Izvestia: Russian, Turkish leaders continue seeking common ground on Idlib
The ongoing crisis in Syria’s Idlib Governorate will again dominate talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Izvestia writes. Another round of high-level negotiations will be held on Monday in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the two leaders are also expected to focus on bilateral ties.
The Astana trio (Iran, Russia and Turkey) summit in Tehran on September 7 failed to yield a final solution on Idlib, the paper says.
Despite their differences, Putin and Erdogan will again sit down at the negotiating table just ten days after the Tehran meeting, a member of the Defense and Security Committee of Russia's Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Frants Klintsevich told the paper. According to the senator, the two leaders have a strong relationship, and their readiness to hold this new round of discussions strengthens expectations that the Sochi talks are bound to be a success.
Political analyst and orientalist Roland Bidzhamov believes that the upcoming negotiations in Sochi confirm that Moscow and Ankara are determined to preserve the Astana format and find an acceptable solution for all. "Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan will be meeting just ten days after the previous summit in Tehran, where we saw a sort of a demarche by the Turkish leader. If this meeting had not taken place, this would have signaled that events in the Moscow-Ankara-Tehran troika would have been moving down a negative path. But the conference in Sochi shows that the format continues functioning," Bidzhamov said.
The political scientist noted that the Sochi meeting is taking place ahead of the upcoming talks on Syria between France and Germany. According to Bidzhamov, now everything indicates that a political settlement in Syria is around the corner, and Moscow and Damascus have been taking steps to ensure the return of refugees and the normalization of the war-torn country.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Brexit holds off anti-Russian sanctions
UK Prime Minister Theresa May keeps saying that a new referendum on Brexit will be "a gross betrayal" of democracy, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan is criticizing her government for failed talks with the European Union and is calling to hold a second referendum on leaving the EU.
Meanwhile, Brexit is becoming an obstacle for enacting the new round of anti-Russian sanctions, which Westminster introduced in May, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.
There is not much hope that the London mayor’s statements will bear any fruit, Associate Professor of the European Law Department at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations Nikolai Topornin said. "British public opinion has not changed drastically. Opinion polls show that UK citizens’ votes are nearly split down the line: sometimes more people support leaving the EU, and sometimes vice versa. I don’t think a new vote would bring any significant changes," the expert predicted.
After Brexit, London will get carte blanche on anti-Russian sanctions over the poisoning of former Russian military intelligence (GRU) officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, the paper said. he new restrictions, which are a British version of the US Magnitsky Act, cannot enter into force until the UK leaves the EU, Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime Ben Wallace said, according to the Daily Telegraph.
According to Topornin, the delayed implementation of the UK's sanctions against Russia over the next six months plays into the hands of Moscow. As long as the UK remains part of the EU, it cannot toughen sanctions independently. On March 30, when Britain is expected to leave the 28-member bloc, it will obtain the right to adopt any sort of laws on Russia, the expert said.
"Our legal entities and individuals may brace themselves for a blow from possible sanctions and would try to transfer their assets from London to Frankfurt am Main or Paris. It’s highly likely that their accounts may be arrested when the sanctions come into force," he noted.
Kommersant: No army for Kosovo until deal with Belgrade
Kosovo’s authorities have announced plans to create a full-fledged army by the end of 2018. However, even Pristina’s key allies, the United States and NATO, do not support this step, fearing that it may disrupt the normalization of ties with Serbia, Kommersant writes. Diplomatic sources in the region told the paper that it’s unrealistic to create a Kosovo army until Belgrade and Pristina sign an agreement.
Pristina intends to form a well-equipped army of 5,000 active soldiers and 3,000 on reserve, which will operate in the republic and take part in international operations. However, under international agreements, Kosovo may only have security forces of up to 2,000 personnel, equipped with small arms, under the control of KFOR, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force.
Provisions on security forces are enshrined in Kosovo's constitution and any changes to it need the support of two-thirds of the votes in the 120-member local parliament as well as the majority of lawmakers representing ethnic minorities. So, Kosovo Serbs may block these amendments, the paper says.
Washington says endorsing Pristina’s plans to create its own army is linked to progress at its talks with Belgrade. Diplomatic sources in one of the Balkan capitals confirm this. "The West’s straightforward support of Pristina’s idea to transform security forces into full-fledged armed forces would face tough resistance from Belgrade and undermine any negotiations between them. That’s why there should be another priority of steps. First, a deal with Serbia and then the creation of the army," a source said. "Besides, after reaching an agreement with Belgrade it would be much easier to find common ground with the Serbs in the Kosovo parliament and pass the required amendments to the constitution."
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Putin to focus on oil, nuclear energy in Saudi Arabia
The Arab world is guessing about the date of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Saudi Arabia. The Russian leader’s trip will come after the first visit to Russia by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in October 2017, Nezavisimaya Gazeta says.
The date of the visit has not been announced, but Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in early September that Putin’s visit to Saudi Arabia at the King’s invitation was being discussed.
"The talks will focus on coordination matters on the oil market," leading researcher at the Higher School of Economics Andrey Korotayev told the paper. The two leaders are expected to hash over preserving the current oil prices. "For our oil producers a price range between $70 and $80 per barrel is ideal, and it’s highly likely that Russia will defend this position, and this also meets the interests of Saudi Arabia," he explained.
Other economic cooperation issues will be a tougher nut to crack, the expert said.
"All other issues are a bargaining chip. We have signed plenty of different agreements of intent, but they have not been fulfilled so far. This story with purchasing the S-400s, for example, is most likely an argument for the Saudis in trade with the United States, which may help them get some preferences in buying the US equipment," according to the expert.
Russia’s cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the nuclear industry looks quite feasible, Korotayev noted. "Saudi Arabia plans to solve issues related to energy and water distillation by using nuclear energy, so they have a real interest here. But in relations with Riyadh a lot depends on the efforts of lobbyists rather than any real economic need," he said.
Vedomosti: US meets Russia’s aluminum giant halfway
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury, which administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions, has unveiled further details on the restrictions slapped against companies belonging to Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska, Vedomosti writes.
The document published on Friday says that US citizens and their partners may sign new contracts with Russia’s aluminum giant Rusal and Deripaska’s other companies on the sanctions list. However, this permission is related only to those companies, which had previously purchased goods and services from Rusal, the GAZ group and other firms owned by Deripaska and also provided them with technical maintenance services, OFAC said.
OFAC noted that the transactions and steps, which were not included in the earlier agreements, may be seen as a go-ahead to engage in business and won’t be viewed as any violation of the sanctions. For this, Rusal’s contractors will have to provide documents confirming that they have been buying its goods for several years in a row and won’t purchase any more under any new deal than in previous years.
This decision will allow Deripaska’s company to keep 60-70% of its revenues, Investment Director at TKC Partners Andrey Tretelnikov told Vedomosti.
Rusal’s contractors will be able to sign new deals without the risk of being targeted by secondary sanctions provided that OFAC extends License 14 (authorizes US persons to engage in specified transactions related to winding down or maintaining business with Rusal and its subsidiaries until October 23, 2018), Managing Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton in Russia Alan Kartashkin said.
So, due to OFAC’s decision, next year Rusal, which exports up to 80% of its goods, will be able to continue its sales abroad.
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