MOSCOW — Sberbank of Russia and China Development Bank (CDB) have inked an agreement on cooperation in the framework of Russo-Chinese talks held here this week. The Agreement was signed the previous day alongside the Memorandum on Mutual Understanding between Sberbank and the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin briefed journalists summing up the 17th regular meeting of the heads of government of Russia and China.
MOSCOW — Russia and China will settle the problem of the debt, which the former Soviet Union had amassed for China, before the end of December, Russia Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told reporters upon the results of the 17th regular meeting between the prime ministers of Russia and China on Thursday.
The debt, which reached 441 million Swiss francs (about 476 million dollars), is almost settled, he said. “Yesterday we reached an agreement that the problem will be settled before the end of December,” he elaborated.
MOSCOW — Russia considers participation of Chinese partners in the construction of high-speed railways, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told reporters on Thursday after talks of the Russian and Chinese prime ministers.
Several agreements have been signed between ministries and agencies of China and Russia, and one of them concerns cooperation in the transport sector.
MOSCOW — Russia and China have signed an intergovernmental protocol of cooperation in the construction of the Tianwan nuclear plant’s power units 3 and 4 in China.
The protocol was signed on Thursday in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao after their 17th regular meeting in Moscow.
MOSCOW — Russia is going to increase the share of high-tech products in trade with China, as follows from a memorandum of understanding Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and China’s Ministry of Commerce signed on Thursday, Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Thursday.
According to the memorandum, Russia and China will be furnishing assistance to Russian and Chinese companies participating in the implementation of joint projects in the field of industry, and also developing investment cooperation “in the sphere of in-depth processing of timber in the territory of the Russian Federation.”
Also, Russia is going to use China’s experience in developing the economy in the context of its membership of the World Trade Organization.
MOSCOW — One of Russia’s major producers of aluminum, OAO Rusal, and the private Chinese aluminum manufacturer Shandong Xinfa on Thursday signed a memorandum of intentions that envisions a scrutiny of possible options for cooperation, one of which is the setting up of joint ventures in the aluminum industry.
The sides reached agreement to set up a joint workgroup within three months upon the signing of the memorandum and to determine the scope of potential opportunities for cooperation of this kind.
ST. PETERSBURG — A new generation nuclear-powered icebreaker with the capacity of 60 MW will join Russia’s icebreaker fleet conducting high-latitude transport operations in the Arctic Ocean seas in December 2017.
ST. PETERSBURG — A large-scale program for Arctic development and exploration being worked out by the Ministry of Regional Development must be linked to plans for the Far East, Sergei Darkin, the deputy minister of regional development, told a press conference within the framework of the forum “Arctic: Present and Future” in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.
MOSCOW — The first batch of the new multipurpose fighters Su-30SM were delivered on Wednesday to the State Flight Test Centre in Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan Region, spokesman for the Russian Air Force Lieutenant- Colonel Vladimir Deryabin told Itar-Tass.
MOSCOW — The Russian government permitted to increase to 25% a permissible share for foreign employees in the alcohol retail trade, including beer, in 2013. The relevant resolution to set for 2013 the permissible share of foreign employees, which are recruited by the economic entities, which operate in the retail trade and sport in Russia, was posted on the website of the Russian government.
MOSCOW — Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered to prepare legal actions to cancel or declare null and void a number of contracts to sell military property, which were executed with violations of legislation, director of the Defense Ministry's property department Dmitry Kurakin told reporters on Thursday.
MOSCOW — Russia and El Salvador have signed an agreement on cooperation in the fight against illicit drug trafficking, psychotropic substances and their precursors.
MOSCOW — Paraguay simplifies visa procedures for Russian nationals visiting the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry reports on Thursday.
“A decree of the Paraguayan executive powers of November 16, 2012, offers Russian nationals an opportunity to obtain multiple-entry travel visas to Paraguay for the term of up to 90 days,” ministry sources informed.
MOSCOW — Five Russian political parties will receive slightly more than two billion roubles from the budget by the end of December 2012, deputy chairman of the Russian Central Election Commission Stanislav Vavilov said on Thursday.
According to Vavilov, the sum was calculated after amendments had been made to the law on political parties to increase budgetary financing from 20 to 50 roubles for each vote won at the parliamentary elections.
MOSCOW — Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves climbed by 3.9 billion dollars (or by 0.7 percent) from 524.3 billion dollars to 528.2 billion dollars as of November 23-30, the External and Public Relations Department of the Central Bank said on Thursday.
The level of gold and foreign exchange reserves totaled 498.649 billion dollars as at January 1.
ST.PETERSBURG — A feasibility study for the construction of a long-distance railway connecting the White Sea, Russia's constituent republic of Komi, and the Urals (Belkomur), will be prepared for consideration by the Transport Ministry and the federal government by yearend, the head of the Arkhangelsk regional transport agency, Dmitry Deart, said at the international forum The Arctic: the Present and Future in St.Petersburg on Thursday.
MOSCOW — A bill referred to the State Duma on Thursday suggests a ban on the issuing of work permits to migrants aged under 18.
The amendments are aimed at providing an added reason for refusing a work permit to a foreign citizen or annulling the earlier issued work permit or patent if the person in question is not yet 18. “This approach is most suited to the interests of Russia and of foreign workers, helping to balance labor relations,” says the memorandum attached.
ASTANA — Kazakhstan is in talks with Russia to replace the Angara carrier rocket with the Zenit rocket in the project for the creation of the Baiterek launch complex, head of the National Space Agency of Kazakhstan (Kazkosmos) Talgat Musabayev said at a press conference on Wednesday.
KIEV — President Viktor Yanukovich of Ukraine did not sign an agreement at the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Ashgabat on establishing an integrated currency market of CIS member-countries, media here reported on Thursday.
KIEV — Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada or parliament on Thursday endorsed the country’s state budget for 2013 that was elaborated by the Nikolai Azarov government. As many as 242 lawmakers voted in favor of the budget, with 226 voted needed to pass it.
The budgetary deficit in 2013 is fixed at 50.4 billion hryvnas (6.3 billion U.S. dollars), or 3.2 percent of the forecasted nominal GDP (1.576 trillion hryvnas). In 2012, the state budget deficit was 25.1 billion hryvnas. The GDP growth is fixed at 3.4 percent, inflation – at 4.8 percent. According to the country’s official statistics, GDP growth in 2011 was 5.2 percent. The GDP growth in 2012 was forecasted at 3.9 percent, although it looks like the growth will be zero.
KIEV — Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovich told a news conference Thursday he is going to name the next Prime Minister of the country before the end of this week, the presidential press service said.
CHISINAU — European Union will grant 60 million euro to Moldova for anti-corruption measures, the head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel said Thursday as he met with Justice Minister Oleg Efrim.
MOSCOW — The criminal case was opened over the murder of an anchorman of a regional division of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Kazbek Gekkiyev in Kabardino-Balkaria. The criminal case was opened under several articles of the Criminal Code for murder and illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation or carrying of weapons.
MOSCOW — Former director of the "Expert" legal support center Yekaterina Smetanova, accused of fraud in the Oboronservis case, has admitted her guilt. Smetanova did so at Moscow's Khamovniki court in the course of the hearing over extending her custody.