Kommersant: Turkey seeks to hold on to previous Syrian gains in coming Idlib strike
The Russian, Turkish and Iranian presidents are expected to approve the plan for a military operation in Syria’s Idlib at the "Astana trio" summit in Tehran on September 7, Kommersant writes.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian aircraft had carried out a series of airstrikes on militant targets in the Idlib Governorate after a three-week lull, which were accompanied by intense diplomatic consultations on its future.
According to Kommersant’s military source, these recent strikes should not be regarded as the beginning of a military operation in Idlib. They were a response to provocations where drones were sent into Russia’s Hmeymim airbase area.
"The details of the military operation should be agreed on by the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran at the upcoming Tehran conference. There should be no military actions prior to that," a high-ranking military diplomatic source told the paper.
While in Tehran, Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold three bilateral meetings, especially with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It’s noteworthy that Ankara froze the operation in Idlib, which could have begun back in July.
"Turkey fears, and not without good reason, that Damascus would not stop after Idlib and would be ready to launch a military operation in the territories north of Aleppo captured by Turkey during its Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations," Kirill Semenov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, explained in an interview with the paper. "Syrian opposition forces controlled by Turkey are concentrated there, just like in Idlib. There is a Turkish air defense umbrella over that territory," he said.
"If Turkey, Russia and Iran reach a compromise, agreeing that the operation should focus on Jabhat al-Nusra (terror group, outlawed in Russia - TASS) and speak with one voice, Western countries will have to turn a blind eye to the Idlib military campaign. The only thing that could become a ‘red line’ for them is the possible use of chemical weapons and excessive casualties," the expert stressed.
Izvestia: EU security requires cooperation with Moscow, says French lawmaker
The European Union should get back to the issue of removing sanctions slapped on Russian lawmakers to ensure their freedom of movement, French Senator, Vice Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Committee Robert del Picchia told Izvestia.
"In St. Petersburg, we took part in the Inter-Parliamentary Union conference. Russia granted visas to all members of the delegations in spite of the restrictions. I believe the European Union could remove some sanctions in order to ensure the free movement of parliamentarians. The issue was discussed [in the Council of Europe], but that has not been done. Nevertheless, another similar proposal could be put forward at the pan-European level, which will produce real results," the senator noted.
When asked to comment on Paris’ new strategy in its relations with Moscow, which was a focal point in President Emmanuel Macron’s recent speech, the French senator stressed that Europe can no longer entrust its defense to the United States and must shoulder responsibility for its own security and sovereignty.
"European security implies cooperation with Moscow. In his speech, Emmanuel Macron emphasized that dialogue with Russia should apply to a host of issues, such as cybersecurity, chemical weapons, conventional weapons, security in outer space and territorial conflicts," he said.
Referring to the Syrian crisis and Russian-French joint efforts to provide humanitarian aid to civilians in the war-torn country, the senator stressed, that, in his view, European countries will not invest in rebuilding Syria’s infrastructure unless they are sure that it won’t be destroyed once again.
"The elimination of the ISIL (former name of the Islamic State terror group, outlawed in Russia - TASS) and the gradual improvement of the situation was possible thanks to military involvement by France, Russia and other countries. However, now it is necessary to make sure that the situation remains calm once and for all. When this happens, European countries will be ready to discuss their participation in Syria’s postwar reconstruction," he added.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: US wants to become key arms exporter to India
New Delhi opened the long-awaited two-plus-two meeting between the Indian and US top diplomats and defense chiefs on Thursday. However, the Indian-US dialogue is marred by Washington’s threats to impose sanctions on India, if it purchases Russia’s S-400 missile systems and buys oil from Iran, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.
The two countries share the same concerns, specifically, terrorism, a stronger China, and the safety of maritime navigation, especially in the South China Sea where China is building its bases.
"It is quite obvious that the Americans will use the two-plus-two format to win India over to its side, in particular, making the most of India’s fears about China’s growing military and economic power," Ruslan Pukhov, Director of the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, told the paper. "India is interested in obtaining modern military technology from the Americans. Plans are in store to purchase a number of weapons. However, the US has complicated legislation, which prevents arms transfers even to close US allies and NATO members.”
There is also the industrial aspect, the expert went on to say. "The Americans know that [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is a proponent of the ‘Made in India’ policy. He wants to fully load up domestic industry and private enterprises rather than state-controlled ones. That’s why the US promises to manufacture many products in India," he explained.
For one, Lockheed Martin earlier announced plans to build a plant in Hyderabad to manufacture F-16 wings in India. "There is no direct correlation with the S-400 issue here. However, there are problems with payment. The Americans dominate the global banking system and can punish Indian banks involved in the deal,’ Pukhov stressed.
Kommersant: Russia resumes coal exports along key North Korean port
Russia is resuming coal exports via a major North Korean port, Rajin, amid the coal export boom, Kommersant writes. The project to export coal via the ice-free port of Rajin was launched at the end of 2013, when Russian Railways and North Korea completed the reconstruction of the Rajin-Khasan Railway worth $250 mln. The project is being implemented by the RasonConTrans Russian-North Korean joint venture, with 70% of the stakes owned by Russian Railways.
Liudmila Zakharova, a Senior Researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Far Eastern Studies, told the paper that Rajin had not been affected by the UN sanctions. However, Seoul imposed unilateral sanctions in early 2016 after further nuclear tests by Pyongyang. According to these restrictive measures, any vessel entering North Korea’s ports cannot call in South Korean ports for 180 days. What’s more, these restrictions are still in place, the expert stressed.
Meanwhile, Kommerant’s sources in the market noted that these sanctions make the Rajin export route a problematic one. Yet, Russian coal was transported via that port "for the sake of developing cooperation between Russia and North Korea."
The coal exported by Russia through Rajin was purchased by China for domestic consumption, which did not depend on South Korean ports, Zakharova said. However, when relations between Beijing and Pyongyang began to sour last year, the supplies of Russian coal over the North Korean route stopped. Now relations between the Asian states have improved, which could trigger the resumption of Russian coal exports, she added.
According to Maxim Khudalov of the Analytical Credit Rating Agency (ACRA), Rajin could be useful to Russian coal miners amid the Asia-Pacific Region’s growing demand for the resource and a shortage of port infrastructure in the Far East.
Vedomosti: Russian online book sales surge, beating retail outlets
The Russian book market’s turnover amounted to 75 bln rubles ($1.1 bln) in 2017. It is expected to grow 7-8% this year, while in 2019 its turnover is expected to reach 83 bln rubles ($1.21 bln), Vedomosti quotes Oleg Novikov, CEO and majority shareholder of the Eksmo-AST Publishing House, at the 31st Moscow International Book Fair. According to Novikov, sales at bookstores are expected to decrease 5% in 2018.
Online stores are developing faster than traditional bookstores, while the public’s demand for books remains the same, he added. The advantage of selling books online is convenient service, in addition to sometimes, lower prices, which conventional bookstores cannot afford. The share of online sales is expected to reach 35% of the overall revenue, he explained, adding that this is a global trend. As for e-books, their share in the market will reach 7-8% within the next five years, Novikov said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Ozon online store confirmed that book sales through the company had grown 40% in monetary terms.
In 2017, Ozon sold nearly 14 mln books to the tune of 4.6 bln rubles ($67 mln), the company’s spokesman informed Vedomosti. "Despite the fact that books are the oldest category for Ozon, it continues to grow annually, while estimates by the Eksmo-AST Publishing House do not contradict our forecasts. In 2018, the share of this category in total sales accounts for about 20%," he said.
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