Manisnya Pertemuan Medvedev - Ahmadinejad Di Tengah Ambisi Nuklir Iran

Presiden Rusia Dmitry Medvedev (kiri) berjabatan tangan dengan Presiden Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dalam pertemuan mereka di Baku (18 November 2010). Foto : Kremlin.Ru

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(KATAKAMI 19/11/2010) -- Siapa yang tak kenal dengan nama Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ? Pria brewokan kelahiran 28 Oktober 1956 ini adalah Presiden dari Republik Islam Iran.

Saat ini ia sedang menjalankan periode kedua pemerintahannya setelah terpilih kembali pada pemilihan umum kepresidenan tahun 2009 lalu.

Berbicara soal Ahmadinejad, berarti bicara tentang ambisi nuklir Iran yang mnemancing kecurigaan dan kemarahan hampir sebagian besar negara-negara barat.

Terutama Amerika Serikat dan Israel.

Ahmadinejad adalah figur yang sangat semaunya dalam berbicara.

Ia tak pernah punya rasa sungkan atau pakem-pakem diplomasi saat berbicara dalam forum-forum internasional.

Dua bulan lalu (September 2010) dalam forum sidang terbuka Majelis Umum Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa ( 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly ), Ahmadinejad bisa dengan seenaknya mengatakan bahwa mayoritas orang mempercayai bahwa Amerika Serikatlah yang berada di belakang serangan 11 September 2001.

Pidato yang sangat seenaknya ini menyebabkan sejumlah delegasi dalam sidang Majelis Umum PBB melakukan walkout.

Bahkan Presiden Barack Obama secara reaktif menjawab tudingan ( klaim ? ) dari Presiden Ahmadinejad dengan mengatakan bahwa tuduhan itu adalah "sesuatu yang dapat menimbulkan kebencian". 

Istilah yang digunakan Presiden Obama menjawab klaim itu adalah : "Inexcuseable, offensive" and hateful".

Tapi "kegilaan" Presiden Ahmadinejad pada Amerika tak cuma ini, beberapa bulan sebelumnya Presiden Ahmadinejad juga pernah membuat heboh lewat pernyataannya saat ia mengatakan bahwa sebenarnya Osama Bin Laden berada di Washington.

Kontan saja omongan "asal-asalan" dari Presiden Ahmadinejad ini dibantah secara keras oleh Washington.

Presiden Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saat ia tiba di kota Qazvin sekitar 90 mil (140 kilometer) barat ibukota Teheran, Iran (Getty Images)

Dan Ahmadinejad seakan tak peduli pada reaksi Obama pasca pidato kontroversial di Sidang Majelis Umum PBB .

Bahkan dalam statusnya pada akun pribadinya di jejaring TWITTER, Ahmadinejad dengan cuek menuliskan sebagai berikut :

"Well, my material bombed at the UN again. This is the last I hire Michael Richards as my head speechwriter" (September 24, 2010).

Di hari yang sama, Ahmadinejad juga menyerang Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu dalam wawancara di CNN.

Tidak tanggung-tanggung, Ahmadinejad menyebut PM Netanyahu sebagai pembunuh perempuan dan anak-anak.

Dan tuduhan yang sangat berani ini, dipertegas lagi oleh Ahmadinejad.

Dalam akun twitternya yang lain Ahmadinejad menuliskan sebagai berikut :


"I wasn't lying when I told CNN's Larry King that @Plaid_Netanyahu is a dictator"who should be tried for killing women and children." (September 24, 2010)

Berbeda dengan Presiden Obama, PM Netanyahu tidak mau menanggapi serangan terbuka lewat media yang dilakukan Presiden Ahmadinejad.

Bibi (panggilan Netanyahu) bagaikan "gunung es" yang barangkali menganggap omongan Ahmadinejad adalah sesuatu yang bersifat murahan dan tak perlu dijawab secara khusus,

Tetapi dalam sebuah media online di Israel, rakyat disana yang merasa perlu membela pemimpin mereka yang diserang oleh Presiden Iran menuliskan beragam komentar.

Bibi dibela oleh rakyatnya sendiri.

Perdana Menteri Israel Benjamin Netanyahu dalam pertemuannya dengan Sekjen PBB Ban Ki-moon di New York (8 November 2010). Salah satu pernyataan yang disampaikan PM Netanyahu saat ia berkunjung ke Amerika adalah cara terbaik untuk menghadapi dan mengatasi ambisi nuklir Iran adalah dengan melakukan SERANGAN MILITER. (Foto : Getty Images)

Diantaranya adalah menyayangkan CNN yang memberikan kesempatan bagi Ahmadinejad untuk diwawancarai.

Dan ada sebuah komentar berbahasa Inggris yang di muat di media online Israel HAARETZ yang singkat tetapi cukup pedas dari rakyat Israel untuk Ahmadinejad yaitu : "Look who's talking !"

Presiden Ahmadinejad memang termasuk salah seorang pengguna jejaring sosial Twitter yang cukup aktif.

Ia punya beberapa beberapa akun twitter.

Dan dalam akun twitter pribadinya yang manapun, topik yang paling sering disorot untuk diejek, disindir dan dikomentari dengan seribu satu macam "keanehan" adalah soal Amerika, Presiden Obama, Palestina dan Israel.

Tetapi Ahmadinejad juga menunjukkan "kegenitan yang sangat menggelikan" saat ia menjawab di Twitter kritikan dari sesama pemimpin dunia (dari kalangan perempuan) yaitu dari Presiden Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

"Oh, what's that? YOU'RE A WOMAN, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I'm not listening, lalalalalalalala"  (October 22, 2010).

Atau pesan Ahmadinejad untuk Mantan Ketua DPR Amerika, Nancy Pelosi yang harus tersingkir dari kursi jabatannya pasca kemenangan Partai Republik yang mengantarkan JOHN BOEHNER sebagai pengganti Nancy Pelosi :


"Ex-speaker Pelosi, you can still "speak" at my house anytime. (wink wink) -M.A." (November 3, 2010).

Ahmadinejad adalah anak dari pasangan Ahmad dan Khanom.

Ia adalah anak ke-4 dari 7 bersaudara.

Tak selamanya ia bersikap arogan.

Dalam foto ini diambil pada Selasa, 9 November 2010, Presiden Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, kanan, menyambut Kardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, Presiden Dewan Kepausan untuk Dialog Antar Vatikan, di kantor kepresidenan di Teheran, Iran. (Foto : Getty Images)

Saat Paus Benediktus ke XVI secara tegas mengecam rencana Pendeta Terry Jones untuk membakar Al Quran pada bulan September 2010 lalu, hal ini mendapat pujian dari Presiden Ahmadinejad.

Ia menghargai Tahta Suci Vatican yang mengecam rencana gila yang provokatif tadi.

Ahmadinejad,  tumben-tumbennya bisa menuliskan pesan yang sangat santun pada akun twitternya mengenai hal itu :


"I thank Pope for condemning the Qu'ran burning which was to take place in Florida, USA not long ago. Much, much appreciated" (October 8, 2010).

Mungkin itulah sebabnya tanggal 9 November 2010 lalu, Presiden Ahmadinejad bersedia menerima kunjungan dari Utusan Paus Benediktus yaitu Kardinal Jean-Louis Tauran yang datang untuk menyampaikan surat khusus dari Paus untuk Presiden Iran.

Dan bagi Indonesia, Iran adalah negara sahabat yang selalu mendapat tempat khusus di hati sebab sama-sama memiliki latar belakang sebagai negara Islam.

Indonesia adalah negara yang berpenduduk Islam terbesar di dunia.

Indonesia tak pernah bergeser dari sikapnya jika menyinggung masalah program nuklir Iran yaitu tak setuju jika Iran dijatuhi sanksi yang sangat tidak berkeadilan tetapi Indonesia selalu mendukung secara tegas proses dialog dalam menyelesaikan krisis nuklir di Iran.

Presiden Rusia Dmitry Medvedev (kiri) dalam pertemuannya dengan Presiden Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad di Baku (18 November 2010). Foto : Kremlin.Ru

Dalam kunjungannya ke Baku pada pekan ini, Presiden Ahmadinejad menyerukan kepada negara-negara barat agar berhenti menekan Iran.

Desakan dari Ahmadinejad ini sangat bisa dipahami dengan akal sehat.

Bagaimana efektivitas diplomasi jika untuk menyelesaikan sebuah permasalahan yang sangat rumit semacam nuklir, jurus yang digunakan adalah jurus gertak yang sangat sinis disertai sanksi-sanksi yang sangat memusingkan kepala bagi Iran ?

Itu sebabnya, pertemuan antara Presiden Ahmadinejad dengan Presiden Rusia Dmitry Medvedev di Baku tanggal 8 November lalu sangat menyejukkan hati.

Rusia memainkan peranan yang sangat cantik dalam krisis nuklir Iran yang semakin suram.

Presiden Medvedev menyampaikan langsung kepada Presiden Ahmadinejad tentang pentingnya menjaga program nuklir di Iran sebagai sebuah program nuklir damai ( a peaceful Iranian nuclear programme ).

Pertemuan ini menjadi tolak ukur baru bahwa saat ini ada pemimpin dunia yang bisa melakukan kontak langsung dengan Iran dalam sebuah kerangka dialog yang sehat dan bersahabat.

Sikap saling serang di media-media internasional dari sejumlah pihak kepada Iran ( dan dibalas juga oleh Presiden Ahmadinejad lewat pernyataan-pernyataan yang jauh lebih "bringas" di media ) hanya akan membawa proses perundingan dalam mengatasi ambisi nuklir Iran ke lembah kekelaman.

Rusia membuktikan kemampuan mereka untuk menjadi kekuatan baru yang pantas disegani di dunia.

Lepas dari kepentingan perdagangan antar kedua negara yaitu Rusia dan Iran, tetapi Rusia juga harus selalu mengingat bahwa posisi strategis mereka ini harus tetap diarahkan pada prinsip perdamaian dan keamanan dunia yang berkelanjutan.

Perdana Menteri Rusia Vladimir Putin (kiri) dan Presiden Dmitry Medvedev. (File)

Baik Presiden Medvedev atau Perdana Menteri Putin, keduanya harus senantiasa membawa dan menempatkan Rusia sebagai tonggak yang akan selalu menjamin misi-misi perdamaian dan keamanan dunia terjaga dengan baik.

Rusia harus sangat selektif melakukan perdagangan senjata (misil) ke negara-negara manapun yang dapat menyalah-gunakan kecanggihan persenjataan itu untuk merugikan pihak lain.

Sangat menyejukkan hati saat Rusia ( lewat Presiden Medvedev ) bisa secara langsung bertemu dan berkomunikasi dengan pemimpin seradikal Presiden Ahmadinejad.

Ke depan, Rusia bisa menjadi kekuatan yang bisa mengimbangi dan meminimalisir kerasnya dorongan banyak pihak yang sudah sangat kehabisan kesabaran dan begitu geram pada Iran.

Rusia bisa menjadi pihak yang berperan maksimal untuk ikut menyelesaikan krisis nuklir di Iran, terutama jika semua saluran komunikasi dan lobi-lobi dari berbagai kekuatan diplomasi menjadi tersumbat.

Apalagi setelah bertemu dengan Presiden Ahmadinejad pada bulan November ini, Presiden Medvedev berencana untuk melakukan kunjungan ke Israel pada bulan Januari 2011 mendatang.

Topik soal Iran pastilah akan menjadi topik menarik untuk dibahas bila sudah bertemu dengan Israel.

Paling tidak, Presiden Medvedev bisa menyampaikan pada Presiden Shimon Peres dan Perdana Menteri Netanyahu agar Israel bersedia bersikap lebih "baik hati" dalam menghadapi masalah Iran.

Mau jadi apa dunia ini kalau sedikit-sedikit, serangan militer yang dijadikan langkah utama.

Mau jadi apa dunia ini kalau dalam menyelesaikan sebuah masalah penting seperti krisis nuklir ini, masing-masing negara besar dan kekuatan-kekuatan yang "super power" begitu mudah menjatuhkan sanksi demi sanksi.

Diplomasi seakan sudah tidak membutuhkan proses dialog.

Diplomasi seakan sudah tidak membenarkan proses damai.

Diplomasi, apakah pantas disebut sebagai diplomasi, jika kekuatan-kekuatan besar yang mempunyai peranan penting didunia ini sudah mengubah citra mereka menjadi singa yang siap menerkam siapa saja yang dianggap membangkang dan tak mau diatur ?

Jangan serang Iran, apalagi lewat serangan militer.

Sebab serangan itu hanya akan membuat rakyat Iran menjadi terancam dan hampir dapat dipastikan akan memakan korban jiwa yang tak berdosa dari kalangan sipil, perempuan dan anak-anak.

Dan janganlah ada arogansi-arogansi yang bersembunyi dibalik prinsip-prinsip keangkuhan sebagai negara atau kekuatan yang penuh superioritas ( super power) sehingga merasa pantas untuk menghajar negara lain.

Untuk apa ada Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa ( UN ) Di dunia ini jika kekuatan diplomasi sudah kehilangan kekuatan-kekuatan lobi mereka yang berbasiskan perdamaian yang sesungguhnya.

Iran juga harus sangat terbuka pada kepedulian dunia internasional bahwa di zaman kekinian ancaman nuklir sebagai senjata pemusnah atau pembunuh massal adalah sesuatu yang sangat tidak dibenarkan.

Presiden Ahmadinejad juga harus mau bersikap lebih bersahabat kepada media massa asing yang ingin berkontribusi di Iran sebab para jurnalis tidak memiliki agenda-agenda propaganda yang licik.

Percayalah bahwa setiap jurnalis dan setiap media hanya membawa satu kepentingan yaitu pembawa informasi.

Please.


(MS)

Photostream : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev meets Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (R) walks with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during their meeting in Baku, November 18, 2010.

The two heads of state discussed Iran’s nuclear programme and other issues. The Russian President emphasised the importance of continuing Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme. The construction of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which was carried out by Russian specialists under IAEA control, is an example of effective cooperation in this sphere.

Dmitry Medvedev and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also discussed issues pertaining to trade and economic ties, as well as other areas of cooperation between Russia and Iran. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the third Caspian Summit. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/Kremlin )

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (L) shakes hands with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Baku, November 18, 2010. World powers should stop threatening Iran if they want to achieve results at talks on Tehran's nuclear programme, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday. (Getty Images / REUTERS / Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/Kremlin )

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L) and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shake hands during their bilateral meeting on the sidlines of a regional summit in Baku on November 18, 2010. The two heads of state discussed Iran’s nuclear programme and other issues, says Kremlin. The Russian President emphasised the importance of continuing Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme. The construction of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which was carried out by Russian specialists under IAEA control, is an example of effective cooperation in this sphere. Dmitry Medvedev and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also discussed issues pertaining to trade and economic ties, as well as other areas of cooperation between Russia and Iran. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the third Caspian Summit. (Photo by DMITRY ASTAKHOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L) looks at his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a Caspian regional summit in Baku on November 18, 2010. Iranian President was to meet Medvedev during one of the lowest points in relations between the two traditional allies. Once a reliable backer of Tehran throughout the nuclear standoff, Moscow has scrapped a controversial missile deal with Iran and backed United Nations sanctions against the country, which Russia now admits is nearing the ability to develop a nuclear bomb. (Photo by DMITRY ASTAKHOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Russian, Iranian leaders to mend rift

File photo : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) shakes hands with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) during their bilateral meeting in Dushanbe on August 28, 2008

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November 18, 2010 BAKU (KATAKAMI / CHANNEL NEWS ASIA) --- The presidents of Russia and Iran will meet in the Azerbaijani capital Baku Thursday hoping to mend an unprecedented breakdown in relations between the two traditional allies.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be among the leaders of five states littoral to the Caspian Sea meeting to address overlapping claims to the sea's vast energy riches.

But bilateral talks between Medvedev and Ahmadinejad scheduled for Thursday afternoon are sure to overshadow a summit that in previous meetings has ended with little progress.

The Kremlin Wednesday confirmed the highly anticipated bilateral meeting would take place on the sidelines of the summit.

A source in the Russian delegation said Medvedev understood the importance of the meeting with Ahmadinejad.

"We believe one needs to conduct negotiations, needs to talk, to try to convince," the source said.

Analysts have billed the meeting as a last chance to repair relations that were Tehran's most significant alliance with a major world power before the current crisis.

Russian-Iranian tensions came to the boil this September when Moscow -- after repeated delays -- officially dropped plans to supply Tehran with high-precision S-300 missiles and a batch of other sensitive arms.

Iran did little to hide its displeasure with Russia's reversal. Ahmadinejad this month accused Russia of falling "under the influence of Satan (the United States)" and selling out "to our enemies."

Russia has already backed a series of United Nations sanctions resolutions against the Islamic nation and Medvedev himself has voiced a growing sense of frustration with the persistent nuclear ambitions of Tehran.

"We are convinced that under the sanctions it is necessary to look for new incentives which will ensure greater cooperativity, constant cooperation with Iran including on nuclear issues and dialogue with it," Medvedev's top foreign policy aide Sergei Prikhodko said ahead of the meeting.

"The sanctions do not cover the entire volume and complex of ties with Iran. A significant part of cooperation does not fall and will not fall under the sanctions," he added.

The Caspian summit itself -- the third gathering of nations that also includes Azerbaijan and the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan -- was unlikely to make much progress on its most important dispute: how to split up the sea.

Iran insists on dividing the Caspian into five equal portions while the Azerbaijanis are angling for access that corresponds to each country's coastline. (*)

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to visit Russia, Tajikistan

File photo : Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) meets with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, capital of Russia, Oct. 28, 2008.

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November 18, 2010 (KATAKAMI) --- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will pay official visits to Russia and Tajikistan from Nov. 22 to 25 at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Tajikistan Prime Minister Akil Akilov.

During the visits, Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the 15th Chinese-Russian prime ministers meeting and the ninth prime ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Source: Xinhua, People.Com.Cn

All Russia Invited To Help Name Vladimir Putin's New Puppy

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hugs a Bulgarian shepherd dog, a present from his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov after their press conference in Sofia on November 13, 2010.  (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP/Getty Images)

November 17, 2010 (KATAKAMI / PostChronicle.Com) --- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has invited Russians to help him come up with a name for his new puppy, which he received as a gift from his Bulgarian counterpart over the weekend.

"Anyone who wishes to can send their suggestion of a male name for the prime minister's new dog to his site," a government statement said on its official website www.premier.gov.ru .
After Moscow and Sofia signed a series of accords to boost the South Stream gas pipeline, Putin was all smiles when Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov presented the Karakachan dog to the 58-year-old leader.

Putin, who has a black belt in judo and has cultivated a macho image, snuggled the fluffy, floppy-eared puppy of three months before gently planting a kiss on his snout.

The puppy will have to share the canine spotlight with Putin's beloved black Labrador Connie, who is 11.
Putin once boasted that Connie was bigger than former U.S. President George W. Bush's Scottish terrier Barney, according to Bush's memoir "Decision Points," published earlier this month.

"Of course, it is very important that they build their relationship," the government statement said of the dogs.  (*)

Medvedev, Ahmadinejad to meet in Baku

File photo : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev [right] speaks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during their bilateral meeting in Dushanbe on August 28, 2008 Photo: AFP/GETTY

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November 17, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet on Thursday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to discuss Iran's nuclear program, Kremlin aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Wednesday.

The two leaders will meet on the sidelines of the Caspian summit in Baku, Prikhodko said.

(*)

Russian permanent representative at NATO Dmitry Rogozin says Russia will bring new ideas to Lisbon

Russia’s permanent representative at NATO, Dmitry Rogozin

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November 16, 2010 --- EURONEWS spoke to Russia’s permanent representative at NATO, Dmitry Rogozin in Brussels ahead of the NATO-Russia summit on Friday in Lisbon.

Euronews : Mr. Rogozin, what are you expecting Russia to bring to the Lisbon summit? Do you think the conditions now exist for closer co-operation between NATO and Russia?

“We are particularly hoping for the heads of the 29 member states in the NATO-Russia council to send a strong signal to their publics that the post cold-war climate has changed, and that Russia and NATO are now real partners.”

Euronews : What could that signal be?

“Above all it is honest talks on the questions where we share common positions, and those where we disagree. I think there’ll be three big questions in Lisbon. The first is the content of NATO’s new strategy.

The second is, well, we are looking for serious debate on missiles, on the risks, and on siting anti-missile defences in Europe. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has taken the initiative to invite Russia into this debate. The third is a debate on Afghanistan. It’s a common problem. Afghanistan represents a security threat, and the Russian Federation makes a serious contribution alongside NATO nations to help the Afghan people gain greater autonomy, acquire more skills, and thus become a more stable nation, and help stabilise an entire region.”

Euronews : In the past Moscow has been firmly opposed to NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia. Has this position changed, and if yes, under what conditions?

“Russia is formally opposed to any fresh eastward expansion of NATO. We do not want any foreign military infrastructure next to our borders. But the paradox is it’s not just Russia who is opposed to this. Ukraine doesn’t want to join NATO, while in the case of Georgia two and a half years ago NATO encouraged Georgia to take two completely mad military actions against two independent peoples, those of South Osettia and, even worse, the assassination of Russian UN troops.

I think this episode closed the question of Georgia’s NATO membership for a very long time to come. Of course, NATO keeps bringing it up, saying the door is open for both Georgia and Ukraine, but in fact anyone in the west paying serious attention to the subject knows their membership is further away than three years ago.”

Euronews : Europeans and Americans, when they talk about setting up an anti-missile shield in Europe, are convinced the danger will come form Iran. Does Moscow see the threat coming from there?

“In general we don’t like to point the finger at any nation and call it evil while maintaining we’re the good guys. It’s unfair. We don’t think military methods or threats can solve any problem. Iran has a democratic form of government, with real elections, so it’s not a tyrannical dictatorship.”

Euronews : How could Russia and NATO co-operate in the missile shield?

“I don’t want to second-guess what the Russian president will say in Lisbon. I think he’s ready for some serious talks on the nature of the global threat, we are completing our analysis before going to Lisbon. He is ready to suggest some interesting new ideas and Russian initiatives, and I think on this level the summit will be very constructive.”


Euronews :  NATO is still committed in Afghanistan. Is Russia going to participate, either directly or by ensuring a supply role?

“In Soviet times Russia was in Afghanistan, fighting a war, and we got sick of it. I think that soon NATO will be sick of it, too.”

(*)

Photostream : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev meets Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) welcomes Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (L) at the Gorki presidential residence outside Moscow on November 16, 2010. Hariri announced late on November 15 in Moscow that Russia would offer Lebanon six combat helicopters, 31 tanks and 36 artillery pieces complete with ammunition and shells. (Photo by VLADIMIR RODIONOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (L) meets with Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri (R) at the Gorki presidential residence outside Moscow November 16, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Alexander Natruskin)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, left, look at paintings during their meeting in the Gorki residence outside Moscow, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Vladimir Rodionov, Presidential Press Service)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (L) visit the Gorki presidential residence outside Moscow on November 16, 2010. Hariri announced late on November 15 in Moscow that Russia would offer Lebanon six combat helicopters, 31 tanks and 36 artillery pieces complete with ammunition and shells. (Photo by VLADIMIR RODIONOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Photostream : Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits Bulgaria

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, left, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin lighting candles during their visit in golden-domed "Alexander Nevski" cathedral in Sofia, Saturday, Nov. 13 2010. Putin is in Bulgaria on a one day working visit. (Getty Images / AP Photo/ Bulgarian Government Press Office/Handout)

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boiko Borisov (L) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin look at a box containing bones, believed to be the relics of John the Baptist, during their visit in golden-domed "Alexander Nevski" cathedral in Sofia November 13, 2010. Putin is in Bulgaria on a one day working visit. Bulgaria's main Orthodox cathedral displayed on Friday jaw and arm bones and a tooth said to be relics of John the Baptist. (Getty Images / REUTERS / Bulgarian Government Press Office/Handout )

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin kisses a religious icon as he visits the Alexander Nevsky cathedral in Sofia, November 13, 2010. Putin is in Bulgaria on a one day working visit. (Getty Images / REUTERS / Alexey Nikolsky / Ria Novosti/Pool )Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov (R) and Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin greet before their meeting in Sofia November 13, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov )

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boiko Borisov reacts as Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) hugs a Bulgarian shepherd dog presented by Borisov as a gift in Sofia, November 13, 2010. Putin is in Bulgaria on one day working visit. (Getty Images / REUTERS / Oleg Popov )

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hugs a Bulgarian shepherd dog, a present from his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov after their press conference in Sofia on November 13, 2010. Bulgaria's state energy holding BEH and Russian gas giant Gazprom set up on Saturday a joint venture to build and operate the Bulgarian stretch of the South Stream gas pipeline from Russia to southern Europe. (Getty Images / AFP PHOTO / NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV )

Russia to host APEC summit on September 8-9, 2012

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev

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November 14, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) — Russia will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on September 8-9, 2012, a source in the APEC secretariat said on Sunday.

“Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said at a working meeting of the APEC forum today that Russia will host the summit on the Russian Island on September 8-9, 2012,” the official said.  (*)


YOKOGAMA, November 14

Dmitry Medvedev met with Naoto Kan on the sidelines of the APEC Summit

Russian - Japanese Talks

November 13, 2010 (KATAKAMI / KREMLIN.RU) --- The leaders of Russia and Japan stated their commitment to developing a dialogue based on trust between the two countries. 

One of the main subjects under discussion was the Kuril Islands." to visit any Russian region, including the Far East, and the Japanese Prime Minister accepted the invitation.


* * *


PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN NAOTO KAN (retranslated): Mr President, as you pointed out, the Asia-Pacific region is the centre of global economic development. The region has the highest economic growth rate in the world.

I would like to deepen the friendly relations based on partnership and trust between Japan and Russia and will make every effort to achieve this aim. This is our second meeting and I hope that today’s talks will mark the beginning of a full-scale dialogue between us based on mutual trust.

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV : Mr Prime Minister, first of all, I would like to thank you once again for the excellent organisation of the APEC Summit. This is indeed our second meeting and I hope that during these talks and in the course of other contacts we will lay the foundation for a dialogue based on trust between our states. (*)

Putin heads to Bulgaria for energy talks

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin

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November 13, 2010 (KATAKAMI) --- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will discuss Russian-Bulgarian energy cooperation with his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov during a working visit to Sofia on November 13.

The talks, which will focus on joint energy projects between the two countries, are expected to see the signing of several bilateral documents, including an agreement paving the way for the start of the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline intended to pump Russian gas to Europe under the Black Sea.

South Stream

The agreement, to be signed by the shareholders of South Stream Bulgaria, will allow the creation of a joint stock company to oversee the construction of the Bulgarian section of the South Stream pipeline by the end of the year, the Russian government's press service said on Friday. This will become the last step towards the start of the pipeline construction, it said.

The South Stream project, in which Russia, Bulgaria and Greece are partners, stipulates the construction of a 300-kilometer pipeline from Burgas on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast to Alexandroupolis on the Greek Aegean Sea coast. The pipeline, which is considered a rival to the EU-backed Nabucco, is scheduled for launch in December 2015.

Ahead of the visit, Putin and Borisov agreed in a phone conversation to finalize all the issues concerning the Bulgarian segment of the pipeline by the end of 2010.

Russian energy giant Gazprom and the Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD will each hold a 50-percent stake in the joint company, which will be registered in Bulgaria.

Other energy projects

Russia, Greece and Bulgaria signed a contract in 2007 on a joint construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline to bypass the busy Black Sea. The pipeline's capacity will be 35 million tons a year with a possible expansion to 50 million tons.

Borisov, the leader of the right-wing Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, has made contradictory statements on energy projects with Russia, including a rejection of plans to participate in construction of Burgas-Alexandroupolis.

The country has not invested in the project since the summer of 2009, when Borisov became the country's prime minister. In July, Bulgaria agreed to pay a 6.5 million euro contribution to the operating costs of the project, but its participation is still uncertain.

The project has to undergo ecological expertise of the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water, the Russian government's press service said, adding that the results of the expertise are expected not earlier than next February.

In February 2008, an international project company, Trans Balkan Pipeline BV, was set up in the Netherands to carry out the construction of the pipeline.

Russia is also involved in the construction of a nuclear power plant in the northern Bulgarian city of Belene.

Atomstroyexport, the export arm of Russian state-run nuclear corporation Rosatom, won a tender in for the construction of the plant in 2006. A $4 billion-contract was signed in 2008.

In June, Bulgaria suspended the construction of the plant, citing a lack of investment.

According to the Russian government's press service, negotiations have been held with German and Italian companies on the possibility of joining the project.

Trade turnover

Russia is Bulgaria's third largest trade partner after Germany and Greece, the press service said. In 2009, trade turnover between the countries accounted for 8.8 percent of Bulgaria's GDP.

In the first half of 2010, Russia was the largest consumer of Bulgarian wine, with imports accounting for 60 percent of all wine sales.


MOSCOW, November 13 (RIA Novosti)

Photostream : Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Seoul

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, greets Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard before their meeting on the sideline of the G20 summit in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service)

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (R) meets with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard as part of the G20 Summit in Seoul, November 11, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/Kremlin )

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, meets with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on the sideline of the G20 summit in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (Getty Images /AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service)

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (R) meets Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard as part of the G20 Summit in Seoul, November 11, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/Kremlin )

Japan to return its recalled ambassador to Moscow Sunday

Japanese Ambassador to Russia Masaharu Kono

November 07, 2010 (KATAKAMI/ RIA NOVOSTI) --- Japan's ambassador to Russia Masaharu Kono, recalled amid the recent diplomatic spat over the disputed Kuril Islands, will return to Moscow by Sunday noon, the Kyodo news agency said.

On Monday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian president to visit one of the four disputed Kuril Islands, called the Northern Territories by Japan. The move triggered an angry response from Tokyo, which called the visit "regrettable" and temporarily recalled its ambassador to Russia for consultations.

The Japanese government has later taken a decision to refrain from further actions of protest.
Both Moscow and Tokyo have laid claim to the Kuril Islands since they were occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The dispute over the islands has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities.

MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti)

Photostream : Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin buried in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (L) and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (C) pay their respects to former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin during a memorial service at the Novodevichy monastery in Moscow, November 5, 2010. The longest serving Prime Minister in post-Soviet Russia, Chernomyrdin died on Wednesday at the age of 72. (Getty Images / REUTERS/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/Alexsey Druginyn )

Honour guards stand at attention next to the coffin of former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin during a commemoration ceremony in Moscow, November 5, 2010. The longest serving Prime Minister in post-Soviet Russia, Chernomyrdin died on Wednesday at the age of 72. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Pool/Mikhail Metzel )

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (C), Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (R) and Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill walk behind the coffin of former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin during his funeral at Novodevichy monastery in Moscow, November 5, 2010. The longest serving Prime Minister in post-Soviet Russia, Chernomyrdin died on Wednesday at the age of 72. (Getty Images / REUTERS / RIA Novosti / Pool/Alexsey Druginyn )

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (R) walks behind the coffin of former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin during his funeral at Novodevichy monastery in Moscow, November 5, 2010. The longest serving Prime Minister in post-Soviet Russia, Chernomyrdin, died on Wednesday at the age of 72. (Getty Images /REUTERS/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/Mikhail Klimentyev )

From left, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill are seen during the funeral of former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. Viktor Chernomyrdin, who served as Russia's prime minister in the turbulent 1990s as the country was throwing off communism and developing as a market economy, died Wednesday. (Getty Images / AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Servicel)

Russian President thanks Japan PM for invitation to APEC summit

File photo : Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan ( left) with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (June 26, 2010)

November 04, 2010 (KATAKAMI / KREMLIN.RU) --- President Dmitry Medvedev sent a response message to Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan thanking him for the invitation to take part in the 18^th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Yokohama on November 13–14, 2010.

The Russian President’s message reads, in part:

“I fully share the belief in APEC’s importance in expanding multilateral political and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region as part of the effort to find effective responses to modern challenges.

I intend to actively participate in discussions on the main theme of Japan’s presidency, Change and Action. I hope that the forum will prompt its participants to adopt a set of joint measures to overcome the effects of the global financial crisis and to develop an optimal model of APEC region’s development in the post-crisis period with an emphasis on economic and social security.

I am confident that the summit will make a tangible contribution to sustainable growth of the economies participating in the forum.”


(MS)

Meeting of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) welcomes North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen during their meeting in Moscow on November 3, 2010. Rasmussen said on November 3 that the alliance and Russia must bury the ghosts of the past at an upcoming summit, as he sought to persuade Moscow to join a missile defense system.  (Photo by VLADIMIR RODIONOV/AFP/Getty Images)

November 03, 2010 (KATAKAMI / KREMLIN.RU) --- Dmitry Medvedev and Anders Fogh Rasmussen discussed the current state and perspectives of Russia-NATO relations.

The President noted during the meeting that relations between Russia and NATO have gained in substance and become more productive of late, which creates opportunities for building a more solid security system in Europe and the world.

Russia’s delegation at the meeting included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, and Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin.

* * *




PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Mr Secretary General, it is a pleasure to see you and wish you welcome.

I want to start by saying that relations between Russia and NATO have gained in substance and become more productive of late. We welcome this, as it creates opportunities to work harder on building up our cooperation and developing a more solid security system in Europe and the world.

We will discuss the current situation today, but I hope that later, at the summit in Lisbon, we will have the chance to talk about key cooperation areas between Russia and NATO. You know that I have decided to attend this summit, and I think it will be a useful event.

Once more, I wish you welcome to the Kremlin.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN:
Thank you very much, Mr President. I’m really happy to be in Moscow once again. I’m pleased that you accepted my invitation to attend the NATO-Russia Council meeting in Lisbon on the 20^th of November. Now I look very much forward to a productive meeting and I’m here to prepare that meeting jointly, to make sure that it will be a productive meeting, that we will see concrete results from that meeting.
I share your view that we have seen substantial progress in our relationship during recent months. And I would very much like to develop our cooperation further. I think that summit in Lisbon will represent a fresh start for our relationship, a modernization of our relationship. And I think there is scope for further development of practical cooperation in the coming years.

November 3, 2010, 17:00The Kremlin, Moscow

Medvedev, Qatari emir discuss economic, regional cooperation

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani in Moscow's Kremlin, November 3, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS / Ivan Sekretarev/Pool )

MOSCOW, November 3 (KATAKAMI / Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani for talks on economic cooperation and regional interaction.

“Russian-Qatari relations develop successfully. Recently they have become more dynamic and mutually advantageous,” Medvedev said on Wednesday.

The Russian president proposed to discuss “economic relations between our countries and regional interaction”. Medvedev also said the Qatari emir “had interesting meetings in Russia”. “I’m sure that your stay in Russia will be intensive and fruitful,” he added.

Al Thani stressed that Qatar “seeks to develop economic cooperation with Russia”. The Qatari emir said he “had interesting meetings with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller. All meetings were positive. We also discussed cultural relations due to Russia’ s heritage. We also want to develop relations in this field”. “As for our international cooperation, it is developing. I believe that it is necessary to focus more attention to the Palestinian problem,” the Qatari emir stressed.

The talks are being held at the Grand Kremlin Palace. Russia’s delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko. The Qatari delegation involves Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jasem Al Thani.

(MS)

Former Russian Prime Minister Chernomyrdin to be buried in elite cemetery

Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin

November 03, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who died aged 72 on Wednesday morning, will be laid to rest in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery, a Russian TV channel said on Wednesday.

Chernomyrdin will be buried beside his wife Valentina, who died in March, the Rossiya 24 channel said.
The cemetery, which lies beside a baroque 16th and 17th century convent, is the traditional resting place for Russia's elite.

It hosts a number of Russian and Soviet politicians, such as Boris Yeltsin and Nikita Khrushchev, as well as literary figures such as Nikolai Gogol and Anton Chekhov.

After serving as Russian prime minister under Yeltsin from 1992-1998, Chernomyrdin was made Russian ambassador to Ukraine in 2001, a post he held until 2009, when he was designated as a presidential advisor.

MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti)

Former Russian PM Chernomyrdin dies aged 72

Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin

November 03, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin died early on Wednesday morning at the age of 72, a source in the political establishment said.

"Chernomyrdin died at 4 am Moscow time [01:00 GMT]. He had been severely ill," the source said.
After serving as Russian prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin from 1992-1998, Chernomyrdin was made Russian ambassador to Ukraine in 2001, a post he held until 2009, when he was designated as a presidential advisor.

Chernomyrdin was a steadfast supporter of Yeltsin and supporter of privatization and a number of other reforms, although he started his career by opposing many economic changes.

He was minister of the oil and gas industries during the late 1980s and helped to turn the ministry into the state-owned gas company Gazprom in 1989. He was the company’s first chairman of the board, a post which he retained on-and-off until 2000, and his stake in the company made him one of Russia’s richest men.

Chernomyrdin is best known in the Russian-speaking world for his colorful use of language and coined the now popular proverb "we wanted the best, but it turned out as always," uttered after the Russian Central Bank carried out an unsuccessful monetary exchange in the early 1990s.

MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti)