The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

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

More interesting news coming out of Moscow today. The newly proposed Alexandroupolis-Burgas oil pipeline will be used to transport Russian oil from the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Burgas to the Greek Aegean port of Alexandroupolis. The oil pipeline in question will be an 'alternative route' for Russian oil - bypassing Turkey. The pipeline's construction is set to begin in 2008 and is estimated to be completed by 2011. The political ramifications of this pipeline is quite significant in that Russia is not only engaging Greece and Bulgaria 'directly' it is also bypassing its major competitor in the region, Turkey, as a potential route. This is the continuation of Russia's multi-pronged attempt at directly impacting the politics and economy of the region in question by empowering nations of the region that have healthy relations with Moscow. And, of course, Moscow also wants a 'reliable' route to export its most valuable national asset. Within this geopolitical backdrop, I see how Kosovo/Albania would be indirectly used by the West as a 'counterbalance' to a potential political/economic alliance developing between regional "Orthodox" nations, more specifically between Russia, Greece and Serbia.

Armenian

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New pipeline projects to boost Europe's energy security - Putin

Projects to build an oil pipeline across the Balkans and a natural gas pipeline under the Black Sea will boost Europe's energy security, the Russian president said on Tuesday. Vladimir Putin, speaking after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis in the Kremlin, said building the South Stream gas pipeline and the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline "will not only bring tangible economic dividends, but will improve energy security on the European continent." Karamanlis arrived in Moscow on December 17 on a two-day visit for talks focusing on energy cooperation. The Russian leader said the sides had discussed a wide range of bilateral measures to expand trade and economic cooperation.

"We believe that we should concentrate our efforts on advancing major bilateral and multilateral agreements, including the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and the South Stream gas pipeline," he said. Russia, Bulgaria, and Greece signed a memorandum on the oil pipeline in April 2005. Once completed, the pipeline will pump 35 million metric tons of oil a year (257.25 million bbl), a volume that could eventually be increased to 50 million metric tons (367.5 million bbl). The South Stream natural gas pipeline is set to cover over 900 km (560 miles) under the Black Sea from Russia to Bulgaria and supply 30 billion cu m of gas annually to the European Union. Possible routes for the land section, which will pass through Greece, are still being discussed. Speaking after the talks, the Greek prime minister praised energy cooperation with Russia.

"Our cooperation is advancing rapidly, in particular the procedures linked to the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline - a project that will contribute to Europe's energy security and turn our country into an important energy transit corridor. We also discussed natural gas cooperation and the South Stream project," Karamanlis said. Putin said that during the Greek premier's visit, Russia, Bulgaria and Greece have signed a tripartite protocol on establishing an international project company for the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline. "This document is the penultimate step toward practical implementation of this project." Putin said that during discussions with Karamanlis, the sides had expressed similar approaches to many international issues.

"During our meeting, we discussed a wide range of European and international problems. Our approaches towards solving many of these issues coincide. These issues include first and foremost the situation in the Balkans, in particular the Kosovo problem, and also the settlement of the Cyprus problem, and the development of Russia-EU and Russia-NATO partnerships," Putin said. The Greek premier said: "bilateral relations in all spheres are developing very dynamically and have transformed into strategic partnership based on common historical and cultural values." Karamanlis also said Greece was ready to share its experience with Russia in hosting Olympic Games, and proposed to announce a Year of Russia in Greece and Year of Greece in Russia before the 2014 Winter Olympics, which are to be held in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071218/93015464.html

Russian bonds reinforced

Karamanlis seeks closer ‘strategic’ ties in warm talks with Putin in Moscow

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis yesterday threw his weight firmly behind Russian President Vladimir Putin during an exceptionally cordial meeting in Moscow where the two leaders agreed to boost bilateral ties, particularly in the crucial energy sector. Karamanlis heaped praise on Putin whom he referred to as «a friend» and congratulated him three times for his landslide victory in parliamentary elections in Russia earlier this month. Karamanlis appeared to plant Greece firmly in Moscow's camp, describing Russia as a «strategic partner.» «The historic ties between our countries are strengthening, particularly in the sphere of energy,» Karamanlis said. His comments followed the signature of a protocol - by Greek, Russian and Bulgarian officials - for the creation of a company to oversee the construction of the much-awaited Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline. Construction is to begin in the summer.

Putin and Karamanlis also discussed Greece's involvement in another project: the planned South Stream natural gas pipeline which would bring Russian gas across the Black Sea to Bulgaria and other European countries. The two men are also due to discuss the planned purchase by Greece of more than 400 Russian tanks. Asked to comment on the outlook for defense procurement, Karamanlis was guarded: «We cannot predict how this will develop,» he said. It was unclear whether the thorny issue of Kosovo was discussed in detail (both Russia and Greece oppose plans for its independence from Serbia) but no public statements were made.

On other issues though, Karamanlis and Putin abandoned the constraints of protocol and investigated ways to boost their «strategic partnership.» Questioned by a Russian journalist about the possible reactions of «Brussels bureaucrats» to this rapprochement, Karamanlis said, «Greece is a European country and works in the context of European policies... but bilateral ties are developed on the basis of national interests.» Putin appeared to challenge EU-US alignments: «The system of international relations is undergoing a period of transformation... the question is what world order will be established over the next few decades.»

Source: http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w.../12/2007_91334

[skhara]

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

I see how Kosovo/Albania would be indirectly used by the West as a 'counterbalance' to a potential political/economic alliance developing between regional "Orthodox" nations, more specifically between Russia, Greece and Serbia.

Few years back I remember Greeks showing interest in buying Russian fighters as opposed to the standard American planes of NATO. ANyway, I don't know if the purchase went ahead, but its interesting that Greece considered it.

[skhara]

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

BTW, that missile shield deal is rumor according to my understanding -- but its a Serbian rumor, so its just saying that there are plenty of elements within Serbia ready and willing to play the NATO upseters.

Isn't it interesting that all that abuse hurled at the Serbs throughout the 90s was to push Russia out of the Balkans, but all they did was push Serbs closer to Russia as a majority of them want little to do with the European Union.

[Armenian]

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

Few years back I remember Greeks showing interest in buying Russian fighters as opposed to the standard American planes of NATO. ANyway, I don't know if the purchase went ahead, but its interesting that Greece considered it.

They are also discussing the purchase of several hundred Russian made main battle tanks and anti-aircraft missile systems. Although I don't place much hope in Greek politics, is Greece gradually turning into Russia's 'Trojan Horse' in the West...?

[Armenian]

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

The following news report is also without doubt about a very significant political development coming out of Moscow today. After a long wait, Russia has finally responded to the western sponsored "trans-Caspian" gas pipeline by finalizing an agreement with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. This agreement, again, undermines the West's recent inroads into the Caspian Sea region as it also weakens the fledgling role Turkey had begun to play in the region as a hub for oil and gas distribution.

Armenian

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Russian government approves Caspian gas pipeline agreement

Russia's government has approved a Caspian gas pipeline cooperation agreement with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, a senior government official told the president's conference with the Cabinet on Monday. The natural gas pipeline will run from Turkmenistan along the Caspian coast of Kazakhstan and onto Russia, and will pump 10-20 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe via Russia's pipeline network. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Naryshkin said President Vladimir Putin had instructed the government to make the most of a planned working visit by Kazakh leader Nursultan Nazarbayev in order to move ahead with the implementation of the project. The deputy premier said the agreement also involved a provision on a feasibility study of the project, the implementation of which will begin in the second half of 2008. The document remains to be ratified. ""The agreement is ready for signing,"" Naryshkin said. Russia, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan agreed to build the pipeline in May 2007 and were to finalize it in September, but had failed to agree on the price of supplies. On November 27, the sides agreed on the price of $130 per 1,000 cubic meters of Turkmen gas. In late November, a Russian government official said the agreement would be signed by the end of this year. The pipeline is a rival project to a Western-backed trans-Caspian pipeline that bypasses Russia, currently the sole re-exporter of Turkmen gas.

Source: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=158930

Caspian Pipeline Deal Close

Turkmenistan, Russia and Kazakhstan will sign an agreement Thursday to build a natural gas pipeline along the Caspian Sea coast, the Turkmen government said Tuesday. The statement, on the Central Asian nation's official state Web site, came after months of uncertainty. After a preliminary agreement was formalized at a signing ceremony attended by the presidents of the ex-Soviet republics in May, the deal was stalled by disagreements on the price of gas supplies. Late last month, Russia gave in to Turkmen price demands and agreed to pay $130 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas in the first half of 2008 and $150 in the second half. Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov and Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko discussed the pipeline during talks in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat, the Turkmen state Web site said Tuesday. News that the deal will soon be sealed will likely disappoint the U.S. and the European Union, which have been lobbying for a rival pipeline to be built under the Caspian Sea, bypassing Russia. Khristenko told Berdymukhamedov the pipeline would have an annual capacity of 20 billion cubic meters, the Web site said, but it gave no timeframe. Khristenko had said in May that the figure could eventually reach 30 billion cubic meters. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Berdymukhamedov by phone on Tuesday to discuss the agreement on the pipeline, the Kremlin said in a statement. It gave no date for a signing.

Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5387312.html

In related news:

Russia unaffected by Nabucco trans-Caspian gas pipe project

A trans-Caspian gas pipeline project bypassing Russia would not hurt its interests or the interests of the country's energy giant Gazprom, a deputy industry and energy minister said on Friday. "That point of view only exists in the minds of the media," Ivan Materov said. The $6 billion pipeline project is expected to link energy-rich Central Asia to Europe through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2009, enabling the pipeline to go on stream in 2012. The official also said that Russia does not regard the Nabucco project as a rival or alternative to the South Stream project, which is designed to carry gas to southern Europe from Russia. He said gas pumped along the Nabucco pipeline would be too expensive and uncompetitive, compared to South Stream.

The European Union wants the project to diversify its supply routes away from Russia and to boost European energy security. Russia's energy giant Gazprom and Italy's Eni signed a deal in late November to set up a joint venture to conduct a feasibility study for South Stream at a ceremony in Moscow attended by President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. The pipeline is set to cover over 900 km (560 miles) under the Black Sea from Russia to Bulgaria and supply 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually. Possible routes for the land section of the pipeline in Europe are still being discussed. The project is set to strengthen Russia's position as Europe's main energy supplier.

The country already provides 40% of the continent's natural gas needs. Russia has sought to build direct export routes to the EU since bitter disputes with the ex-Soviet republics Ukraine and Belarus, which affected supplies to Europe. European nations have expressed concerns over growing energy dependence on Russia and sought to diversify supplies to enhance their energy security. The Russian Kommersant daily said on Thursday that Hungary's oil and gas company MOL had suggested merging at least eight gas transportation companies in Central Europe into a consortium, tentatively called New Europe Transmission System, in a bid to secure more beneficial loans, including for Nabucco.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071207/91429186.html

[Armenian]

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

A Tsar Is Born

TIME's Interview with Vladimir Putin (Video): http://www.time.com/time/specials/20...691291,00.html

Time Magazine, By Adi Ignatius

No one is born with a stare like Vladimir Putin's. The Russian President's pale blue eyes are so cool, so devoid of emotion that the stare must have begun as an affect, the gesture of someone who understood that power might be achieved by the suppression of ordinary needs, like blinking. The affect is now seamless, which makes talking to the Russian President not just exhausting but often chilling. It's a gaze that says, I'm in charge. This may explain why there is so little visible security at Putin's dacha, Novo-Ogarevo, the grand Russian presidential retreat set inside a birch- and fir-forested compound west of Moscow. To get there from the capital requires a 25-minute drive through the soul of modern Russia, past decrepit Soviet-era apartment blocks, the mashed-up French Tudor-villa McMansions of the new oligarchs and a shopping mall that boasts not just the routine spoils of affluence like Prada and Gucci but Lamborghinis and Ferraris too.

When you arrive at the dacha's faux-neoclassical gate, you have to leave your car and hop into one of the Kremlin's vehicles that slowly wind their way through a silent forest of snow-tipped firs. Aides warn you not to stray, lest you tempt the snipers positioned in the shadows around the compound. This is where Putin, 55, works. (He lives with his wife and two twentysomething daughters in another mansion deeper in the woods.) The rooms feel vast, newly redone and mostly empty. As we prepare to enter his spacious but spartan office, out walk some of Russia's most powerful men: Putin's chief of staff, his ideologist, the speaker of parliament—all of them wearing expensive bespoke suits and carrying sleek black briefcases. Putin, who rarely meets with the foreign press, then gives us 3 1⁄2 hours of his time, first in a formal interview in his office and then upstairs over an elaborate dinner of lobster-and-shiitake-mushroom salad, "crab fingers with hot sauce" and impressive vintages of Puligny-Montrachet and a Chilean Cabernet.

Vladimir Putin gives a first impression of contained power: he is compact and moves stiffly but efficiently. He is fit, thanks to years spent honing his black-belt judo skills and, these days, early-morning swims of an hour or more. And while he is diminutive—5 ft. 6 in. (about 1.7 m) seems a reasonable guess—he projects steely confidence and strength. Putin is unmistakably Russian, with chiseled facial features and those penetrating eyes. Charm is not part of his presentation of self—he makes no effort to be ingratiating. One senses that he pays constant obeisance to a determined inner discipline. The successor to the boozy and ultimately tragic Boris Yeltsin, Putin is temperate, sipping his wine only when the protocol of toasts and greetings requires it; mostly he just twirls the Montrachet in his glass. He eats little, though he twitchily picks the crusts off the bread rolls on his plate.

Putin grudgingly reveals a few personal details between intermittent bites of food: He relaxes, he says, by listening to classical composers like Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky. His favorite Beatles song is Yesterday. He has never sent an e-mail in his life. And while he grew up in an officially atheist country, he is a believer and often reads from a Bible that he keeps on his state plane. He is impatient to the point of rudeness with small talk, and he is in complete control of his own message. He is clear about Russia's role in the world. He is passionate in his belief that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was a tragedy, particularly since overnight it stranded 25 million ethnic Russians in "foreign" lands. But he says he has no intention of trying to rebuild the U.S.S.R. or re-establish military or political blocs. And he praises his predecessors Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev for destroying a system that had lost the people's support. "I'm not sure I could have had the guts to do that myself," he tells us. Putin is, above all, a pragmatist, and has cobbled together a system—not unlike China's—that embraces the free market (albeit with a heavy dose of corruption) but relies on a strong state hand to keep order.

Like President George W. Bush, he sees terrorism as one of the most profound threats of the new century, but he is wary of labeling it Islamic. "Radicals," he says, "can be found in any environment." Putin reveals that Russian intelligence recently uncovered a "specific" terrorist threat against both Russia and the U.S. and that he spoke by phone with Bush about it. What gets Putin agitated—and he was frequently agitated during our talk—is his perception that Americans are out to interfere in Russia's affairs. He says he wants Russia and America to be partners but feels the U.S. treats Russia like the uninvited guest at a party. "We want to be a friend of America," he says. "Sometimes we get the impression that America does not need friends" but only "auxiliary subjects to command." Asked if he'd like to correct any American misconceptions about Russia, Putin leans forward and says, "I don't believe these are misconceptions. I think this is a purposeful attempt by some to create an image of Russia based on which one could influence our internal and foreign policies. This is the reason why everybody is made to believe...[Russians] are a little bit savage still or they just climbed down from the trees, you know, and probably need to have...the dirt washed out of their beards and hair." The veins on his forehead seem ready to pop.

Elected Emperor

Putin has said that next spring, at the end of his second term as President, he will assume the nominally lesser role of Prime Minister. In fact, having nominated his loyal former chief of staff (and current Deputy Prime Minister) Dmitri Medvedev to succeed him as President, Putin will surely remain the supreme leader, master of Russia's destiny, which will allow him to complete the job he started. In his eight years as President, he has guided his nation through a remarkable transformation. He has restored stability and a sense of pride among citizens who, after years of Soviet stagnation, rode the heartbreaking roller coaster of raised and dashed expectations when Gorbachev and then Yeltsin were in charge. A basket case in the 1990s, Russia's economy has grown an average of 7% a year for the past five years. The country has paid off a foreign debt that once neared $200 billion. Russia's rich have gotten richer, often obscenely so. But the poor are doing better too: workers' salaries have more than doubled since 2003. True, this is partly a result of oil at $90 a barrel, and oil is a commodity Russia has in large supply. But Putin has deftly managed the windfall and spread the wealth enough so that people feel hopeful.

Russia's revival is changing the course of the modern world. After decades of slumbering underachievement, the Bear is back. Its billionaires now play on the global stage, buying up property, sports franchises, places at élite schools. Moscow exerts international influence not just with arms but also with a new arsenal of weapons: oil, gas, timber. On global issues, it offers alternatives to America's waning influence, helping broker deals in North Korea, the Middle East, Iran. Russia just made its first shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran—a sign that Russia is taking the lead on that vexsome issue, particularly after the latest U.S. intelligence report suggested that the Bush Administration has been wrong about Iran's nuclear-weapons development. And Putin is far from done. The premiership is a perch that will allow him to become the longest-serving statesman among the great powers, long after such leaders as Bush and Tony Blair have faded from the scene.

But all this has a dark side. To achieve stability, Putin and his administration have dramatically curtailed freedoms. His government has shut down TV stations and newspapers, jailed businessmen whose wealth and influence challenged the Kremlin's hold on power, defanged opposition political parties and arrested those who confront his rule. Yet this grand bargain—of freedom for security—appeals to his Russian subjects, who had grown cynical over earlier regimes' promises of the magical fruits of Western-style democracy. Putin's popularity ratings are routinely around 70%. "He is emerging as an elected emperor, whom many people compare to Peter the Great," says Dimitri Simes, president of the Nixon Center and a well-connected expert on contemporary Russia.

Putin's global ambitions seem straightforward. He certainly wants a seat at the table on the big international issues. But more important, he wants free rein inside Russia, without foreign interference, to run the political system as he sees fit, to use whatever force he needs to quiet seething outlying republics, to exert influence over Russia's former Soviet neighbors. What he's given up is Yeltsin's calculation that Russia's future requires broad acceptance on the West's terms. That means that on big global issues, says Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution and former point man on Russia policy for the Clinton Administration, "sometimes Russia will be helpful to Western interests, and sometimes it will be the spoiler."

Up from the Ruins

How do Russians see Putin? For generations they have defined their leaders through political jokes. It's partly a coping mechanism, partly a glimpse into the Russian soul. In the oft told anecdotes, Leonid Brezhnev was always the dolt, Gorbachev the bumbling reformer, Yeltsin the drunk. Putin, in current punch lines, is the despot. Here's an example: Stalin's ghost appears to Putin in a dream, and Putin asks for him help running the country. Stalin says, "Round up and shoot all the democrats, and then paint the inside of the Kremlin blue." "Why blue?" Putin asks. "Ha!" says Stalin. "I knew you wouldn't ask me about the first part." Putin himself is sardonic but humorless. In our hours together, he didn't attempt a joke, and he misread several of our attempts at playfulness. As Henry Kissinger, who has met and interacted with Russian leaders since Brezhnev, puts it, "He does not rely on personal charm. It is a combination of aloofness, considerable intelligence, strategic grasp and Russian nationalism" (see Kissinger interview).

To fully understand Putin's accomplishments and his appeal, one has to step back into the tumult of the 1990s. At the end of 1991, just a few months after Yeltsin dramatically stood on a tank outside the parliament in Moscow to denounce—and deflate—a coup attempt by hard-liners, the Soviet Union simply ceased to exist. Yeltsin took the reins in Russia and, amid great hope and pledges of help from around the world, promised to launch an era of democracy and economic freedom. I arrived in Moscow a week later, beginning a three-year stint as a Russia correspondent. I retain three indelible images from that time. The first: the legions of Ivy League—and other Western-educated "experts" who roamed the halls of the Kremlin and the government, offering advice, all ultimately ineffective, on everything from conducting free elections to using "shock therapy" to juice the economy to privatizing state-owned assets. The second: the long lines of impoverished old women standing in the Moscow cold, selling whatever they could scrounge from their homes—a silver candleholder, perhaps, or just a pair of socks. The third, more familiar image: a discouraged and embattled Yeltsin in 1993 calling in Russian-army tanks to shell his own parliament to break a deadlock with the defiant legislature when everything he was trying to do was going wrong.

Yeltsin bombed his way out of the threat of civil war and managed to hang on to power, but Russia was left hobbled. Virtually every significant asset—oil, banks, the media—ended up in the hands of a few "oligarchs" close to the President. Corruption and crime were rampant; the cities became violent. Paychecks weren't issued; pensions were ignored. Russia in 1998 defaulted on its foreign debt. The ruble and the financial markets collapsed, and Yeltsin was a spent force. "The '90s sucked," says Stephen Sestanovich, a Columbia University professor who was the State Department's special adviser for the new Independent States of the former Soviet Union under President Bill Clinton. "Putin managed to play on the resentment that Russians everywere were feeling." Indeed, by the time Putin took over in late 1999, there was nowhere to fall but up.

Path to Power

That Russia needed fixing was acknowledged by all. But how was it that Putin got the call? What was it that lifted him to power, and to the dacha in Novo-Ogarevo? Putin's rise continues to perplex even devoted Kremlin observers. He was born into humble circumstances in St. Petersburg in 1952. His father had fought in World War II and later labored in a train-car factory. Putin's mother, a devout Orthodox Christian, had little education and took on a series of menial jobs. The family lived in a drab fifth-floor walk-up in St. Petersburg; Putin had to step over swarms of rats occupying the entranceway on his way to school. Putin's only ancestor of note was his paternal grandfather, who had served as a cook for both Lenin and Stalin, though there's no sign that this gave his family any special status or connections. Putin describes his younger self as a poor student and a "hooligan." Small for his age, he got roughed by his contemporaries. So he took up sambo—a Soviet-era blend of judo and wrestling—and later just judo. From all accounts, he devoted himself to the martial art, attracted by both its physical demands and its contemplative philosophical core. "It's respect for your elders and opponents," he says in First Person, his question-and-answer memoir published in 2000. "It's not for weaklings."

[...]

Source: http://www.time.com/time/specials/20...690766,00.html

[Armenian]

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

Person of the Year 2007

Time magazine has chosen Putin its "Person of the Year": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2UPgXhrJfQ

TIME's Interview with Vladimir Putin: http://www.time.com/time/specials/20...691291,00.html

An interesting exchange from the beginning of the Time Magazine interview:

Adi Ignatius: "We began by asking him [Putin] why the Russian election was not more open and why opposition leader and former chess champion Gary Kasparov was arrested."

Vladimir Putin: "Well, what do you think? Why did Mr. Kasparov, when arrested, speak English rather than Russian? Think about it... Before everything, the whole thrust of this thing was directed towards other countries rather than the Russian people. And when a person works the crowds of another nation rather than the Russian nation it tell you something..."

[Illuminator]

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

[HayotzAmrotz]

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

I'm a huge admirer of Vladimir Putin, he is one of the most intelligent leaders in the world. He has done so much good for Russia that I wont be suprised if in the future he is compared to Peter the Great.

Does anyone have anything on what Putin's thoughts are on Republic of Armenia and our people (whether in Russia, Armenia or elswhere)?
It would be good to know what this man thinks of us and our country.

[Armenian]

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

The Russian Federation has finally responded to the western sponsored "Trans-Caspian" gas pipeline project (see article below about the Nabucco/Trans-Caspian pipeline) and other inroads into the Caucasus and Central Asian region by finalizing an agreement with the governments of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan that would divert Caspian Sea region's gas/oil distribution into the Russian Federation for subsequent distribution westward. This agreement severely undermines the West's plans for the region as it also weakens the fledgling role the Turkish state had begun to play as a hub for oil and gas distribution. What's more, in addition to the new Central Asian "Pre-Caspian" pipeline agreement, an oil pipeline project called "Alexandroupolis-Burgas" is being planned that will transport Russian oil from the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Burgas to the Greek Aegean port of Alexandroupolis. This pipeline will be another route for Russian oil that will be bypassing Turkey. The pipeline's construction is set to begin in 2008 and is estimated to be completed by 2011. As with the Pre-Caspian pipeline, the geopolitical ramifications of the Alexandroupolis-Burgas pipeline is quite significant in that Russia is not only engaging European Union members Greece and Bulgaria 'directly,' it is bypassing its major competitor in the region, Turkey, and is further monopolizing the oil/gas distribution into western Europe. Russia has thereby strategically placed itself into a position that will directly impact the European economy. These actions are the continuation of Moscow's multi-pronged attempts at directly impacting the politics and economy of the region in question by empowering and rewarding nations that have healthy relations with Moscow. Within this geopolitical backdrop, I see how an independent Kosovo, in conjunction with NATO backed Albania and Turkey, would be used by the West as a regional 'counterbalances' to a potential political/economic alliance developing between regional "Orthodox" nations, more specifically between the nations of Russia, Greece and Serbia. Naturally, these geopolitical formulations also explain the hostile attitudes that exists in certain circles within the West against the pro-Russian/pro-Iranian Armenian Republic.

Armenian

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Russia's Pre-Caspian pipeline a blow to EU & U.S.

President Putin has signed an agreement with his Kazakh and Turkmen counterparts to build the Pre-Caspian Sea gas pipeline. The U.S. and EU have been pushing for the alternative Trans-Caspian pipeline which would bypass Russia. Russia's Caspian project, known as the Pre-Caspian pipeline is designed to provide huge reserves of gas from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan with a route through Russia to European markets. “This pipeline will provide long-term large supplies of gas to our partners. It will also become a considerable contribution to energy stability in Europe. In a telephone conversation with the President of Turkmenistan we have confirmed our common intention to carry out existing agreements and develop our partnership,” said Putin. “We also discussed our co-operation in atomic energy, in particular the joint construction of an atomic energy station in Kazakhstan and the further integration of the nuclear industrial facilities of our countries. We have an agreement in principal now and have assigned the corresponding departments to work out this question by May 2008,” Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev added...

Source: http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/18749

Pre-Caspian Pipeline Angers U.S. Because It Does Not Fit Its Policy - Denisov

Russia's agreements with Central Asian countries to build a pre-Caspian gas pipeline "are getting on Washington's nerves" because they do not fit its energy transportation strategy, Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov told Interfax. "The U.S. has been lobbying the idea of an East-West energy corridor for a long time. Its aim is to arrange the transportation of hydrocarbons from the Caspian region bypassing the territories of Russia and Iran," he said. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipelines have already been built, the deputy minister said, adding that "this notorious trans-Caspian gas pipeline is intended to support them". "The political motives behind all of these projects are evident. The pre-Caspian pipeline clearly does not fit this concept, which has caused (Washington's) nervous reaction," he said. However, he refrained from commenting on statements by several U.S. officials on the pre-Caspian pipeline. "The decision to build the pre-Caspian pipeline was reached based on a careful calculation both of the benefit to the participants from the implementation of this project, and the conditions required to bring it into existence," Denisov said. He said that possible technical and ecological risks of the project have been reduced to nothing, because the pipeline will follow an existing route along the Caspian shore. "As regards the trans-Caspian pipeline, which is mainly being supported by players outside the region, this route is still primarily virtual," he said. He said that the obstacles to this project include the fact that the status of the Caspian still has to be regulated, and also the ongoing dispute between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan over the ownership of a number of fields...

Source: http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/2007-150-23.cfm

Related news:

New pipeline projects to boost Europe's energy security - Putin

Projects to build an oil pipeline across the Balkans and a natural gas pipeline under the Black Sea will boost Europe's energy security, the Russian president said on Tuesday. Vladimir Putin, speaking after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis in the Kremlin, said building the South Stream gas pipeline and the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline "will not only bring tangible economic dividends, but will improve energy security on the European continent." Karamanlis arrived in Moscow on December 17 on a two-day visit for talks focusing on energy cooperation. The Russian leader said the sides had discussed a wide range of bilateral measures to expand trade and economic cooperation...

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071218/93015464.html

Russian bonds reinforced

Karamanlis seeks closer ‘strategic’ ties in warm talks with Putin in Moscow

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis yesterday threw his weight firmly behind Russian President Vladimir Putin during an exceptionally cordial meeting in Moscow where the two leaders agreed to boost bilateral ties, particularly in the crucial energy sector. Karamanlis heaped praise on Putin whom he referred to as «a friend» and congratulated him three times for his landslide victory in parliamentary elections in Russia earlier this month. Karamanlis appeared to plant Greece firmly in Moscow's camp, describing Russia as a «strategic partner.» «The historic ties between our countries are strengthening, particularly in the sphere of energy,» Karamanlis said. His comments followed the signature of a protocol - by Greek, Russian and Bulgarian officials - for the creation of a company to oversee the construction of the much-awaited Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline. Construction is to begin in the summer.

Putin and Karamanlis also discussed Greece's involvement in another project: the planned South Stream natural gas pipeline which would bring Russian gas across the Black Sea to Bulgaria and other European countries. The two men are also due to discuss the planned purchase by Greece of more than 400 Russian tanks. Asked to comment on the outlook for defense procurement, Karamanlis was guarded: «We cannot predict how this will develop,» he said. It was unclear whether the thorny issue of Kosovo was discussed in detail (both Russia and Greece oppose plans for its independence from Serbia) but no public statements were made...

Source: http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w.../12/2007_91334

Russian government approves Caspian gas pipeline agreement

Russia's government has approved a Caspian gas pipeline cooperation agreement with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, a senior government official told the president's conference with the Cabinet on Monday. The natural gas pipeline will run from Turkmenistan along the Caspian coast of Kazakhstan and onto Russia, and will pump 10-20 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe via Russia's pipeline network. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Naryshkin said President Vladimir Putin had instructed the government to make the most of a planned working visit by Kazakh leader Nursultan Nazarbayev in order to move ahead with the implementation of the project. The deputy premier said the agreement also involved a provision on a feasibility study of the project, the implementation of which will begin in the second half of 2008. The document remains to be ratified. ""The agreement is ready for signing,"" Naryshkin said. Russia, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan agreed to build the pipeline in May 2007 and were to finalize it in September, but had failed to agree on the price of supplies...

Source: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=158930

Caspian Pipeline Deal Close

Turkmenistan, Russia and Kazakhstan will sign an agreement Thursday to build a natural gas pipeline along the Caspian Sea coast, the Turkmen government said Tuesday. The statement, on the Central Asian nation's official state Web site, came after months of uncertainty. After a preliminary agreement was formalized at a signing ceremony attended by the presidents of the ex-Soviet republics in May, the deal was stalled by disagreements on the price of gas supplies. Late last month, Russia gave in to Turkmen price demands and agreed to pay $130 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas in the first half of 2008 and $150 in the second half. Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov and Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko discussed the pipeline during talks in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat, the Turkmen state Web site said Tuesday. News that the deal will soon be sealed will likely disappoint the U.S. and the European Union, which have been lobbying for a rival pipeline to be built under the Caspian Sea, bypassing Russia...

Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5387312.html

Russia unaffected by Nabucco trans-Caspian gas pipe project

A trans-Caspian gas pipeline project bypassing Russia would not hurt its interests or the interests of the country's energy giant Gazprom, a deputy industry and energy minister said on Friday. "That point of view only exists in the minds of the media," Ivan Materov said. The $6 billion pipeline project is expected to link energy-rich Central Asia to Europe through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2009, enabling the pipeline to go on stream in 2012. The official also said that Russia does not regard the Nabucco project as a rival or alternative to the South Stream project, which is designed to carry gas to southern Europe from Russia. He said gas pumped along the Nabucco pipeline would be too expensive and uncompetitive, compared to South Stream...

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071207/91429186.html

ANKARA'S NABUCCO POLICY ANGERS SOME

By Lale Sariibrahimoglu Today's Zaman, Turkey May 22 2007

Some European energy experts believe that Russia's latest deals with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan -- which could jeopardize Turkey's policy of becoming an energy route for Caspian oil and gas, bypassing the strategic and busy Bosporus and Dardanelles straits -- should be seen as a serious blow both to Turkey and the EU's aspirations to reduce reliance on Russian gas and energy. The renewed risks of Russia's increased dominance in the Caspian region first surfaced when Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement with Bulgaria and Greece in March for building the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline to carry Russian oil. Then came the news from Turkmenistan early last week that Putin and the region's main energy producers, Turkmenistan's President Gurbangul Berdymukhamedov and Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbayev, shook hands to build a pipeline along the Caspian Sea coast to ship Turkmen natural gas to Western markets via Kazakhstan and Russia. A few days before, Nazarbayev said at a May 10 meeting in the Kazakh capital of Astana with Russian President Putin, that 17 million tons of Kazakh oil might be used in the Burgas-Alexandroupolis project, the Russian Itar Tass news agency reported. All this news obviously represented a blow to both US and European efforts to secure alternatives to Middle East oil and gas that are intended to be independent from Russian influence, such as US-backed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which has started carrying oil to the European markets via Turkey's Ceyhan port in the south. It may be true that the two deals are also expected to reduce Kazakhstan's interest in routes connecting with the BTC pipeline. Russia's deals with Turkmenistan, in particular, also have the potential to affect the Nabucco natural gas pipeline project, which will transport natural gas from Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary as it is intended to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas...