Foreign Minister Lavrov: Inter-Syrian dialogue needs to be enlarged to make it truly representative; Russia has rules out talks with terrorists in Syria; Russia delivers a new humanitarian consignment for Syrian refugees; Russia warns against unilateral i
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  • According to reports, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition needs to be enlarged to make it truly representative and that the current dialogue is just the first step towards brining peace in Syria. 1

    Reports noted that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has dismissed reports that Russia is willing to talks to terrorists operating in Syria. He also declared that this stand is shared by all members of the G8. 2

    According to reports, Russia has delivered a 33 ton humanitarian consignment to Beirut for Syrian refugees. In 2013, the Russian Emergencies Ministry had sent over 200 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria and neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan. Another 70 ton was delivered to Palestinian refugees in Syria. 3

    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stressed on the importance of strict compliance with the Geneva Communiqué on Syria and felt that the US and some European countries are tempted to interpret the Communiqué in terms of changing the regime in Syria. 4

    Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said that the revocation of Iran’s invitation to take part in the Geneva-2 international peace conference on Syria was an “absolutely inadmissible thing” and will undermine international efforts on the Syrian crisis settlement. 5

    Reports noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barrack Obama have discussed the peace conference on Syria, over phone on January 21. They also touched upon a number of other issues, including implementation of deals to settle the Iranian nuclear problem and development of Russia-US trade and economic relations. 6

    Russia has called for non-interference in Ukraine’s internal affairs and said that the country should not be threatened with sanctions. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has also urged the West not to encourage actions of militants in Ukraine. 7

    According to reports, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Russia seeks to develop cooperation with Norway. He spoke after a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Borge Brende on January 20 in Moscow. Prospects of bilateral cooperation, including power industry, fisheries, environmental protection, nuclear and radiation safety, the strengthening of contacts between the northern regions and in the border areas, Russia's economic and scientific presence at the Spitzbergen archipelago and topical humanitarian problems, were discussed. 8

    Russia’s embassy in Kiev has refuted Ukrainian media reports about alleged arrival of Russian riot police in Kiev. 9

    According to reports, Russian president’s aide Yuri Ushakov has said that the Russia-EU summit, scheduled for January 28, will primarily focus on trade and economic cooperation, the situation around Syria and Iran’s nuclear programme. The two sides will also discuss prospects of EU-Russia relations, visa free travel, Eurasian integration processes, Partnership for Modernization initiative, Third Energy package, South Stream pipeline and Russia’s G20 and G8 presidencies. 10

    According to reports, Foreign Minister Lavrov has said that Russian must do everything to ensure stability in the Balkans. He observed that there exist a lot of problems in the region wherein he referred to the emergence of Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr. Lavrov that Russia supports the process of forging relationship between Belgrade and Pristina. 11

    According to reports, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja has said that Finland upholds prospects for introducing visa free formalities between the European Union and Russia. 12

    Foreign Ministers of Russia and Germany Sergey Lavrov and Frank-Walter Steinmeier have discussed, over the phone, the current situation in Ukraine and problems of Syrian settlement. 13

    Russian Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Sergey Donskoy has said that Russia is exploring the possibility of establishing a multi-discipline research and development center on the Svalbard archipelago in Norway in order to study climate change. 14

    Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Sergey Donskoy has said that Russia will start financing modernization of its stations and bases in the Antarctic by 2015. 15

    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Russia seeks the United Nations’ central role in efforts towards normalizing the situation in Afghanistan. These were his opening remarks during the talks with Jan Kubis, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in Moscow on January 21. 16

    Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and Belarusian First Vice-Premier Vladimir Semashko have synchronized plans on joint projects in different fields. These include plans for plans of Roselektronika and Integral, MAZ and KamAZ, Peleng and Roskosmos, as well as of companies Grodno Azot and EuraKhim. 17

    Foreign Ministers of Russia and Palestine, Sergei Lavrov and Riyad al-Maliki, have signed three documents - on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs affairs, on cooperation between the interior ministries and a memorandum on mutual understanding between the healthcare ministries. These agreements were signed during the visit of President Mahmoud Abbas to Moscow on january24. 18

    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that cooperation between Moscow and Beijing in 2013 was an important factor in balancing international relations and that Russia’s deeper integration in the Asian-Pacific region is a national priority for the whole of 21st century. 19

    Russia and Tajikistan have held the 12th session of their intergovernmental commission (IGC) meeting for economic cooperation in Dushanbe on January 25. Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at US$ 1 billion in 2013. A total of 18 items were on the agenda. 20

    In other developments, according to reports, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told the Japanese Parliament that Japan and Russia will continue discussing prospects for a future peace treaty. Mr. Abe is expected to visit Russia in February for the Olympic opening ceremony in Sochi. 21

    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed hope that the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean will become a visa-free zone for Russian travellers in the foreseeable future. At present, 11 countries of Latin America have introduced visa-free regulations for Russian tourists with Paraguay being the latest to do so. In the past, Russia has actively cooperated with a number of integration structures in the region, including the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Union of South American Nations. 22

    Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov has said that Russia experienced zero growth in industrial output in 2013. This comes in the backdrop of Russia’s overall economic growth slowing down to 1.3 per cent in 2013, it’s lowest since the global recession of 2009. 23

    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has outlined the priorities of Russia’s G8 presidency, listing among them fight against extremism and drug threat, as well as health protection and management of risks connected with natural calamities. 24

    Deputy Premier Dmitry Rogozin has said that specific proposals to set up the strategic aerospace defence systems holding will be worked out in the next few weeks. These include both the ‘information’ and ‘fire’ systems. 25

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