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Russian Upper House Ratifies Armenia’s Entry to EEU

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federation_councilMOSCOW—Russia’s parliamentary upper house, the Federation Council, ratified a treaty for Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union on Wednesday, TASS reports.

The accord was signed at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Union by the presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia in Minsk on October 10. The deal is a basic document determining agreements between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on the terms of Armenia’s joining the Eurasian Economic Union seeking to lay a legal basis for functioning of the common Union.

The accord sets Armenia to become a full-fledged member of the Eurasian Economic Union, after all ratification procedures are complete by member states, no earlier than on January 1, 2015.

Armenia is also obligated to revise its agreements with the World Trade Organization (WTO) before joining, which could mean possible termination of its membership.

The Kazakh and Belarusian parliaments have yet to ratify the treaty, but are expected to approve it in the coming weeks. Armenia’s parliament approved the agreement earlier this month with an overwhelming majority of votes in favor.

Israel must explain airstrikes on Syria: Russia

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389289_Alexander-LukashevichThe Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed grave concern over Israel’s recent airstrike against Syria, calling on Tel Aviv to provide explanation regarding the military aggression.

“Moscow is deeply worried by this dangerous development, the circumstances of which demand an explanation,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.

Russia has sent a letter to the UN complaining about Israel’s “aggressive action,” stressing that such attacks should not take place in the future, he added.

Israeli warplanes carried out two air assaults against an area of the Damascus International Airport and another airport in the town of Dimas on Sunday.

The Syrian army issued a statement later in the day, saying the airstrikes by Tel Aviv were aimed at helping the ISIL Takfiri terrorists operating in the Arab country.

The Damascus International Airport is located southeast of the Syrian capital near areas such as Eastern Ghouta, where the ISIL militants have gained control over much of the Syrian territory.

Israel has carried out several airstrikes in Syria since the start of the conflict in the country in 2011.

 

Russia plans inclusive negotiations on Syria conflict

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388887_Muallem-PutinRussia is planning to host a series of meetings on Syria conflict after efforts at the international level to hammer out a peace deal failed in Geneva earlier this year. report Presstv

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Friday said Moscow is conducting preliminary consultations for such negotiations.

The talks, according to him, would be all-encompassing with representatives from both the government and the Western-backed opposition engaged in peace-making process.

Last week, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem travelled to the Russian capital, Moscow, where he reportedly discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin ways to re-launch peace talks.

Moscow has also increased its diplomatic efforts to convince various regional stakeholders, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to engage in another series of talks along the lines of previous international meetings.

According to reports, Egypt is also engaged in the preparations for such talks as it could serve as a mediator between Moscow and Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

Russian sources say Cairo has intensified its correspondence with Arab governments to endorse the projected conference.

Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy to Syria, is also likely to be actively involved in this process.

In late October, de Mistura visited Moscow for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He then traveled to Damascus and Cairo to coordinate issues related to the conference.

If the meeting is held, the Syrian government will be represented by Muallem, while Moaz al-Khatib, the former head of the so-called opposition National Council, may represent Syria’s opposition.

 

Serbia, Russia’s position on Kosovo “firm and reliable”

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Source: Beta, Tanjug

1732344206547f2fc1187af373247481_v4bigBELGRADE — Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Chepurin has said that his country’s position not to recognize Kosovo as independent was “firm and reliable.”

“It’s a firm and reliable position and we have proved that many times,” he said during a panel dubbed, “From Kosovo to Crimea: Unilateralism and Manipulations of the Right to Self-Determination.”

Chepurin added that “here Russia supports the Serbs,” and would continue to do so.

“Russia’s stance is clear and firm and that is a tradition that does not change,” he said, when asked “under which circumstances” his country would recognize Kosovo.

“There is UN Security Council Resolution 1244, legally binding for everyone in the world, and its essence is that Kosovo is under the sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia,” he added.

“In line with all valid international documents, Kosovo is a part of Serbia,” the Russian diplomat said, and added that “the relationship between Belgrade and Priština represents a completely different issue.”

He argued that, conversely, no such resolution regulates the status of Crimea – a peninsula gifted to Ukraine by Nikita Khrushchev, when both Russia and Ukraine were part of the Soviet Union. Chepurin added that the move was not line with the Soviet Constitution.

“Kosovo never before the Second World War had the territory that it has today. Crimea has a statehood tradition going back to the 15th century,” he said.

Chepurin also stated that a coup took place in Kiev and that the new authorities did not receive the backing from all regions of Ukraine.

“The new authorities undertook unilateral steps that diminished Crimea’s autonomy. Later 96 percent of the population of Crimea voted in favor of independence,” he said.

Speaking about the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center in the southern Serbian town of Nis, Chepurin stressed that it was “neither a military base nor an espionage center of any kind.”

“The agreement on the center was signed a long time ago and this is not about signing something new, but about signing annexes,” he explained, and added that Russia will earmark USD 102 million by 2017 for humanitarian assistance to Serbia.

He asked “why the personnel at the center would not be offered some kind of paper, a document,” but rejected that it would mean giving the Russian experts stationed there diplomatic status.

“Why is the Russian humanitarian center being shown in a negative light,” he wondered, and noted that Russia previously helped Serbia clear its territory of bombs left over from NATO’s attacks in 1999, and also provided assistance during natural disasters.

The ambassador announced that a report on the work of the center will be presented on December 13, and that the equipment that has been acquired for it will be shown then.

“Everything is transparent at the center, I have invited many ambassadors to come and see for themselves,” Chepurin concluded.

Helicopter Was Downed with Russia-Made Weapons

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HakopyanSTEPANAKERT—Azerbaijan used Russian-made anti-aircraft weapons to down an Artsakh military helicopter last Wednesday, the commander of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Armed Forces, General Movses Hakobian told Azatutyun.am on Monday.

“Our observations and information released by Azerbaijan indicate that a ‘Strela’ anti-aircraft missile was used. These are Russian-made missiles,” said Hakobian adding that there is no agreement that says Russian cannot sells weapons to any nation. “There are no restrictions that it [Russia] has to be accountable to Armenia about to which country it chooses to sell weapons.”

“Of course it is sad. We are allies and strategic partners and I believe that Russia, in advancing its economic interests, must also take into account our interests. Something that is not being realized,” added Hakobian.

Artsakh’s top military commander also stressed that due to the intensive and continued shelling by the Azerbaijani forces in the area where the helicopter went down, Karabakh officials have not been able to inspect the wreckage. However, Hakobian stressed that the helicopter fell in an area between the Karabakh-Azerbaijan border often referred to as the Line of Contact.

Hakobian said that the Karabakh authorities have on numerous occasions said that the situation resembles war more than peace and that Azerbaijan continues to attack from its positions. He explained that entering the area where the helicopter was shot down is risky and dangerous, adding that Azerbaijan knows full well that “our intentions are to enter that very area, which is under their immediate control.”

Hakobian stressed that the army was still strategizing its next steps, but will not publicize them.

“No threat will go unanswered,” said Hakobian.

Russia, US React to Helicopter Downing

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osce-hq-viennaMOSCOW, WASHINGTON—Russia, together with other co-chairing countries of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group, will continue targeted efforts in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokesman said Thursday, a day after Azerbaijani forces shot down an unarmed Artsakh military helicopter, killing three people.“Russia calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from moves which could lead to the escalation of tensions,” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday, TASS reports.

“We are very concerned about the incident which has led to the deaths of people. We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” Lukashevich said, adding that Russia’s stance was reflected in the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group on November 12.

The spokesman said that Russia reminds the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia of their “responsibility towards complying with their commitments on searching for a peaceful resolution of the conflict which they took at the meeting in Sochi, Newport and Paris.”

The United States and the European Union similarly echoed international mediators’ concerns of an escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resulting from Wednesday’s incident.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, also called for an inquiry into the incident which could lead to another upsurge in fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) reports.

“It is essential that all sides show restraint and avoid any actions or statements which could escalate the situation. Furthermore, we call for an investigation into this incident,” read a statement issued by Mogherini’s office late on Wednesday.

“Both sides have to strictly respect the ceasefire, to refrain from the use of force or any threat thereof, and to resume efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” added the statement.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki similarly said that the incident is “yet another reminder” of the need to reduce tensions in the conflict zone. There can be “no military solution to the conflict,” Psaki told reporters in Washington.

“We urge all sides to respect the ceasefire and not to take any actions to escalate the situation,” Kate Byrnes, the acting head of the U.S. mission to the OSCE, said on Thursday.

Byrnes spoke at a meeting of the OSCE’s governing Permanent Council in Vienna, which discussed the Karabakh conflict and the downing of the Armenian helicopter in particular. The U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group briefed the council on their ongoing efforts to revive the Karabakh peace process.

“A wider conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is in no one’s interest,” James Warlick, the U.S. co-chair tweeted ahead of the Vienna meeting.

NATO also warned against an escalation in violence. The incident “is absolutely not conducive to the peaceful resolution of this conflict,” NATO’s Liason Officer in the South Caucasus William Lahue told reporters on the sidelines of a workshop for reporters organized within the framework of NATO Week in Armenia.

“Military actions serve to inhibit the ability of the parties to resolve such a conflict,” he said, adding that “NATO would like to see the parties engaged in peaceful negotiations and discussions to resolve this conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group format.”

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to honor their 20-year-old truce on Thursday, Reuters reports.
The OSCE, which has led talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the war, said it should not lead to new violence.

“The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter … appeals to the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia to do their utmost to prevent such incidents and to honor the ceasefire regime,” the OSCE said in a statement.

Footage from the Azeri side showed the helicopter explode in the air over the neutral zone between the two sides and officials said the three crew members were killed.

Armenia promised “painful” consequences for Azerbaijan after it downed the helicopter, which had been carrying out training exercises.

The Azeri defense ministry said an army officer had been honored for shooting down the aircraft.

Russia, Serbia To Hold Joint Military Drills

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By RFE/RL’s Balkan Service

November 06, 2014

BELGRADE — Russia and Serbia are preparing to hold their first-ever joint antiterrorist exercises on Serbian territory.

RFE/RL’s correspondent in Belgrade reports that six IL-76 aircraft from Russia arrived at a Belgrade airport on November 6.

Russian media quoted Defense Ministry officials in Moscow on November 5 as saying units from paratroopers in Tula will take part in the joint maneuvers, which are scheduled in the coming days.

The exercises will be held near the city of Nikinci in the northern province of Vojvodina.

Serbian military analyst Ljubodrag Stojadinovic told RFE/RL that joint maneuvers with Russian troops on this scale have never been held in Serbia.

He added that in holding the maneuvers, Moscow is trying to demonstrate that it has allies in Europe.

Russia test-fires Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile

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Topol-MThe Russian Strategic Missile Forces test-fired on Saturday a Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile from a launch site in northwestern Russia, the country’s Defense Ministry said, according to RIA Novosti.

“The (MBR) RT-2PM2 ,Topol-M’, a silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile, was launched on November 1, at 9:20 a.m. [local time, or 6:20 GMT] from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,” the ministry said in a statement.

The launch was carried out to test Topol-M’s technical features. According to the statement, the missile demonstrated its high precision capabilities and overall good performance, hitting a designated target at a test range on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula.

The Defense Ministry said previously that Topol-M and RS-24 ballistic missiles would be the mainstays of the ground-based component of Russia’s nuclear triad and would account for no less than 80 percent of the SMF’s arsenal by 2016.

Iraq PM to visit Iran for talks on fight against ISIL

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Iraq-RussiaIraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi is to visit Iran on Monday for talks on Baghdad’s battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), which holds swathes of the country, his office said.

The one-day trip is part of Abadi’s bid “to unite the efforts of the region and the world to help Iraq in its war against the terrorist group,” it said in a statement issued on Sunday.

The visit also aims to strengthen cooperation between the two neighbors “in the fields of energy, and housing and construction,” among other areas.

Iraq is fighting to push back ISIL, which overran much of the country’s Sunni Arab heartland in a lightning offensive in June.

Tehran is a key backer of the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

According to senior Iraqi Kurdish officials, it has deployed troops on the Iraqi side of the border in the Khanaqin area northeast of Baghdad.

They say Iranian forces also played a role in the Shiite Turkmen town of Amerli, where security forces and allied militiamen broke a months-long jihadist siege at the end of August.

Evidence also indicates that Iran sent Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack jets to Iraq, though it is unclear who subsequently piloted the aircraft.

A US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against ISIL in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, where the jihadists also hold major territory.

Washington and its allies have also sent military advisers to assist Baghdad’s forces.

Abadi has repeatedly stated that he opposes the presence of foreign ground forces in Iraq.

Russia, Ukraine Reach Tentative Agreement On Gas Deliveries

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photo_verybig_164182Russia and Ukraine made a progress in reaching an agreement on the gas supplies row, reports Reuters.

European leaders, however, said Moscow has to significantly increase its efforts to support the ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine.

The deal aims at re-opening Russian gas supplies to Ukraine ahead of the cold winter months.

It came as something of a surprise following an initial round of talks in Milan described by Kremlin officials as “full of misunderstandings and disagreements”.

Later Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said a subsequent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of France and Germany had made some progress in resolving the issues.

“We have the first limited progress on the gas issue. We have agreed on the main parameters of the contract,” he said, adding that all sides remain committed to a ceasefire deal struck last month to stop the hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

He also said that he hoped all details to be further discussed before October 21, when delegations of Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission are due to meet in Brussels.

According to Putin, all parameters of the deal were already discussed and settled and urged the European countries to help Ukraine cover its gas debt to Russia, which was estimated at USD 4.5 B.