India and Russia to conduct a joint military exercise; Russia has reiterated its support to India’s candidature for permanent member of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO); President Putin has outlined the priorities of his government’s domestic and f
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    • According to reports, Russian paratroopers from the Eastern Military District will take part in an annual joint anti-terrorism exercise with India, dubbed Indra-2013, during October 18-28 in the Mahajan firing range in India. 1

    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Russia supports India's application to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and that the two countries intend to pool the efforts to ward off the threats emanating from Afghanistan. 2

    President Putin has outlined the priorities of his government’s domestic and foreign policy which include resolving the Syrian crisis, ensuring stable economic growth and undertake other domestic reforms. 3

    Reports noted that Russian Vice-Premier Arkadiy Dvorkovich in a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, held in Kyoto on October 6, 2013, has discussed the prospects of increasing Russia’s bilateral economic cooperation with Japan, including technological investments, personnel training and localization of projects in Russia. 4

    Russia has successfully launched the Proton-M rocket with Astra-2E satellite from Baikonur space station on September 30, 2013. 5

    Russian President’s Middle East envoy Mikhail Bogdanov has said that Russia is concerned about radical opposition in Syria staging ‘provocations’ during the process of eliminating chemical weapons. 6

    Head of Russia’s anti-drug service Viktor Ivanov has said that contractors who are fighting in Syria pose a big threat in smuggling drugs throughout the Caucasian region. 7

    In other development, according to reports, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius has said that Lithuania can block railway and motor services between Russia and the Kaliningrad Region if Moscow does not stop pressurising its neighbours. 8

    The United States is expected to leapfrog Russia as the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas in 2013 due to a surge in US fuel production driven by shale hydrocarbon technology advances. 9

    Russian presidential adviser Sergei Glazyev has said that Ukraine can face default in 2014 if it signs the Association Agreement with the EU since Russia will stop providing loans and investments to the country as a direct outcome of the agreement. He also predicted social and political destabilization of Ukraine. 10

    A subsidiary of Rosatom has signed a contract with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission on October 2, 2013 to design the Rooppur nuclear power plant (160 kms north-west from Dhaka), wherein the construction is expected to be completed by 2020 at a cost of US$ 10 billion and a combined output of 2,000 megawatts. A majority of the money is to be given to Bangladesh by Russia on preferential terms11

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