Russia’s Security Council Secretary to visit India to discuss improved cooperation in various fields; India regrets cancellation of naval drill with Russia; Russia-Ukraine reach a breakthrough in their sea border talks; Russia is concerned about ‘dispropo
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • Reports noted that Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev will arrive in India on June 6, 2011 on a one-day visit. Secretary Patrushev, who will lead a Russian delegation, will discuss military and technical cooperation, as well as interaction in the power industry, space research, and international and regional security issues. His agenda includes meetings with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and national security officials.1

    Meanwhile, according to reports, the Indian Navy is disappointed with Russia's last- minute cancellation of joint naval drills in the Pacific Ocean in April. The Indian Navy task force consisting of three destroyers - INS Delhi, INS Ranvir, and INS Ranvijay, corvette INS Kirch, and tanker INS Jyoti called at Pacific Fleet's main base in Vladivostok on April 18-23. Russia reported the arrival of Indian warships as a friendly visit, but the Indian side claims the program of the visit originally included joint drills, which were cancelled by the Russians at the last moment. According to the Indian admiral, the Russian authorities explained that the cancellation was made in view of the incidents that had taken place in Japan at the time i.e. the double natural disaster and the following nuclear crisis.2

    In another development, Russia and Ukraine have reached a breakthrough in their talks on maritime border delimitation. A qualitative breakthrough has been achieved on the issue of the Kerch Strait and a fundamental understanding with the Ukrainian leadership on how to resolve this problem has been established. The Ukrainian-Russian border in the Kerch Strait, which links the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea, remains undefined since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ukraine unilaterally established a maritime border with Russia in the 1990s, saying it was based on the Soviet-era administrative border between the two republics. Russia has repeatedly denied the existence of Soviet administrative borders and called for shared use of the Kerch Strait. In the summer of 2003, a bitter dispute broke out between Russia and Ukraine over the Tuzla Island in the middle of the Kerch Strait, which came to a head when Russia tried to construct a spit connecting the island. Ukraine accused Russia of encroaching on its territory.3

    According to reports, Moscow is alarmed over NATO's disproportionate use of force in Libya and the alliance's clear support for one side in the Libyan conflict according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov. Moscow is concerned "over increasingly frequent disproportionate use of military force in the country where the nature and the parameters of interference from outside have been clearly defined by the UN decisions," Ivanov said. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing a no-fly zone over Libya on March 17, paving the way for a military operation against embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi which began two days later. The command of the operation was shifted from a U.S.-led international coalition to NATO in late March. By supporting the UN Security Council resolution on Libya, Russia proceeded from the fact that it was aimed at strengthening peace and preventing the escalation of the conflict and the death of civilians, he said .4

    Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov has warned that NATO's Libya campaign is "one step" away from sending in ground troops to assist antigovernment forces battling Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. Ivanov, speaking at an Asian forum on June 5, criticized the expansion of military intervention in Libya, saying that while Moscow initially supported the move "of course we didn't mean that [ground intervention] when supporting the resolution." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier cautioned that Moscow will not support any moves by the international community that would lead to "a further escalation of a civil war by any means, including outside intervention." Prime Minister Vladmir Putin has also been critical of the Western-led campaign, saying it "resembles medieval calls for crusades."
    Russia abstained from voting on the March UN resolution authorizing force to protect civilians in Libya.5

    Reports noted that fueled by harsh words from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Moscow's decision to ban all European vegetable imports because of a deadly E. coli outbreak is now threatening to derail relations with Brussels just days before a summit with EU leaders. Putin spoke of "poisonous" cucumbers in defending the ban. This may be against "the spirit of the WTO … but cucumbers that people die from after eating really stink," Putin told a gathering of rail executives in Sochi. Putin was adamant that the ban would not be lifted before the Europeans pinpointed the source of the infection, which has killed at least 18 people and sickened 1,836 since May 2, mainly in northern Germany. However, no one has been reported ill in Russia amid the outbreak, which health experts blame on a new strain of E. coli.6

    According to the spokesman for the EU delegation to Moscow Denis Daniilidis, a new visa agreement between Russia and Europe's Schengen zone could significantly reduce red tape and travel restrictions by next year — but only for professionals, not tourists, a European diplomat said Thursday. The deal could cover lawmakers, businessmen, journalists, members of central and regional governments — along with their families — and representatives of nongovernmental organizations. Reports noted that the agreement, which would be strictly based on reciprocity, granting equal visa opportunities to Russians and citizens of Schengen member states, could be signed by the end of the year. A signing would mark a rare and much-needed success in the long and cumbersome negotiations between Moscow and the 27-member block. It would also follow a similar EU-Russia agreement that came into force in 2007 and limited the times and fees for visa processing. The latest round of talks started after Spain pushed for the abolition of visa requirements in January 2010.7

    Reports noted that a revamped digital version of the venerable Soyuz spacecraft was winched into place at its launch pad Sunday for its second manned run to the International Space Station. With the U.S. shuttle due to make its farewell voyage in July, the Russian craft takes on renewed importance as the only available lifeline to space. The new model of the Soyuz craft first blasted off in October from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. By modernizing the operating control system, developers of the Soyuz have made the craft lighter and therefore able to carry up more cargo. It will be several years before NASA replaces its shuttle fleet, leaving it wholly reliant on the Russian space program to transport its personnel .8

    According to reports, Russia may start buying Ukrainian-built An-70 prop-fan military transport aircraft in 2012-2013. A final decision on the purchase of the An-70 will be made by a state commission on the basis of the tests results. The An-70 is a medium-range prop-fan-powered military transport plane developed by Ukraine's Antonov design bureau. The Antonov Company first tested a prototype An-70 in 1994, but a lack of Ukrainian state funds, and political disputes between Moscow and Kiev have prevented large-scale production of the aircraft. The recent thaw in Russian-Ukrainian relations saw Moscow renew long-stalled funding to Ukraine in 2009 for eventual joint production of the plane, although the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said last year it would not finance the project. There are up to 300 transport aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force, including An-12 Cub, Il-76MD and An-124 Condor transport aircraft. The An-70 is intended to replace Russia's ageing An-12 aircraft. Russian Airborne Troops Commander Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov said last year that his service had ordered 40 An-70 planes under the new state arms procurement program for 2011-2020.9

    In other developments, a fire, possibly sparked by a discarded cigarette, engulfed an Urals arms depot over the weekend, injuring at least 95 people and prompting 2,000 others to seek psychological help. The military sources noted that no one was killed in the blaze. 10

    Top