Russia urges the Syrian leadership to more actively implement Kofi Annan's plan; Duma to have parliamentary hearings on direct gubernatorial polls; Putin expresses his willingness to discuss the President’s term restrictions; Nicaragua expresses its grati
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    • (April 9-15, 2012)

    According to reports, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has urged the Syrian leadership to more actively implement Kofi Annan's plan which includes full and complete ceasefire and the establishment of an effective monitoring mechanism. 1

    Reports noted that the State Duma will hold parliamentary hearings on direct gubernatorial polls as part of a set of reforms aimed at making people participate in the electoral process. 2 Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is reportedly willing to discuss the exclusion of the word “consecutive” from the regulation on the limitation of the presidential powers to two terms in office. 3

    According to reports, the Nicaraguan government has praised Russia’s relief wheat supplies amounting to a total of 50,400 tonnes of wheat grain in the last six months and hoped that ties with Russia can now be strengthened. 4

    Reports noted that Russia plans to organize the G8 summit in the Skolkovo innovation centre in 2014 where it will chair the session. 5

    According to reports, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos has called for international cooperation to develop a manned space exploration flight to the Mars. This comes in the backdrop of the failure of its Phobos Grunt Mars mission. 6

    In other develoepmts, according to reports, Russia has opposed new sanctions against North Korea over the launch of a rocket and has called for the UNSC to debate the current situation. It has also urged North Korea “to avoid actions, which lead to the escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. 7

    Meanwhile President elect Putin has said that new shelf projects would attract around US$ 500 billion dollars to Russia in the next 30 years including projects related to extraction of oil and gas. 8

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