Margelov leaves on African country-hopping visit

Margelov leaves on African country-hopping visit

Jul 4, 2011 13:29 Moscow Time

The Russian presidential envoy to Africa, Mikhail Margelov, is leaving on a week-long working visit to four African countries, namely Zimbabwe, Angola, Sudan and Ethiopia, to consult their leaders on bilateral relations and Libya.

He said as much in an interview with the Interfax news agency. Margelov added that he would also attend a ceremony to proclaim southern Sudan an independent country.

Zimbabwe: Russia Determined to Invest

5 July 2011

A SPECIAL envoy from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Mr Mikhail Margelov yesterday met President Mugabe at State House and declared that his country was back in Africa to cultivate ties with its traditional friends.

This is the first visit to Zimbabwe by a top Russian government official after almost a decade. Mr Margelov is the current chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of Russia.

He has also been a member of the European Democrat Group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Emerging from a closed door meeting with President Mugabe, Mr Margelov announced Russia's return to Africa.

"Russia is back to Africa. We were out for a decade. We want to develop co-operation with our traditional friends."

In Zimbabwe, Mr Margelov said Russia was ready to expand economic co-operation in such sectors as mining, agriculture and infrastructure development.

He singled out uranium and coal in mining though he said Russia could also be interested in other minerals. Mr Margelov said Russia also wanted to invest in the agriculture sector.

Last week, the Russian ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Andrey Kushakov said there was great interest from Russian state companies to increase their presence in Zimbabwe citing the energy sector and infrastructure development.

On politics, Mr Margelov said Africa should be left to solve its problems without outside interference.

"Only Africans have the right to solve their problems," he said.

Zimbabwe and Russia enjoy good relations dating back to the days of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.

Moscow provided moral and material support that helped liberation war fighters topple the colonial Ian Smith regime.

Russia has also blocked attempts by the US, Britain and their allies to use the United Nations system to legitimise the sanctions they imposed on Zimbabwe and take even more drastic action against Harare.

Moscow has continued to condemn the illegal sanctions imposed on Harare by the West calling for their unconditional removal.

RT News line, July 5

Russia to continue military cooperation with Syria

http://rt.com/politics/news-line/2011-07-05/#id13677
11:12

Russia sees no reason to stop military cooperation with crisis-stricken Syria, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said in his first interview since taking office. “The political situation in Syria is difficult, but we see no signs of the authorities losing control over the general development of the situation. In light of this, Russia will continue to cooperate with Syria, including in the military sphere, and keep its previous obligations,” Bogdanov said.

05 Jul 2011

Iran, Russia: Foreigners should stay out of Syria crisis

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20110705042018/Iran_Russia_Foreigners_should_stay_out_of_Syria_crisis
TEHRAN - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Reza Sajjadi, during a meeting in Moscow on Monday, called for the settlement of the political crisis in Syria without the intervention of foreign countries.

They highlighted the need for the restoration of stability in the crisis-hit country and said that Syria's internal issues should be resolved promptly through cooperation between Syrian political groups and government.

The two sides also expressed readiness to continue talks on developments in the Middle East to help the establishment of lasting peace and security in the region.

© Tehran Times 2011

Iran - Russia to sign $1.5 billion oil contract

http://news.google.com/news/search?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=iran+russia&cf=all&scoring=n
Trend News Agency (subscription) - ‎7 minutes ago‎

Iran and Russia recently signed a $1.5 billion agreement to construct a petrochemical complex in Assalouyeh, the Mehr News Agency reported. After three years of negotiations between National Iranian Petrochemical Company and a Russian oil company, ...

08:24 05/07/2011ALL NEWS

Meeting of Russia, NKorea leaders not on agenda now - Naryshkin.

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/179251.html

5/7 Tass 36

TOKYO, July 5 (Itar-Tass) — A meeting of the Russian and North Korean leaders is not on agenda at the present moment, the head of the Russian president’s administration, Sergei Naryshkin, said in Tokyo on Tuesday. Naryshkin ends on Tuesday a brief two-day visit to Tokyo.

Such a meeting “is not planned so far,” he said. Earlier, Japanese and South Korean media outlets widely reported that the Russian and North Korean leaders were due to meet in Vladivostok during President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit there, but the meeting was postponed at the last moment at the request of the North Korean side.

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang officially confirmed that they were preparing for such a meeting.

Gazprom delegation visits North Korea –KCNA

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3E7I505Y20110705
Tue Jul 5, 2011 2:24am GMT

SEOUL, July 5 (Reuters) - A delegation from Russia's Gazprom has visited North Korea, North Korea's central news agency reported late on Monday.

The trip follows a reported recent visit by Russia's spy chief to the North Korean capital to discuss economic projects involving North and South Korea, the world's second-largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) buyer after Japan.

"A delegation of Gazprom of Russia led by Deputy Managing Chairman Alexandr Ananenkov arrived here Monday," KCNA said, without elaborating.

According to a report by the Interfax news agency in May Foreign Intelligence Service director Mikhail Fradkov and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il discussed projects including a railway junction, a gas pipeline and a power line from Russia to South Korea via North Korea.

Russia and North Korea share a short border, but ties worsened and trade fell steeply after the collapse of the Communist Soviet Union in 1991.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il cancelled a visit to Russia last week because of worries about security following media reports about the trip, Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported last Thursday. (Reporting by Cho Mee-young; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)

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