - Russian designers are currently developing a fifth-generation fighter plane, also known as the Advanced Front-Line Aviation Complex (PAK FA) for Russia's Air Force. The new warplane is to replace fourth-generation fighters, namely, the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum. The program caught the public's eye after Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov recently said it must be expedited. The decision to develop the fifth-generation T-50 fighter was made in the early 2000s. The Sukhoi, Mikoyan-Gurevich and Yakovlev design bureaus, who primarily develop new fighters, offered their concepts. The Sukhoi Design Bureau was eventually awarded the program. Various maiden flight and delivery deadlines have been mentioned. The fighter is expected to make its appearance sometime between 2008 and 2010. In late 2008, Colonel General Alexandr Zelin, commander of the Air Force, said the warplane would perform its initial flight in August 2009. Last summer, the fighter's design was approved, and the prototype blueprints were delivered to the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Production Association (KNAAPO), where production will reportedly be sited. Currently, the company is building three experimental fighters for testing. These prototypes are due to last for five or six years. However, a production run will not be launched before 2015. Although T-50 specifications remain classified, fragmentary data on its engines imply that this heavy-duty fighter will have a take-off weight of more than 30 metric tons and will be close in dimension to the Su-27. The Tikhomirov Instrument Engineering Research Institute, which designed the Irbis radar system for the Su-35BM Flanker generation four-plus fighter, is now developing the T-50 warplane's radar. It appears that its radar and fire control system will be based on the Su-35BM system. Although nobody knows what the new fighter will look like, most analysts believe it will closely resemble the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor. However, this cannot be verified at this point. Under declassified request for proposal (RFP) provisions, the new highly maneuverable fighter will have a supersonic cruise speed, and its weapons will be stored inside the fuselage. Compared with fourth-generation planes, the T-50 will be much less visible in the radio and infrared bands. The Air Force will be enhanced by these fifth-generation fighters, their weapons and radio-electronic equipment, as well as by ground and airborne combat-support and combat-control systems. Although the various systems are being developed at different paces and to a varying degree of success, they are vitally important to the T-50 program's success. Without them, the fifth-generation fighter would remain an expensive toy and would fail to expand the combat potential of Air Force units.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20090123/119772349.html

Russian army to improve combat effectiveness with spy drones

Russia's Armed Forces will receive three new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in the next 3 years to boost the reconnaissance and precision-strike capabilities of ground units, an industry official said on Tuesday. The new-generation Tipchak mobile aerial system has been designed for reconnaissance and target designation purposes on the battlefield in any weather conditions. The first Tipchak system was put in service at the end of 2008. "We will deliver one Tipchak UAV system to the Defense Ministry every year until 2011," said Arkady Syroyezhko, director of UAV development programs at the Vega Radio Engineering Corp. Tipchak operates up to six UAVs launched from a pneumatic catapult. Each UAV has a range of 40 kilometers (25 miles) and can provide targeting for artillery and theater-based ballistic missiles at distances up to 350 km (about 220 miles). The drone is fitted with infrared and video sensors and has a real-time digital data link for communication with artillery units for laser-guided targeting. The Russian Air Force has launched a number of UAV development programs for various purposes. Air Force Commander, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said last year that Russia would deploy advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with a flight range of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) and flight duration of up to 12 hours by 2011. The UAVs of both fixed- and rotary-wing types will perform a variety of tasks, including reconnaissance, attack, retransmission of radio signals and target designation, the general said. A source in the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said on Tuesday that the Defense Ministry was also considering buying UAVs abroad, but the decision has been delayed by lobbyists from the Russian defense industry. "The purchase of several UAV's from Israel worth $100 million is still being discussed," the source said.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090127/119821066.html

[Armenian]

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

Abkhazia says Georgian threat boosts talks on Russian naval base

The possibility of Georgian sabotage in Abkhazia makes the breakaway republic push forward talks with Russia on hosting a base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Abkhazian president said on Monday. "The threat of clandestine Georgian actions prompts both Russia and Abkhazia to speed up talks on the issue," Sergei Bagapsh said in a statement. The Abkhazian president also said his country was ready to "formalize cooperation with the [Russian] Black Sea Fleet." Russia and Abkhazia have agreed to establish a Russian Black Sea Fleet base at Ochamchira, a seaside town in the separatist Georgian republic recognized by Russia as independent. No official documents have been signed, however. Russia's Black Sea Fleet currently uses a range of naval facilities in Ukraine's Crimea as part of a 1997 agreement, under which Ukraine agreed to lease the bases to Russia until 2017. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko announced last summer that Ukraine would not extend the lease of the base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol beyond 2017, and urged the Russia to start preparations for a withdrawal. Russian media previously reported that Russia was also looking at possible naval facilities in Yemen, Syria and Libya, among other countries. Russian military officials are also on record as saying Moscow could build up its presence in the Mediterranean to make up for the loss of Sevastopol.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20090126/119807467.html

Ukraine says Black Sea Fleet rearming unacceptable

Russia has no right to make a unilateral decision on rearming its Black Sea Fleet, based in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian diplomat said on Tuesday. Some media sources earlier cited an anonymous Russian Navy official as saying that Russia is planning to redeploy a submarine from the Northern Fleet to the Sevastopol base in Ukraine's Crimea. "Russia has no right to replace or add a new vessel to the naval contingent deployed on the Ukrainian territory without prior consent of the Ukrainian government," said Leonid Osavolyuk, director of the first territorial department at Ukraine's Foreign Ministry. He added that Ukraine was willing to discuss possible rearming of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on two conditions: the signing of a special agreement on specific types of weaponry and a bilateral agreement on Black Sea Fleet operations in times of a crisis. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine heightened after several Black Sea Fleet warships dropped anchor off the Georgian coast during and after last August's armed conflict with Tbilisi over breakaway South Ossetia. Ukraine, which sided with Georgia during the conflict, repeatedly said that Russian combat ships frequently transport undeclared cargo and refuse to submit customs declarations while crossing Ukrainian territorial waters Russia's Black Sea Fleet uses a range of naval facilities in Ukraine's Crimea, including the main base in Sevastopol, as part of a 1997 agreement, under which Ukraine agreed to lease the bases to Russia until 2017. Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko announced in the summer that Ukraine would not extend the lease of the Sevastopol base beyond 2017, and urged the Russian fleet to start preparations for a withdrawal. Although the agreement for Russia's use of the base includes a possible extension of the lease, with Moscow repeatedly saying it wants to negotiate on the issue, Ukraine reiterated in October that it would not permit an extension of Russia's naval presence in the country after 2017.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20090127/119824313.html

[gmd]

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

Institute for Policy Studies
FPIF Commentary
Russia and Iran Get Strategic
Col. Sam Gardiner, USAF (ret.) | January 27, 2009
Editor: Erik Leaver

Foreign Policy In Focuswww.fpif.org

While many analysts predicted a rosier picture for U.S.-Iranian relations with the Obama administration, the situation is rapidly becoming profoundly more difficult and more complicated. The new dimension is Russia.
On February 20, the Russian Federation Security Council and the State Council will approve a new national security strategy to go through 2020. Without saying the "United States," the draft document clearly identifies the United States as Russia's primary rival for the next decade. It goes on to say that the primary focus of the struggle will be for hydrocarbons in some very specific areas. The Middle East and Central Asia are mentioned specifically. In these areas, according to the document, the struggle could develop into a military confrontation.
Russia's last general security document was adopted in 2000 and was much more general than this one about the security objectives of the Russian Federation. The new draft is much more focused and gives indications of future policy directions.
Looking at the developments of the past 90 days through the filter of the new Russian security framework, a clearer picture emerges. It's no longer a question for the United States of whether or not Russia will support additional sanctions on Iran. That won't happen. Russia is on the path to make Iran a strategic partner, a counter to the United States in the regions of rivalry.
The United States falls into a trap in assuming that Russia doesn't want a nuclear- armed Iran. Russian officials repeat over and over that they have no evidence that Iran has a weapons program. U.S. officials discount that statement but shouldn't. The United States needs to remember that Russia has nuclear engineers inside Iran working with the Iranians.
Strategic Partnership
There are three examples in the past few months that suggest a strategic partnership: the nuclear power plant at Bushehr, the S-300 missile, and a refinery in Armenia.
The work on the Bushehr nuclear reactor has been punctuated by continuous delay. One almost got the impression that Russia was dragging its feet on purpose. However, Russia appears to have a renewed commitment to the work.
Russia recently announced that it was planning to dispatch up to 3,000 technicians there. It's hard to argue that Russia has any interest in punishing Iran for enriching in light of this project.
Although the system hasn't been delivered, the Russians know that the United States and Israel don't want the new air defense capability, the S-300 missile, sold to the Iranians. The Russians seem to have gone ahead anyway.
That makes no sense if they share our objective of punishing the Iranians for not suspending their enrichment program.
The refinery in Armenia is not as blatant, but equally meaningful. The discussions between GAZPROM and Armenia are for a refinery that would serve both Armenia's needs as well as export to Iran. On the top of almost everyone's list for the next level of sanctions against Iran is refined petroleum products; Israel wants it and even President Barack Obama suggested it when he gave a speech to the AIPAC convention last summer. Russia is diminishing the sanctions on refined petroleum in advance of a formal proposal by the United States.On Friday January 23, Russia and Iran signed an agriculture agreement in Moscow. The Russian Minister of Agriculture called Iran a Russia "strategic partner." Although the agreement is a small step, this is the first time I recall a Russian using that phrase.
Over the weekend, I talked to a member of the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. He told me he has had recent conversations with some Iranian officials. They told him the United States has forced Iran in the direction of the Russians. That's certainly consistent with recent developments.
I also exchanged e-mails on this subject with a former European ambassador to Tehran. His made a very interesting point. Iran is the only potential competitor for natural gas to Europe. He said Moscow doesn't want Tehran to get too close to Europe to the point it could jeopardize Europe's dependence on GAZPROM. We've seen the evidence of Russia and GAZPROM leverage over Europe recently.
The consequences of the new Russian security strategy and the developing of a relationship with Iran are very significant. Incentives for the Iranians to agree to anything as a result of talking now have much less value for them. The Iranians haven't changed their behavior with over 30 years of sanctions. With the Russians as a strategic partner, there is no reason to believe any new sanction will be effective.
Another consequence of what we're seeing is an even greater separation between the objectives of the United States and Israel with Russia in the equation. That will make progress with both Iran and the other pressing Middle East issues more difficult for the United States. Israel will have to understand that although the United States supports its security, we have our own interests in the region. Israel must respect those interests.
This isn't a done deal. Even if the Russians want to move to a strategic partnership, a new relationship may not be embraced in Tehran. The Iranians are suspicious of Russia. Iran also wants to be an independent power and not a power in the shadow of Russia.
The new Russian national security strategy is significantly changing the equation in the Middle East for the Obama administration, how they will react is anyone's guess at the moment.

Sam Gardiner, a Foreign Policy In Focus contributor, is a retired Air Force colonel who has taught military strategy and operations at the National War College, Air War College, and Naval War College.

[Haykakan]

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

The Russia-Iran partnership would really serve Armenia well and limit turkeys influence in the region.

[ZORAVAR]

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

UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) Exhibition in Moscow

Very important exhibition underway in Moscow. Russian manufacturers and disigners displaying their latest models. Some foreign firms are also exhibiting in this show.

Photos from my friend Vitaly Kuzmin:

Part1: http://vitalykuzmin.net/?q=node/151

Part2: http://vitalykuzmin.net/?q=node/152

[Armenian]

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

Russia and Cuba Take Steps to Revive a Bond

Russia and Cuba Take Steps to Revive a Bond

Moscow grants $US 20 million to Havana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rIRAlf6WZg

The presidents of Russia and Cuba signed a strategic partnership and several other documents on Friday aimed at rekindling an alliance that collapsed after the cold war. They pledged to expand cooperation in agriculture, manufacturing, science and tourism, but studiously avoided a public discussion of military ties. It had been nearly a quarter century since a Cuban leader had set foot on Russian soil. President Raúl Castro’s visit to Moscow this week had little of the pomp and propaganda of the cold war days, when he and his brother Fidel were greeted with parades in Red Square and Soviet leaders affectionately referred to Cuba as the “island of freedom.” But almost two decades after a crumbling Soviet Union hastily withdrew financial and ideological backing from Cuba, Russia is seeking to expand economic ties with the island and possibly forge stronger military relations in an echo, as yet still faint, of an alliance that lasted some 30 years.

It is part of a larger Russian push into Latin America to secure new markets, and also to swipe at the United States for what Moscow considers Washington’s meddling in Russia’s historic sphere of influence, particularly in Ukraine and Georgia, former Soviet republics. “Your visit opens a new page in the history of Russian-Cuban relations,” President Dmitri A. Medvedev said at a meeting with Mr. Castro at the Kremlin on Friday. Russian officials promised the delivery of 25,000 tons of grain and a $20 million loan for the development of Cuba’s construction, energy and agriculture sectors. “Without a doubt,” Mr. Castro said at the meeting, “this is a historical moment, an important milestone in the relations between Russia and Cuba. We have taken a huge step to strengthen our relationship.”

High-ranking Russian officials have visited Cuba several times in the past year, and Mr. Medvedev made a quick trip there in November as part of a Latin American tour. Trade between the countries increased 26 percent in 2008, totaling about $239 million, the Kremlin said. “In the last few years, relations with the United States have become strained, with the United States supporting Ukraine and Georgia in their anti-Russian policies,” said Igor S. Fesunenko, a Russian journalist and longtime commentator on Latin American affairs. “And we’re thinking, ‘Oh, how unfortunate that we abandoned Cuba sitting there under America’s nose.’ ” Like Venezuela, which last fall hosted two Russian strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, Cuba has also had Russian military visitors recently. In December, a contingent of Russia’s North Sea Fleet docked in Havana after conducting exercises with Venezuela’s navy. Neither Mr. Medvedev nor Mr. Castro spoke publicly about possible military cooperation, perhaps out of a desire to avoid antagonizing the new administration of President Obama, analysts said.

Since Mr. Obama’s election in November, Russia and Cuba appear to have called a unilateral truce with Washington, and the volume of anti-American sentiment, which reached a deafening pitch in Russia in recent years, has been markedly toned down. “Regardless of whether the policies of Washington will soften or remain significantly hard-line, relations between Cuba and Russia will develop,” said Vladimir M. Davydov, director of the Latin American Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Nevertheless, the effects of the global economic crisis have forced Russia to scale back its plans in Latin America, Mr. Davydov and other analysts said. Cuba has also reacted cautiously to Russia’s overtures because of lingering animosities that emerged when Moscow all but abandoned the country in the 1990s, leaving it impoverished and isolated. Yet, while Mr. Castro’s visit clearly does not carry the ideological weight evident at the height of Russia’s cold war relationship with Cuba, vestiges of those bygone days remain.

In honor of Mr. Castro’s visit, federal television channels showed documentaries about Cuba and the Castro brothers. In Moscow, the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War, what Russians call World War II, opened an exhibition covering the history of the Cuban revolution. And Mr. Medvedev congratulated the Cuban people on the revolution’s 50th anniversary. At an informal gathering at Mr. Medvedev’s country home on Thursday, Mr. Castro waxed nostalgic, recounting the time he and Soviet comrades sat around a campfire in the forest eating salo, the cured pig fat that is a staple chaser of Russian vodka. “I’ve desired this for 25 years,” he said through a Russian translator. “I don’t know if I’ll get to eat any salo with black bread, but I’m here.” A few hours later, Mr. Medvedev invited Mr. Castro to join him by a campfire in the forest around the presidential residence, and the two dined on the Russian delicacy.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/31/wo...castro.html?em

Cuba – old new ally?

Cuba - old new ally?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTjiW6m-1wU

Just two months after Dmitry Medvedev’s Latin American tour, Cuban President Raul Castro is in Russia for his eight-day visit. Trade, energy and military cooperation are on the agenda. The Soviet Union was Cuba's biggest ally after the communist revolution in the country fifty years ago. Raul Castro’s arrival on a Russian-made Ilyushin-96 airliner, the same type as used by Russia's leaders, shows how close the two countries were in the past. Thousands of Cubans were educated in the USSR and Havana is still the only Latin-American city with direct flights by Russian airlines. The relations between Russia and Cuba crumbled just as the Soviet Union seized to exist but now are rapidly reviving.

Moscow is keen to renew its influence in the region, which once included a big military presence. Last November President Dmitry Medvedev visited Cuba, along with a contingent from the Russian Navy. “I think it would have been fair for Russia to restore military links with Cuba,” said Vladimir Borodayev, a history professor at the Moscow State University. “Not on the same scale as during the Soviet times, but maybe, with the use of the Lurdez base which we abandoned there.” Back in Moscow it doesn't take long to find another, more peaceful connection between the two nations - the love of Cuban cigars. Since the economic blockade by the United States that imposed severe hardships on Cuba, the Soviet Union became a major importer of Cuban tobacco. “People in the Caribbean used to only smoke cigars, which is the most pleasant way of smoking,” said Vilya Alvera, a cigar distributor in Russia. “Cigars became a symbol of Cuba, just like a clock is a symbol of Switzerland.”

Visitors of a Cuban bar in Moscow have their own view on what the relations between the countries should be like. ”It's important to preserve the relations we used to have during the Soviet times,” said one client, “Especially when it comes to relations between people and not just economic and trade issues.” With the shared past, the countries can now give each other things they did not have before. Cuba is gradually becoming a popular tourist destination for Russians eager to escape their own motherland’s gloomy winters. Russia, in turn, can offer Cuba its vast export market.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/36569

[Armenian]

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

Davos Economic Forum: Russia’s two cents

Putin speaks out at Davos' opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2EG4KLLa8c

“Shaping the Post-Crisis World” is the theme of this year’s Davos Economic Forum, where Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addressed the world community presenting his expert opinion on the subject alongside his Chinese counterpart. Putin spoke about the crisis, outlining his ideas on the post-crisis period and underling the necessity of reviewing the current economic situation in order to avoid a future crisis. In his 40-minute speech, the Prime Minister touched on all aspects of world economics, from why the dollar should not be the sole reserve currency to how the world needed to enter into a smart energy partnership with Russia.

Russia in focus

Putin addressing the world economic elite is a novelty. Kirill Bessonov, a political analyst, points out that in previous years and, indeed, for the eight years that Putin was President, Russia was never asked to participate in the forum in this way. According to Bessonov, the switch in policy is a landmark event in the world’s attitude towards Russia. “What we are witnessing is a feeling of general confusion on the world economic and political scene and a subsequent search for alternative routes,” the political analyst said. This alternative route could involve a closer partnership with Russia in order to tackle the turbulence of the world economic crisis. The EU’s dependency on the Russian economy was demonstrated recently in the Ukrainian gas dispute, which left thousands of European homes without heating. “Putin will attempt to paint Russia as a willing player looking to deepen its integration into the global economy and eager to attract global investors,” said James Beadle, chief investment strategist at Pilgrim Asset Management in Moscow, as quoted by Bloomberg. During his speech, Putin assured his audience that he would keep Russia open to foreign investors and painted it as a reliable partner in energy, trade and politics despite the economic crisis, which has dragged Russia’s growth rates down and drastically reduced its revenue from oil, a major export. Of course, the groundwork for a revamped partnership between Russia and its global associates is a two-way street. Russia’s interests, according to Putin, lie predominantly in the fact that almost 50 percent of the country’s gold and currency reserves are in the American economy. It is therefore unsurprising that the Russian government displays such interest in the condition of the U.S. budget deficit.

Absenteeism

According to Bessonov, a large number of country and corporate representatives will not attend the forum due to a feeling that increasing globalization and worldwide interdependency is to blame for the aggravation of the global financial crisis. The list of those who have opted not to attend the elite economic event includes such major global corporations as Goldman Sachs and Sony. The U.S. is sending only one top Obama advisor and confidant, Valerie Jarrett. “The current economic crisis is so deep specifically because of such a high level of mutual integration. Some countries think that because of previous Davos Forums and excessive communal economic strategizing the slump has reached such an acute level,” Bessonov said. Some analysts are sceptical of the BRIC countries’ potential to preserve a steady course of growth. At last year’s Davos Forum, Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin, labelled Russia as the “island of stability” in the world economic arena. Now, analysts are not so confident in confirming this claim. In the past six months Russia has drained $US 201.9 billion, or 34 percent, of its reserves, the world’s third-largest, to stem a 30 percent slump in the rouble against the dollar since July 2008. However, in an interview to Bloomberg on January 25, Putin pointed out that he is confident, given the current climate of mutual interdependence, that all the countries attedning the forum will be interested in working out common ground rules for the global economy. Vladimir Putin was joined by his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, in opening the forum as representatives of nations which, after rapidly rising to the status of key players in the world economy, have managed to remain islands of relative financial stability. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Chief Economist Jim O’Neill, as cited by Bloomberg, predicts the BRIC economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China will cushion the developed world’s recession. For the Chinese Prime Minister, the address to an audience which included over 40 world leaders was a chance to persuade Europe and America not to let protectionism prevail and not to go hard on China on trade and currency issues. Nevertheless, Jiabao did not hesitate to blame the U.S. for the world economic crisis. “Inappropriate macroeconomic policies,” an “unsustainable model of development characterized by prolonged low savings and high consumption,” the “blind pursuit of profit” and the “failure of financial supervision” all contributed, he said.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/features/news/36544

Image is important, Putin tells western business

Russia’s western partners should think better of the image of their companies in Russia, rather than the country’s image in the world, says Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The Prime Minister met on Thursday with members of the International Council of Entrepreneurs in Davos. “You should not provoke us pretending things are quite good with you. If we intend to make the world change for the better one should have a critical attitude to oneself,” Putin stated. “To overcome the crisis Russia might have imposed certain limitations, in particular, on the freedom of the movement of the capital because of possible speculations. We have not done that and demonstrated that we would fulfill all our obligations and make our country open,” Putin said, before adding: “One should drop the colonial practices, respect the laws of the country where foreign companies operate and work in a civilized manner."

Russia’s Prime Minister mentioned the joint construction of a gas pipeline on the bottom of the Baltic Sea as an example of civilized partnership: “We have let many western partners into our transport system, and Gazprom has gained access to the gas distributing system to Europe. This is the only way of building long-term, reliable relations," Putin said. Meanwhile, Putin stated that he was not satisfied with the terms Russia was offered in a joint project with the European Aerospace and Defense Company. Putin insists that “part of the operations in the framework of the project, and in particular certain industries, should be moved to the territory of Russia in accordance with the practice used by members of the consortium,” which hasn’t happened so far.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/36601

[Armenian]

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

Lavrov: CIS countries are privileged partners for Russia

Russia is not looking for spheres of influence in the CIS area, said Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaking at a press conference in Moscow on January 16, a REGNUM correspondent reports. According to him, Russia has been developing relations with every country of the post-Soviet territory ready to do it on an equal basis. “They are privileged partners for Russia. The same is true about Russia as it is a privileged partner for them,” stressed Lavrov. Lavrov believes Russia’s relations with the post-Soviet countries are built on long-term traditions of economic and cultural life, as well as on common history. He stressed that striving for co-operation in the post-Soviet area is absolutely objective and natural. “At the same time, CIS countries, as well as Russia, have been conducting a multi-vector policy and it is an absolutely normal process,” believes the minister.

According to him, lasting conflicts and attempts to split the CIS exacerbate the situation in the post-Soviet area. Lavrov reminded that a law on compatriots adopted in 1990s is outdated and needs to be updated. Answering a question about possible appearance of a Card of the Russian or a Card of the Compatriot, Lavrov said that discussions around this question are going on. He reminded about existence of the Card of the Pole and that the Ukrainian leadership also takes steps in this direction. “Here, it is necessary to maintain the balance between the decision of a person to be a part of his culture and consequences of this step,” stressed the minister. “There will be no intervention into the state affairs on this subject, but we want to respond to a decision of people to be associated with their historical motherland,” concluded Lavrov.

Source: http://www.regnum.ru/english/1111324.html

Russia could demand Armenia joins ruble zone

Former Prime Minister of Armenia Grant Bagratian thinks that in return for assisting Armenia Russia could demand that it joins the ruble zone. The former PM suggests that the current problems in Armenia are not only due to the world economic crisis but the state policy of strengthening of local currency, the Drum, against other currencies. This is in the interests of importers who are in close alliance with the authorities. As a consequence of this policy export has practically stopped. Russia has to protect its interests and will demand that Armenia enter the ruble zone. Russian Minister of Finance Aleksey Kudrin stated on January 22 that Armenia has asked Russia to issue stabilization credit to assist the country during the global crisis. However neither the amount nor conditions of this were specified. Chairman of Armenia’s central bank Artur Javadian stated on January 23 that in the near future an Armenian delegation will arrive in Moscow to receive this stabilization credit. However Javadian also did not specify the amount or terms of the credit. Armenia is negotiating further crisis-combating credits with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and EBRD.

Source: http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1...con_three.html

[Armenian]

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

A few month old news article, but interesting.

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

Will Russia Give the Boot to CNN?

PUTIN ~1/3~ CNN FULL (English subtitles): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwC5q-zMQnw

PUTIN ~2/3 ~ CNN FULL (English subtitles): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMKNmW_9C5o

PUTIN ~3/3~ CNN FULL (English subtitles): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VsNFEZKmgo

You probably didn’t know that CNN censored Putin for being just too darn sensible. Yep, it’s true. About two weeks ago, Putin gave the network an exclusive 30-minute interview. And you know what happened? Nothing. It was never allowed to air. CNN doesn’t know it yet, but that decision might have cost them their Russian broadcasting rights. On August 29, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with senior political correspondent Matthew Chance for a CNN exclusive interview. “This was unprecedented access to Russia’s powerful prime minister, the former KGB spy now increasingly at odds with Washington,” an overly dramatic voice-over introduced the segment as Chance and Putin enjoyed pre-game banter and a walk through the courtyard of Putin’s palatial Sochi residence. Once seated, Chance didn’t waste any time with his provocative questions:

Matthew Chance: But it’s been no secret either that for years you’ve been urging the West to take more seriously Russia’s concerns about international issues. For instance, about NATO’s expansion, about deployment of missile defense systems in eastern Europe. Wasn’t this conflict a way of demonstrating that in this region, it’s Russia that’s the power, not NATO and certainly not the United States?

Vladimir Putin: Of course not. What is more, we did not seek such conflicts and do not want them in the future. That this conflict has taken place—that it broke out nevertheless—is only due to the fact that no one had heeded our concerns. I think both you and your—our—viewers today will be interested to learn a little more about the history of relations between the peoples and ethnic groups in this regions of the world. Because people know little or nothing about it. If you think that this is unimportant, you may cut it from the program. Don’t hesitate, I wouldn’t mind.

It was a prescient comment. Not only did CNN delete Putin’s historical roundup of relations between Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia going back to the 18th century that followed, the network cut out almost everything else as well. Despite the “unprecedented access” hook, for its U.S. feed, CNN reduced the 30-minute interview into a series of sound bites that seized and ridiculed Putin’s crackpot theory that the Republican party started the war to boost McCain’s ratings. CNN’s international audience, enjoying the news from hotel rooms all round the world, got to see a little more of the the footage. But most of it had to do with Russia’s ridiculous “non political” decision to ban some American poultry importers from doing business with Russia because of their poor quality control standards. CNN’s intentions were clear: Putin must come off looking like a fool. And it seemed Putin gave them the perfect material. Embargoes on dead chickens and global neocon conspiracies? Gosh, what serious self-respecting world leader would start talking this kind of gibberish? Even Ahmadinejad doesn’t sink that low. Well, the chicken meat embargo might have been a little weak, but the neocon conspiracy I’m not so sure about. But more on that later. (You can see the heavily edited interview clips on CNN website, but the network never made the full version available. But you can see it on Russian TV.)

Not surprisingly, this didn’t go down none too good with the Prime Minister. See, as it turns out, when Putin told CNN he wouldn’t mind if they cut some of his comments, he wasn’t exactly being honest. Not only did he mind, but he was sovereignly pissed off to find the entire interview censored. After all, he is the one that usually does the censoring. And it’s not like he gives out TV interviews every month, or even every year. If I’m not mistaken, the last interview Putin gave to American TV was waaaay back in 2000, when he was on Larry King Live making crude comments about the sinking of the Kursk submarine.

And then there’s the issue of Saakashvili’s CNN time. Just in the past month, Saakashvili has appeared a dozen times on the network giving interviews averaging 5 to 10 minutes each. As CNN correctly pointed out, Putin is a former KGB spy, so he knows all the details, down to the nearest second. And that’s exactly why he’s taken it as a personal insult from CNN’s headquarters (and probably more proof of an international media/government conspiracy against him). But he just might have the last word.

The word on the street here is Putin is out for blood. It’s payback time. According to a source with high-level government connections, the Russians are planning punitive actions against CNN. At this point, it is just a rumor, but they are preparing to kick out about half of the half-dozen Western journalists working at CNN’s Moscow bureau. Sooner or later they’re going to have to apply for a visa renewal and that’s when it’s gonna go down. They’ll be denied, clean and quiet like. We can only pray that the tool Matthew Chance is up for a new visa soon.

[...]

Source: http://www.infowars.com/will-russia-...e-boot-to-cnn/

[Armenian]

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

Russia plans warplanes in Georgia rebel region

Russia may base warplanes in Georgia's rebel Abkhazia region in support of a naval base soon to be constructed there, Interfax news agency quoted a Russian official as saying on Thursday. NATO countries expressed concern on Wednesday at reports on Interfax quoting unnamned military sources that Russia planned a naval base in Abkhazia, one of two breakaway regions Georgia seeks to reclaim. There has been no Kremlin confirmation. "The Bombora airfield is one of the most important military installations on the Black Sea coast and the largest military aerodrome in the South Caucasus," Interfax quoted an anonymous military diplomat as saying. "To deploy an air force unit there will not need any serious investment, because it already has all the necessary land infrastructure." During Russia's August war with Georgia, sparked by Tbilisi's attempt to retake another rebel region -- South Ossetia -- Russia sent its warships to Abkhazia and landed its marines at the site of the projected naval base, Ochamchire. A spokesman for Russia's air forces declined to comment. Abkhaz officials could not be immediately reached. Russia's Black Sea fleet is currently based at Sevastopol in Ukraine -- a legacy of the breakup of the Soviet Union. Kiev has told Moscow to withdraw when its lease expires in 2017, but Russia hopes to retain the base.

WESTERN ENERGY SUPPLIES

Russia's crushing of Georgian forces in the five-day war raised concerns in the West about a new Russian assertiveness in its traditional sphere of influence and stirred fears for the safety of energy supplies that run through Georgia. A deepwater Ochamchire base and revival of the airfield, which served as a frontline position in Soviet times, could present an additional concern for NATO stratetists. Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Tbilisi's central rule during wars in the 1990s accompanying the collapse of the Soviet Union. Moscow pledged to deploy bases in both regions to protect them from "a repeat of Georgian aggression" The military diplomat told Interfax Russia would like to deploy around 20 aircraft in Abkhazia, including Sukhoi Su-27 jet fighters, Su-25 ground attack aircraft and military transport planes. Interfax quoted a source close to Abkhazia's presidential administration as saying local leadership supported plans to host Russian aircraft.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/gc07/idUKLQ36012320090129