Russia 091204 Basic Political Developments

AFP: Russia 'ready to support' new US Afghan plan: Medvedev

Moscow is ready to support the new US strategy for the Afghanistan war by letting troops transit Russian territory and helping with training and economic projects, President Dmitry Medvedev says.

"We are ready to support these efforts, guarantee the transit [of troops], take part in economic projects and train police and the military," Medvedev said at a press conference with Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday.

Moscow and Washington reached an agreement in July allowing the United States to launch up to 4,500 US flights a year over Russia, opening a major supply route for American operations in Afghanistan.

Previously Russia had only allowed the United States to ship non-lethal military supplies across its territory by train.

Medvedev added that he had been informed by Barack Obama of his intention to deploy another 30,000 troops in the war against the Taliban prior to the US president's announcement on Tuesday.

Moscow has said however it has no intention of sending troops to Afghanistan. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and withdrew 10 years later after a bitter conflict.

Medvedev said Russia was ready to continue work on Soviet-era economic projects and help to build the Afghan military and police - a focus of a new US strategy to beat back the Taliban insurgency.

International peacekeeping operations to stabilise fragile Afghanistan were important, he said, but history had shown that only Afghans could build their country.

"All attempts to create a state through foreign methods will fail," he said. "That is how it was in the 20th century and I am sure it will be like that now."

Afghanistan's US and European allies play a vital peacekeeping role, he said. But, "only the government of Afghanistan can establish order in the country."

"I hope that [President Hamid] Karzai will work towards this," the Russian leader said.

Medvedev arrived late Wednesday for meetings with the Italian government. He is due to be received by Pope Benedict XVI later Thursday.

AFP

Reuters: Medvedev Says Afghan Peace Vital

Reuters

“We are obliged to help in Afghanistan. … What the armies of the United States and Europe are doing [in Afghanistan] is peacekeeping. This is very important because a threat for all Europe came from Afghanistan,” Medvedev said.

Speaking at a news conference in Rome after meeting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Medvedev made some of his most positive remarks about the prospect of bringing peace to Afghanistan since U.S. President Barack Obama announced an increase in American troops there two days earlier.

“President Obama, as a partner, called me and spoke to me of his new ideas for the work to be done in Afghanistan. I appreciated this. This is a serious position, and we are ready to support the efforts of our partners, even with the possibility of transit that Russia permits,” he said.

Russia already permits military cargo headed for Afghanistan to be moved across Russian territory.

Medvedev said Russia was willing to help Afghanistan in its efforts to transform its economy, its military and its police forces, without giving details.

“There will be a contribution from us, but only the government there can place order in its own country,” he said, adding that he had spoken recently to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

More than 20 countries plan to send more troops to Afghanistan following Obama’s increased commitment to the war, NATO said Thursday, but the overall number falls short of U.S. expectations.

On Tuesday, Obama announced that he would send 30,000 more U.S. troops to join the fight against the Taliban-led insurgency, and Washington wants up to 7,000 more troops from its allies.

The Moscow Times: Medvedev Secures 19 Deals in Rome

By Maria Antonova

President Dmitry Medvedev made his third trip to Italy this year on Thursday, talking energy and politics with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The set of 19 deals resulting from the meeting in Rome looks similar to the package resulting from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's recent visit to France. The documents include agreements on cooperation in culture, transportation, education, alternative energy, agriculture and space.

Tire maker Pirelli and Russian Technologies put some finishing touches on their pending agreement to jointly build a tire-producing factory in the Samara region, home of Russian auto giant AvtoVAZ. The deal established the 50-50 joint venture that will start building the plant in the second half of 2010 and "acquire an already existing factory, which is currently being identified" among a few potentials.

The venture's goal is to produce at least 4 million tires annually within five years. Total investment "will amount to about 300 million euros [$453 million]," the companies said in a joint statement.

Among other deals, Italy's Eni, Gazprom and Electricite de France signed a memorandum of understanding to bring EDF into the South Stream gas pipeline as a shareholder.

The three companies will sign a final agreement in the next three months, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said. EDF will join the project with a stake of "at least 10 percent and maybe more" in the first half of 2010, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said, without elaborating.

Berlusconi said at the news conference that South Stream would not compete with the Nabucco pipeline. "I guarantee that all of Europe — the Balkans, and Italy — will continue taking gas from Siberia," he said.

Aeroflot signed a memorandum of understanding with Alitalia agreeing to increase the number of flights between the countries. "We are also interested in developing African destinations, which is what we will do through Italy, while [Alitalia] is asking to increase flights through Russia to Southeast Asia," Transportation Minister Igor Levitin said.

Sibur, Russia's largest petrochemicals company, signed a four-way memorandum of understanding to develop a chemical facility in Tobolsk, in the Tyumen region, that will annually produce up to 500,000 tons of polypropylene, which is used in a number of industries.

Vneshekonombank will provide 1.4 billion euros out of the 2 billion euros needed to build the factory and a complex to capture associated gas under a guarantee from Italian insurance company Sacci, while Italian construction firm Maire Tecnimont will provide engineering services, VEB said in a statement.

The polypropylene facility is expected to become Europe's biggest and produce 40 percent of Russia's needs for the product, VEB chief Vladimir Dmitriyev said.