Russian firms 'interested in Jordan mega-projects'

Russian firms 'interested in Jordan mega-projects'

AMMAN -- The 10th Annual Russian Industrial Exhibition started on Monday with the participation of nearly 37 companies.

"This year we brought firms that can take part in the mega-projects Jordan plans to implement in the fields of energy, railway and water," Kabariti told The Jordan Times yesterday, adding these companies have also the capability to finance such projects.

Svetlana Zabelina, director of the exhibition, remarked that 20 other companies were supposed to take part in the expo but they cancelled their participation due to the political unrest in the region.

"We were shocked by these last minute cancellation because Jordan is stable and the Russian foreign ministry encouraged them to participate in the event," she added.

Kabariti indicated that many Jordanian firms benefited from previous exhibitions by being able to enter the Russian market, particularly Dead Sea products, in addition to other firms, which signed contracts with their Russian peers to represent them in Jordan and the region.

He noted that the exhibitions also contributed to raising trade exchange between the two countries, indicating that trade volumes reached $600 million last year, in favour of Russia, mainly wheat from the former Soviet Union Republic.

Among participating companies is the Russian Railways company (Zarubezhstroy Technology), which is implementing the railway network linking the Libyan cities of Sirt and Benghazi with a cost of 2.2 billion euros and a length of 1,219 kilometres.

Officials at the company stressed their keenness to take part in the National Railway Network the Kingdom plans to carry out next year to connect Jordan with its neighbouring countries.

On the sidelines of the expo, members of the Jordanian-Russian Business Council called for establishing a trade centre for the Kingdom in Moscow to promote Jordanian made products.

The annual exhibition is organised by JCC, Zarubezh Expo and the International Association of Peace Foundations.

© Jordan Times 2011

Russia delivers humanitarian aid for Libyan refugees in Tunisia

A Russian emergency situations ministry's aircraft with humanitarian aid for Libyan refugees landed in Tunisia on early Tuesday, a spokesman for the ministry said.

"The Russian emergencies ministry's plane landed at the Djerba airport at 0:25 Moscow time [21:25 GMT Monday]. The Il-76 aircraft has delivered another batch of humanitarian cargo," the spokesman said.

This is the second plane from the Russian emergencies ministry with humanitarian cargo for Libyan refugees in Tunisia. The first plane delivered on Sunday food, nourishment for children and tents.

The unrest in Libya began on February 15, following the ouster of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt. Libyans are demanding an end to its leader Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule. Up to 6,000 people had been killed in the anti-government clashes, according to the international human rights organizations.

MOSCOW, March 8 (RIA Novosti)

March 08, 2011 10:59

Russia sends more humanitarian aid for Libyan refugees to Tunisia

MOSCOW. March 8 (Interfax) - Russia has delivered another shipment of humanitarian aid for Libyan refugees to Tunisia.

"An Il-76 plane belonging to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry landed at the airport of Djerba (Tunisia) at 0:25 a.m. Moscow time," the ministry told Interfax on Tuesday.

The plane delivered 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including sugar, baby food, and other food products, and also tents, it said.

Russia had earlier delivered 34 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Libyan refugees to Tunisia.

2nd RME plane brings supplies for Libyan refugees

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=16019959&PageNum=0

08.03.2011, 02.12

TUNIS, March 8 (Itar-Tass) - A plane of the Russian Ministry for Emergencies (RME) with humanitarian aid supplies for refugees from Libya has arrived at the Tunisian island of Djerba. The IL-76, which landed at the Zarzis international airport, delivered 34 tonnes of necessary supplies, including tents, medicines, and food.

This is a second plane with humanitarian supplies from Russia. The supplies will be brought to an area which borders on Jamahiriyah for numerous refugees who in plight there.

The first RME plane arrived at Djerba on March 6. Since the flare up of unrest and combat actions in Libya, more than 100,000 people of various nationalities have crossed into Tunisia. A continuous evacuation of refugees, mainly Egyptians, as well as nationals of other countries, is being carried out through the efforts of European Union countries, as well as the United States.

The Tunisian army ensures order at the border which is located at a distance of 175 km from Tripoli, and coordinates the accommodation and provision of refugees with necessities. There are about 15,000 people at the Shusha refugee tent camp, 7 km from the Ras el-Jedir main border crossing point. The delivered supplies are intended mainly for those people.

8 March 2011 Last updated at 01:22 GMT

Sevastopol: Russian fleet stirs passions in Ukraine

By Daniel Sandford Moscow correspondent, BBC News

Last April the Ukrainian government signed an agreement allowing Russia's Black Sea Fleet to continue using Sevastopol as a base.

Amid angry scenes in the parliament in Kiev, it extended Russia's lease until 2042, in exchange for cheaper gas.

Colourful competition

Walking around Sevastopol almost one year on, the Russian tricolour flies proudly from Navy buildings and private apartments, while the yellow and blue of Ukraine flutters over the city hall.

The dockyard cranes, also painted yellow and blue, tower over Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Even at the World War II memorial, the Ukrainian wreaths seem to be competing to outdo the Russian ones.

It's all evidence that, despite the uneasy peace that reigns in Sevastopol, strong passions linger just beneath the surface.

A strategic military port

From the many viewpoints in the city you can look down on the inlets of the famous natural harbour.

Nestling in the shelter of the hills you can see the dark grey Russian ships, often moored alongside ships of the small Ukrainian navy.

Sevastopol was founded by Russia in 1783 and has remained an important strategic military port ever since.

In nearby Balaklava an extraordinary James Bond-style submarine cave was carved into the seacliffs.

But in 1954, when the Soviet Union seemed inviolable, the Crimean peninsula was transferred for administrative purposes from the Russian Soviet Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic.

When Ukraine broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991 it took Crimea, and Sevastopol, with it.

The Soviet Navy split up. Officers had to decide whether to serve in the Russian Navy or the Ukrainian Navy.

One of those who chose to serve his native Ukraine was former Captain Vadim Makhno.

On a bluff overlooking the harbour he told me that he understood that Sevastopol was not very Ukrainian, but he explained that it was not in his countrymen's nature to give things up.

"I can't imagine a mechanism which will let Sevastopol become a part of Russia without blood being spilt," Captain Makhno said.

"Nobody here thinks seriously about attacking Russia, but to just give something away is impossible. The Russians need to think about whether they really need the fleet here."

Russian symbol

But Sevastopol is a potent symbol for the Russian navy, and for politicians in Moscow.

They have bought themselves time by the agreement that allows them to use facilities in the city until 2042, but they have not bought a solution.

Vladimir Solovyov was a Rear Admiral in the Russian navy. He is retired now but still works in Sevastopol.

However he is not a Ukrainian citizen so he needs to leave the country and re-enter on a new migration card every three months.

Like many Russians he believes that one day Sevastopol will return to Russia.

"They understand in Ukraine that for Russia Sevastopol is not just another port, it is a symbol of Russia," he told me.

"Sevastopol can be a city of two countries but it is unthinkable without Russia."

There is no sign that Sevastopol is about to become a source of violent conflict like the one seen in Georgia in 2008.

But the issue is like a bomb on a slow fuse and at some point it will need to be resolved.