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Gazprom
GAZPROM, VEKSELBERG POWER ASSETS MERGER
UNDESIRABLE FROM ANTI-MONOPOLY LAW STANDPOINT -
FAS CHIEF
Kommersant: Gazprom takes over the energy sector
Gazprom Meets North Korean OFficials for Talks on Cooperation in
Energy
Naftogaz Ukrainy transfers around $860 mln to Gazprom in June gas
payments
Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrainy meet on gas pricing
'Head start' for Bovavenkovo
Gazprom and Microsoft ink corporate license agreement
Lithuanian parliament: Gazprom should lose its pipelines in Lithuania
Gazprombank reports upsurge in H1 net profit
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11:36
During his upcoming visit to Washington, DC, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov will meet with US President Barack Obama, the ministry has said. Lavrov
will also hold talks with Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. The visit is scheduled
for July 11-13. During the visit, Lavrov is expected to sign agreements concerning
Russian-American adoptions and the facilitation of a new visa regime between the
two countries.
Russia's foreign minister heads to the US next week. Talks on the Middle East,
and a possible upcoming meeting between Medvedev and Obama, await.
Miriam Elder
July 7, 2011 03:48
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is headed to the US next week (July 11-
13, to be precise). Meetings with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton await.
“Lavrov and Clinton will discuss the schedule for high-level bilateral contacts
planned for 2011,” the foreign ministry said via its newly formed Twitter account
(English version here). Guess that means another Medvedev-Obama summit is
likely on the cards, as the “reset” continues to sputter along.
There’s plenty to discuss.
Lavrov is flying in for the Monday meeting of the Middle East quartet on
Israel/Palestine. Yesterday, Nabil Shaath, the head of a Palestinian delegation that
met with Lavrov this week, said “our plan to go to the United Nations will get
support from Russia.”
Lavrov to visit US July 11-13 for talks with Clinton, Obama – FM.
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/180999.html
7/7 Tass 156
MOSCOW, July 7 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will
make a visit to the United States on July 11-13 for talks with U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton and for the Quartet meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry
said in the Twitter blog on Thursday.
The Russian minister will hold talks with Hillary Clinton and U.S. President
Barack Obama, the American public and political scientists. The Russian foreign
minister and the U.S. Secretary of State “will discuss upcoming bilateral contacts
at the high level in 2011”, the ministry said.
Earlier, U.S. Ambassador in Moscow John Byerly said the Russian foreign
minister and the U.S. Secretary of State would sign an adoption agreement in
Washington next week.
Byerly said, “My task is to build more constructive and more fruitful relations
between our countries. It can be said much: about the START Treaty, Russia’s
upcoming to the WTO and ambitious economic deals.”
“But the most important thing for me is that next week, when I go to Washington,
Sergei Lavrov and Hillary Clinton will sign an adoption agreement and an
agreement on liberalising the visa regime. All of us should applaud it because this
proves the depth of our relationship,” the U.S. diplomat said.
Moscow. July 7 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Arab
League Secretary General Nabil el-Arabi have discussed by telephone ways of re-
launching the Palestine-Israel peace talks ahead of the Middle East Quartet's
ministerial meeting in Washington on July 11.
"The main accent was put on the current stage in the Middle East settlement. The
sides exchanged views on ways to deal with the current impasse in the talks
between Palestine and Israel, and on efforts being made in this connection,
including in the context of the Quartet's upcoming ministerial meeting on July
11," the Russian Foreign ministry said in a statement, posted on its website on
Thursday.
"Given the current extremely important moment in the Middle East situation,
Lavrov and el-Arabi agreed to continue active contacts for the sake of unblocking
the Arab-Israeli settlement and further advancement toward comprehensive, just
and strong peace in the Middle East," it said.
sd jv
(Our editorial staff can be reached at eng.editors@interfax.ru)
04:55 07/07/2011
RF-Norwegian agt on delimitation of sea waters and Arctic coop takes effect.
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/180755.html
7/7 Tass 9
MOSCOW, July 7 (Itar-Tass) —— The Russian-Norwegian agreement on the
delimitation of sea waters and cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic
Ocean will officially take effect on Thursday, July 7.
The agreement signed by the foreign ministers of the two countries in Murmansk
on September 15, 2010 and ratified by the national parliaments put a period to the
40-year-long negotiations between the neighbouring states.
The document opens up opportunities for unhindered development of offshore oil
and gas fields in the Arctic in an area of 175,000 square kilometres and lays down
the terms of cooperation in the field of fishing.
Russia will take control of the biggest part of the disputable area -- slightly more
than 860,000 square kilometres. Norway will control about 510,000 square
kilometres.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believes that “the agreement is absolutely
mutually advantageous, fair and consistent with all norms of international law”.
“Fishermen will be able to fish as they have been doing all this time. In addition,
we will get new broad opportunities for strengthening strategic partnership in the
oil and gas sector as well as cooperation in related industries such as transport and
shipbuilding,” he said.
He noted that the entry into force of the agreement “underscores one more time
that all questions in the North can be resolved peaceably, without interference of
outside forces”.
Russia and Norway will continue to develop the region in environmentally
sustainable manner, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Stoere
said.
He expressed hope that bilateral cooperation would be effective.
Norway and Russia are active in their bilateral dialogue on pressing bilateral
issues as never before, he said after talks with Lavrov in March.
“Never before have Norway and Russia had such an active dialogue before and
such dynamic interaction on matters of mutual interest,” he said.
The minister stressed the fact that the two countries had signed last year the
agreement on the delimitation of seawaters in the Barents Sea and the Arctic
Ocean, which opens up big prospects for the development and expansion of
bilateral economic cooperation.
Among important aspects of bilateral cooperation, Stoere named energy, where
“cooperation is only beginning”, and fishing, where “cooperation will continue
for the benefit of the two countries as has been the case for many years”.
Russian-Norwegian relations have been developing quite actively lately and been
characterised by intensive political dialogue.
Interaction in the North occupies a traditionally important place in relations
between the two countries. In December 2006, the Norwegian government
adopted a strategy in respect of the northern regions, which calls for developing
full-scale cooperation with Russia on a wide array of issues ranging from energy,
transport infrastructure and fishing to environmental protection, education,
culture, and contacts between people.
Agreements between the governments of Russia and Norway on the simplification
of visa procedures entered into force in December 2008.
The agreement on trade and economic cooperation of March 26, 1996 regulates
bilateral trade and economic relations, and governs the work of the Russian-
Norwegian inter-governmental commission on economic, industrial, scientific and
technical cooperation.
Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Trond Giske said earlier that his
country would like to see more entrepreneurs from Russia.
“Their number is not as big as we would like. For Norwegian business, a key
factor for moving to foreign markets is a predictable and stable situation. In my
opinion, the absolute majority of Norwegian companies that have moved to
Russia have worked out long-term plans and wish to contribute to the economic
growth of your country,” Giske said.
“Norway and Russia have a tremendous potential for close economic cooperation,
especially in such a sphere as energy, where positive experience has already been
acquired in the oil and gas sector. This industry can be expanded further in such
fields to improve energy efficiency, increase research activities, solve
environmental problems, and use alternative sources of energy,” he said.
Norway accounts for 0.4 percent of Russia's foreign trade turnover. Russian
export is dominated by resources (88 percent), including fuel and energy (57.1
percent), metals and products from them (22.4 percent), chemical industry
products (4.7 percent), machinery, equipment and means of transport (4.2
percent), timber and pulp-and-paper products (1.4 percent).
Norway supplies mainly fish, fish products, agricultural produce (70.9 percent),
machinery, equipment and means of transport (19.2 percent), metals and products
from them (4.2 percent), and chemical industry products (3.5 percent).
About 120 enterprises with Norwegian capital are registered in Russia.
Norwegian investments in Russia have reached about 1.9 billion U.S. dollars,
mainly in the Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, and Leningrad regions. Priority is given to
industry, wholesale trade, services, telecommunications, and mass media.
Russia's presence at Spitsbergen occupies a special place in bilateral relations. As
a party to the international treaty of 1920, Russia is engaged in economic
activities (coal mining) and conducts research on the archipelago. A government
commission on the Russian presence in Spitsbergen has been working since April
2007. In February 2008, the Russian government upgraded the consulate on the
archipelago to consulate general.
07 July 2011
By Howard Amos
A 44-year border dispute between Russia and Norway in the icy expanses of the
Barents Sea was finally laid to rest Thursday as a new delineation treaty entered
force.
The agreement opens up a previously untouched 175,000-square-kilometer area
for exploration, estimated to contain up to 6.8 billion tons of oil and gas.
The resolution of political tensions in the so called "gray zone" was the result
of years of work by the Russian and Norwegian governments and comes at a time
when Arctic nations are increasingly looking to assert sovereignty over
the region's abundant offshore mineral resources. The treaty, signed in September
2010, found a geographical mid-point between the demands of both sides.
World Petroleum Council vice president Anatoly Zolutukhin told The Moscow
Times that the "gray zone," previously off-limits for surveying or drilling, is "a
very prolific area — maybe even more prolific than Shtokman."
Gazprom operates Shtokman, the enormous gas field holding about 3.9 trillion
cubic meters of gas in the Russian half of the Barents Sea, in collaboration with
Norway's Statoil and France's Total. However, uncertain long-term demand
for gas and technical difficulties have caused repeated postponements,
and analysts said the new treaty might be a further delay if it proved to be
a catalyst for indirect competition with Shtokman.
Defocusing on Shtokman?
Fifty-seven deputies in the Duma voted against the ratification of the delineation
treaty in March on the grounds that it could harm Russian economic interests.
Communist Party Deputy Leonid Kalashnikov said during the debate that it would
"put a cross on the Shtokman field."
In particular, Norway's Statoil, 67 percent state-owned, could find accessible
hydrocarbon deposits in home waters more appealing than its minority stake
in the Russian-controlled ventures.
"If Norway explores and develops the [former] gray zone at an accelerated pace,
Statoil's focus will be on this area and they might divert some funds and resources
from [their] participation in … Russia's Arctic offshore," said Valery Nesterov, an
oil and gas analyst at Troika Dialog.
A Statoil spokesman, Bard Gladpedersen, told The Moscow Times that
the company remained "committed to the Shtokman project," but added that "it is
very important and positive that this treaty has been signed and comes into force.
… The Barents Sea is an attractive prospect for us."
Norwegian companies, faced with a fast rate of reserve depletion, have superior
technical expertise that leads to a greater capacity for quick development,
compared with their Russian counterparts. As such, they are likely to take the lead
over Russian companies in exploiting the newly accessible areas.
De-Facto Partnership
"Under the provisions of the agreement, any cross-border [hydrocarbon] structure
should be regarded as a single unit — we are obliged to develop deposits as
a unified whole. Therefore Statoil is, by definition, our partner," Natural
Resources and Environment Minister Yury Trutnev said in September 2010,
Finmarket.ru reported.
Gennady Shmal, president of the Union of Oil and Gas Producers of Russia, told
The Moscow Times that Russian companies stood to gain significant technical
expertise from collaboration with Norwegians in the Barents Sea.
The Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic
Ocean treaty between Norway and Russia was signed during a ceremony attended
by President Dmitry Medvedev and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg
in September 2010.
Prior to the signing, Norway had argued for the boundary to be at a midpoint
between the two landmasses: Russia's Novaya Zemlya and Norway's Svalbard
archipelago, respectively. Russia pushed for a "meridian line" that would have run
directly north from the mainland.
The agreed borderline, a compromise between the positions, runs almost to the
North Pole and was ratified by the Norwegian and Russian parliaments.
"The establishment of clear legal borders in an area where our interests intersect
is, without question, a very real and a very important step forward," Medvedev
said at a news conference with Stoltenberg after the 2010 signing.
A ban on imports of Norwegian salmon in 2006 by the Agriculture Ministry was
widely seen as retaliation for the repeated detentions of Russian fishermen alleged
to have trespassed onto disputed Norwegian territory.
But it is what lies beneath the ice that is the big prize here.
If Russia can prove that the ocean floor is part of its continental shelf, it will be
getting much more than just new territory.
Another Russian scientific expedition is making its way to the Arctic Ocean to
explore the Arctic bottom.
According to estimates, the Arctic seabed holds 90 billion barrels of oil – a vast
treasure trove, even for Russia.
“That's basically 20 to 30 years worth of Russia's annual energy resources
production, is what this means,” says Ivan Glumov, head of the expedition.
The research ship Academic Fedorov will spend 60 days gathering evidence that
could see Russia significantly expand its territory.
“This evidence will go to show that Russia should be expanded by 1.2 million
square kilometers. That's ten per cent of the country's current area,” says Sergey
Alekseev, director of the State Nautico-Hydrographic Institute.
This untapped reserve of natural resources is tempting to all states with Arctic
territory.
Russia, Norway, Denmark, the United States and Canada are all staking claims.
And all five are locked in a tight race to gather evidence in support, as some
scientists warn that global warming could leave the region ice-free in under 20
years.
PRESS RELEASE
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko Meets with UK
Minister of State for Europe David Lidington
http://www.ln.mid.ru/bdomp/brp_4.nsf/
e78a48070f128a7b43256999005bcbb3/6d7e8e91e071126bc32578c6001cb12e!
OpenDocument
1029-06-07-2011
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Alexander
Grushko met on July 6 with British FCO Minister of State for Europe
David Lidington in Moscow.
The parties discussed pan-European cooperation problems, including
issues of Russia’s further interaction with the EU and NATO, Council of
Europe themes and touched on topical Euro-Atlantic security problems.
“I want to say that not all Russian agents and spies are detained yet, as there are
those who are observed. Their activity plans and actions are observed. I’m
satisfied with out counter intelligence”, Vano Merabishvili said.
He says that Russian spies encounter difficulties in working in Georgia. “If I’m
more specific, they have been convinced that they have less possibility to
manoeuvre in Georgia than they had before. It’s more difficult for them to work
in Georgia, as we have blocked significant sources of getting information”, the
minister said.
“Russia is accustomed that former CIS is their territory; that they can act freely
with impunity, that they control everything and have all information. They were
not serious regarding Georgian special services. They would never expect
Georgian special services could psychologically, technically and professionally
disclose and close source of information. In reality, we can say now that Russian
reconnaissance and influence in Georgia is minimal”, Merabishvili declared.
Merabishvili says that the tangible result was achieved last year, “after our agent
was engrained in GRU. We obtained not only action plan by help of this person,
but codes and numbers of the files that were transferred. It made simpler to
uncover the large acting net”, Merabishvili said.
He says the activity continues and will never end. What about Russian attempts to
create new net in Georgia, Ministers says it will take time and energy.
InterPressNews
07.07.2011 10:14
The European Commission will be pressing Russia to lift the embargo on imports
of Polish fruit and vegetables, it has announced.
A representative of the body, Paola Testori, has pledged EC support for Warsaw’s
strivings to re-open exports to the Russian Federation.
Moscow has upheld the ban on grounds of potential E.coli infection despite a
positive opinion on screening methods employed by Polish sanitary inspectors.
Paola Testori stressed that already last week, the Commission had reached an
agreement with the Russia on a complete lifting of the fruit and vegetable
embargo for all EU countries.
The comments come as Poland’s Deputy Agriculture Minister, Jaroslaw
Wojtowicz left for Moscow on Wednesday to try and negotiate an end to the ban.
Belgium, Holland and Spain have already resumed their deliveries to the Russian
market, leaving 23 EU countries without access to Russian markets.
“We are continuing discussion with the Russian authorities together with
[representatives of] Polish authorities,” Tesori said, adding that “we consider that
maintaining the ban for exports of Polish vegetables to Russia is totally
unjustified.”
Polish health minister Ewa Kopacz assured that agriculture minister Marek
Sawicki has already received information on sanitary inspections carried out in
more than 2,000 plantations across Poland which grow vegetables and fruit.
Meanwhile, speaking to Polish Radio on Thursday morning, Agriculture Minister
Marek Sawicki said that the Russian embargo is part of a game played by the
country in order to enter the World Trade Organisation.
“Russia will most probably not be praised for such a move,” Sawicki opined.
(ss/jb)
July 6, 2011
EU support Russia in mediation efforts in settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict
http://en.trend.az/news/karabakh/1901836.html
[06.07.2011 23:29]
Azerbaijan, Baku, July 6 /Trend A.Askerov/
EU support Russia and personally President Dmitri Medvedev's mediation efforts
in settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, said EU High Representative for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton during a plenary session of
European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
Ashton also said about work of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the parties to
make progress towards an agreement on the Basic Principles, the first step in a
process leading to the drafting of a formal peace agreement.
According to her, the Deauville statement of Presidents Obama, Medvedev and
Sarkozy made clear that the time had come for an agreement, failing which the
parties’ commitment to a solution would be questioned.
"Relations between the two countries are difficult. The Co-Chairs keep me and
the EEAS fully informed of their work and the many difficulties they face" - said
Ashton.
According to her, the parties need to redouble their efforts to find an agreement
before the end of this year.
Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and Serzh
Sargsyan of Armenia discussed in Kazan the basic principles of the Nagorno-
Karabakh conflict settlement. The meeting, which was the ninth in the last three
years, ended without reaching an agreement on the basic principles of settlement.
In a joint statement, the sides mentioned the progress towards this goal.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when
Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have
occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of
the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding
peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on
the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at trend@trend.az
7/7 Tass 8
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/180731.html
STRASBOURG, July 7 (Itar-Tass) —— The political situation in Russia ahead of
the upcoming Duma elections slated for December 2011 was in the focus of the
European Parliament’s attention on Wednesday, July 6.
“Russia is already in pre-election mode, with new party alliances and increasing
debate. There are some encouraging signs: President Medvedev is calling for
economic and political modernisation, while Finance Minister Kudrin insists on
free and fair elections,” the European Union’s High Representative of the Union
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European
Commission Catherine Ashton said at the hearings.
At the same time, “political pluralism still faces obstacles”, she noted, referring to
the Russian Justice Ministry’s refusal on June 22 to register the new liberal
opposition “People’s Freedom Party/PARNAS”.
“The main reason given for the refusal to register the party was that a few minors
and ‘dead souls’ had been found among the party’s 46,000 members,” Ashton
recalled.
Another of the Party’s leaders, Vladimir Ryzhkov, has rejected these claims as
false or groundless. But even if these people were excluded, he says, the party
would still have the required 45,000 members, she added.
“Ryzhkov’s earlier political party, the Republican Party of Russia, had met a
similar fate in 2007, when Russian authorities ordered its dissolution,” the high
representative said.
“On 12 April 2011, the European Court of Human Rights here in Strasbourg ruled
that this dissolution was in violation of Article 11 of the European Convention on
Human Rights. The Court also noted that minimum party membership
requirements in Russia are the highest in Europe. The Court was not persuaded
that these requirements are necessary, and stressed that small minority groups
must also have an opportunity to participate in elections. It said that frequently
changing membership requirements, coupled with regular checks, had imposed a
disproportionate burden on political parties in Russia,” Ashton said.
She recalled that “we again emphasised the need for political pluralism” at the
latest EU-Russia Summit and President Dmitry Medvedev had acknowledged that
“a focus on too much stability risks resulting in stagnation”.
Two weeks ago, he introduced a bill that would lower the threshold for parties to
enter the Duma from its current 7 percent to 5 percent - but only for the next
Duma elections, in 2016, Ashton said.
She stressed, “The purpose of democratic elections is to give the voters a real
choice, and a sense that their vote matters for the outcome.”
“We received encouraging signals at the summit in Nizhny-Novgorod, and I look
forward to a request being sent soon from Moscow to the OSCE,” she said.
Ashton said that Partnership for Modernisation “opens new opportunities for
cooperation in this field” and welcomed the joint project with the Council of
Europe on reforming the appeal system for civil and criminal court cases in
Russia, as well as the opening of new forms of dialogue with civil society, in
particular the creation of an EU-Russia Civil Society Forum.
She made it clear that “Russia remains an essential EU partner, and a challenging
one” with “an interesting debate is going on within the country about the best way
for it to modernise its society and its economy”.
“Changing attitudes and expectations will materialise, and shape new realities.
The nine months ahead will be decisive for Russia’s further development.
Democratic progress can only come from within Russia,” she said.
“We will continue our engagement, building on our common interests while
standing firmly by our values,” Ashton said.
1news.az
Mokretsov has been the head of the office of the Defense Ministry
since April 2010. He headed the Federal Tax Service for several years
earlier. He was the deputy minister since July 2010.
The law on police came into force on March 1. The Russian "militia"
was renamed into "police". Public control over the police was
improved. 22% of the police staff will be reduced.
In fact it is a return to the norms that existed in the period from 1993 to 2003. The
current seven per cent threshold was introduced at the time of Vladimir Putin’s
presidency. In the last parliamentary election in 2007, four parties managed to
overcome it.
The new bill was submitted to the State Duma by President Dmitry Medvedev on
June 24, shortly after his interview to the Financial Times in which he said that in
the future the electoral threshold could be reduced even further, to three per cent.
Commenting on that interview, the State Duma Speaker and Chairman of United
Russia’s Supreme Council Boris Gryzlov observed that he considers the seven per
cent threshold justified and that lowering the barrier will be a task for the next
convocation. Opposition members, on the contrary, stated that new rules should
be used this December.
During the debate, a Fair Russia MP asked Garry Minkh, presidential envoy in the
Duma, “why the threshold was raised from five to seven per cent before the 2007
election and there’s a need to return to the starting point?”
Minkh explained that earlier “the political landscape was made up of more than
150 political forces” and that thanks to the increased barrier “we stimulated the
process of enlargement and structuring of political parties.
In general, the bill did not face serious obstacles in the lower house. All four
factions supported Dmitry Medvedev’s proposal, although opposition continues to
push for amendments allowing the law to be applied to the next parliamentary
convocation.
01:54 07/07/2011
09:57 07/07/2011
He also said the identities of the two suspected militants were being established.
Two of the injured civilians are now in intensive care in Kizylar. The wounded
serviceman was taken to another hospital by helicopter.
03:58 07/07/2011
07:42 07/07/2011
"This whole story is a patent lie and provocation directed by some ill-wishers
against the Aeroflot steward Maxim Kupreyev. Maxim has never set up any
LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] group in Aeroflot, he has given no
interviews to anyone nor has he complained about any restrictions on his rights or
the like," Aeroflot told Interfax-Religion.
"Personnel associations of this kind already exist in other airlines across the
world, including Air France-KLM, Aeroflot's main partner in the SkyTeam global
alliance. Members of that group yearly take part in gay pride parades in Paris,"
Alexeyev said, adding that the group had been founded by a flight attendant.
Alexeyev said the Moscow city administration had forbidden LGBT activists to
hold a rally outside an Aeroflot office in Moscow in support of the alleged group.
07 July 2011
By Kirill Rodionov
During the past two months, the public's attention has been drawn to Prime
Minster Vladimir Putin's All-Russia People's Front.
Political analysts are wondering whether this election vehicle will help United
Russia, whose ratings have dropped to nearly 50 percent, to maintain
a constitutional majority in the State Duma after the December elections.
Disappointing results for United Russia in the vote could also change
the dynamics within the ruling tandem.
In any case, one thing is clear: Putin wants to retain power after 2012.
Putin's wish to remain in charge of the country is not a surprise. If the prime
minister really wanted to leave, he would have done it in May 2008. Looking
back, this option would have been optimal both for Putin himself and for
the country as a whole.
If he had left the political stage in time, he would have surely been remembered
fondly by most Russians for ushering in a decade of growth and prosperity that
followed the government default of 1998.
But it looks more likely that Putin will remain national leader through 2018,
and perhaps longer. This evokes a direct analogy to Soviet leader Leonid
Brezhnev, who ruled for 18 years. Brezhnev, most often remembered for his era
of stagnation, blocked reforms needed to adapt the socialist system to changing
global realities.
In the 1970s, during an era of high oil prices and stagflation in the West,
the Soviet Union's economic condition did not seem critical. But by the second
half of the 1980s, the Soviet Union was already in a deep state of systemic crisis.
The transition to authoritarianism in the early 2000s was largely associated with
the failures and chaos of the 1990s. The first decade after the Soviet collapse was
a difficult period when the country broke away from socialism and instituted
painful but much-needed free-market reforms.
But by 2000, after 10 years of transition, Russians were tired of political
and economic instability.
At the end of his life, Yegor Gaidar, the architect of radical economic reforms,
said: "We must pay the price for everything."
The Soviet Union paid dearly for the stagnation of the late 1970s and the first half
of the 1980s. Time will tell how much today's Russians and their children
and grandchildren will have to pay for Putin's era of stagnation.
Kirill Rodionov is a research associate at the Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy
in Moscow.
Russia Rotting
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/russia-rotting/440154.html
07 July 2011
By Konstantin Sonin
In many autocratic countries, the opposition's goal is to shake down the political
institutions that the ruling elite have constructed to maintain their control.
In Russia, it would seem that the opposite is true.
Take, for example, the opposition Party of People's Freedom. Despite almost
universal predictions that the authorities would never register the Party of People's
Freedom, the party's leaders — Mikhail Kasyanov, Vladimir Milov, Boris
Nemtsov and Vladimir Ryzhkov — went out of their way to fulfill every
requirement of the election law.
Even after the Party of People's Freedom included language from United Russia's
charter in its own charter to make sure it was in compliance with election law,
the Justice Ministry still found that the party's charter did not meet election law
requirements.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is building the All-Russia People's
Front, which is trying to recruit new members en masse not only from Putin's own
United Russia party, but from Russian Railways, the Russian Post, the Union
of Composers and hundreds of other organizations.
The very existence of such a political structure not only makes a mockery of the
Constitution and election laws, but it also destroys the political institutions that
were constructed by the political leaders who initiated the front.
Take United Russia. For years, Putin tried to make it the ruling party of Russia,
a modern version of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This is not
an efficient system of governance. Almost all developed countries use
competitive elections to provide their leaders with proper incentives. This is
the most advanced technology to provide effective government.
Nonetheless, some countries use more backward political systems, such as a one-
party state. Post-World War II Mexico and China since 1976 are good examples.
Although these are one-party autocracies, they rotate the top leaders. It is
the party, not an individual leader, who makes most of important decisions.
Although these are a less advanced form of government than an electoral
democracy, this system is much more efficient than dictatorships such as Libya,
North Korea and Zimbabwe, which are centered on the personalities of their
leaders.
A modern one-party state is also better than the Soviet and or fascist types
of totalitarian dictatorships, in which a leader's personality cult dominates.
The creation of the All-Russia People's Front built around the popularity of Putin
is a step backward from the one-party state.
The current state of Russia's presidency is a good example of how the country's
institutions have rotted. It is clear that the current president does not hold
the power that is provided to him by the Constitution. President Dmitry
Medvedev has on multiple occasions floated ideas that he could have enacted
by simply signing an order; the Constitution gives him this power.
At the same time, some of Medvedev's powers that are granted to him by the
Constitution have been co-opted by Putin — for example, in areas concerning
foreign policy. Other presidential powers have not been transferred to Putin but
have simply vanished into thin air.
In the end, Putin has weakened a strong presidency — an institution he spent so
many years building up.
Konstantin Sonin is a professor at the New Economic School in Moscow and a
columnist for Vedomosti.
Question: As far as I understand the main issue of your today‘s talks with
Foreign Minister Lavrov was the upcoming the ministerial meeting of the
‘Quartet‘. What other issues were discussed?
Answer: We talked about the September program of the Palestinian leadership to
go to the UN and seek full-time state membership in the General Assembly and to
seek recognition by as many countries as possible. Russia of course recognizes
the Palestinian state and has full diplomatic relations. We received a great support
from Mr. Lavrov on Russia‘s support in the UN. And we also were briefed about
the upcoming meeting of the ‘Quartet‘. Russia will do its best so that the ‘Quartet‘
supports [] our application for the membership in the UN and to come up with a
statement that will facilitate going back the negotiations if Israel accepts it,
stopping settlements and dedicating the terms of [] the borders of 1967. Now if
the statement comes and Israel accepts it, we will go tomorrow to the
negotiations. Of course, is the statement comes and it is not accepted, we will still
I think find support of it.
Q.: Not long ago Palestinian permanent observer in the UN said that Palestine
will seek the recognition of its state even if talks quit Israel will start again. Is it
real?
A.: I think he is right. The two are not against each other. We can seek the
membership in the UN and go to the negotiations at the same time. But really
there is no chance that Israel will accept to go to the negotiations from now till
September, I doubt very much. Therefore we are dedicated to this drive in
September. Israel really makes it a precondition that it will go the negotiations by
stopping all settlement activities and accepting the border of 1967, but it wants us
to delay the recognition by the UN. First we have to see that Israel would stop all
settlement activities and is accepting the terms []. I doubt very much that Israel
will do it.
Q.: The General Assembly session will start in September. When should Palestine
submit documents to the UN on this issue?
A.: This is a procedural matter. We have many options. The time is not just in
September. We can apply on October or November, if we want to. The question
of the exact time will be decided by the committee that is directing this affair.
Strategically we are going, exactly how, starting with the General Assembly or
the Security Council, what exactly is the form of the draft, all of these will be
worked out by the committee.
Q.: When?
A.: I cannot say. We are working.
Q.: Israel‘s permanent representative in the UN said that if the UN recognizes the
Palestinian state this can provoke a war in the region. Do you agree with this?
A.: Is Israel wiling to wage a war on us? They have already occupied all of our
country. They want to occupy some more? We are not going to wage a war.
Q.: No long ago France proposes to convene a Middle East conference to raise
money for Palestine. What do think of this conference?
A.: We support it, of course. Any conference that will bring more support to the
Palestinian authorities, we welcome. But that is not contrary to our desire that
political international conference be held in Moscow because that was the
decision of the Annapolis agreement. But a meeting in Paris to support the
Palestinian authorities, we support.
Q.: What do think about ‘peace flotilla‘ that are trying to deliver humanitarian aid
to Gaza?
A.: I think it‘s an excellent effort by people who are not carrying arms or anything
and who submitted their boats to inspection by the UN and by European
authorities to demonstrate to the world that they need to end embargo in Gaza.
This is an excellent non violent demonstration.
Q.: Why not to deliver humanitarian aid through Israel‘s territory?
A.: Israel is sending less than one tenth of the needs of Gaza. Gaza is still under
great siege by sea, by air, by land, not only humanitarian things, but also no spare
parts for machines, no fertilizers for agriculture, no exports. Gaza is prohibited
from exporting anything by Israel.
Q.: I mean not Israel‘s but international aid, can it be brought to Gaza through
Israel or there are some difficulties?
A.: No. It is a great difficulty. It does not want to allow us [] by Israel.
Q.: The meeting on June 21 between Hamas and Fatah was delayed, when it will
take place?
A.: We are in touch with each other by telephone and so on. I‘m really sorry that
it has been delayed. But what President Abbas is suggesting is that Mr. Salam
Fayyad continues the government of a temporary nation until the new election is
coming. And Hamas does not accept it. This is what we are discussing all the
time. I hope we will reach a solution some time soon. In fact I encourage Mr.
Lavrov to help, if he can.
Q.: Is there any alternative candidate who will satisfy both Hamas and Fatah?
A.: There are four candidates. They were suggested by the third parties, but we
are trying first to see if Hamas going to accept Salam Fayyad. If does not, we will
have to look for others.
Q.: My next question is about the story with the supply of Russian armored
vehicles to Palestine. Has there been any progress on this issue?
A.: Israelis are not allowing any Russian cars to come inside. These are for
security people who really have maintained excellent security from any attacks on
Israel. I don‘t understand why. I asked our Russian friends: what does Israel say?
And they say Israelis don‘t trust you. But these cars have really light armor. In
fact they have machine-guns, and Israelis asked that machine-guns be taken off.
And Russia has taken off the machine-guns. They are just sending armored cars to
Palestinians, but Israelis still do not accept this. They are still in Jordan.
Q.: Is this question on the agenda of Palestinian-Israeli contacts?
A.: Every time.
Celebrity trend
“There is a trend in Russia for organizing all sorts of charity events,” Yelena
Topolyova-Soldunova, Public Chamber member and the head of the Agency of
social information, told the Moscow News. “And the Russian elite have started
making appearances at them.”
But the Federation Fund, which is less than one year old according to the
registration documents published on the official website, is probably not the best
role-model to use the trend.
The fund hit the headlines after inviting the likes of Sharon Stone, Mickey
Rourke, Monica Belucci and Vincent Kassel, and even Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin to a St. Petersburg fundraiser for children’s hospitals, pictured above.
But the publicity coup turned into a PR nightmare amid allegations that promised
equipment was never delivered to those in need.
The fund denied lining its own pockets, but the affair left lingering doubts about
Federation – and charities in general.
“It’s quite bad when things like this happen, because it affects the whole sector in
general,” Topolyova-Soldunova said.
“People believe that it’s normal for good things to be done, and it’s just a single
bad thing that catches everyone’s attention,” she said.
Wrong approach
At the Naked Hearts foundation, set up by model Natalya Vodyanova to support
children, there are concerns about the attention-grabbing tactics of Federation.
Executive Director Anastasia Zalogina believes that the Moscow advertising
campaign is a waste of time and money.
“If you want to organise something for wealthy people who can donate
considerable amounts of money, you need target your efforts on them,” she said.
According to the fund’s website, neither the charity itself, nor any other
organizations sell tickets to the concert scheduled for July 9 and 10.
“The concert will be broadcast live on the official web-site and on screens at
Gorky Park’s Zelyonny Teatr. Admission is free,” the official announcement read.
Moskovskiye Novosti, however, reported that $100,000 donation to one of the
supported hospitals – in money or equipment – is needed to attend the event, the
venue of which has not been named.
Elusive presence
Since that first scandal the fund has made some progress. In March its president,
Vladimir Kiselyov, held a press conference – although it answered few questions.
And an official website has been launched at last, although it cannot be easily
found through most search engines and contains no financial information.
The fund’s press-service was not available for comments at the time of writing.
Currently, nine out of 20 state hospitals which the organisation claims to support
say they haven’t ever received any donations; calls to four of the 20 went
unanswered, Moskovskiye Novosti reported.
Only two medical institutions confirmed they had received expensive equipment,
and four others said they had donations of presents for their young patients.
Representatives of hospital no. 31 in St. Petersburg – involved in the previous
scandal – said they received an anonymous donation of 140 million rubles ($5.02
million) but didn’t know if it was anyhow connected with the Fund.
Deputy finance minister to present key aspects of tax policy to govt July 7.
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/180738.html
7/7 Tass 5
MOSCOW, July 7 (Itar-Tass) —— Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Shatalov will
present key aspects of tax policy at a government meeting on Thursday, July 7.
The Finance Ministry suggests reducing insurance premium rates from the current
level of 34 percent to 30 and 20 percent for different categories of taxpayers, as
has been proposed by President Dmitry Medvedev.
In 2010, the unified social tax was replaced with insurance premiums that were
increased from 26 percent to 34 percent of the employer's payroll fund. They are
paid from salaries under 463,000 roubles.
However, on March 30, 2011, President Dmitry Medvedev instructed the
government to reduce insurance premiums from January 1, 2012. "The burden of
costs for higher pensions and healthcare is not the best solution, but there are no
ideal solutions," Medvedev said.
He believes that “the premium rate of 34 percent may be exorbitantly high”.
According to the president, a new rate should be “within the range close to the
previous ones”.
The government has submitted two options after the president's order given in
Magnitogorsk in May. “The first option is to keep the rate of 34 percent only for
big business and reduce current rates for small manufacturing and social
businesses (to 16-20 percent), and to a level close to 26 percent for medium-sized
business,” Russian presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich said earlier this month.
“The second option is to reduce the maximum rate to 30 percent, and that for
small manufacturing and social businesses from 26 percent [to 16-20 percent],” he
said, adding that the first option would have priority.
He said that the decision to be made would be effective for two years.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the government would be “looking for ways
to reduce the fiscal burden on premium rates. We should not apply simple, linear
solutions, shifting the problem from businesses onto the shoulders of ordinary
citizens. Because we cannot and must not deviate from the social standards. We
cannot follow the path of some of countries that have done so,” he stressed.
Putin instructed the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Economic Development
to present concrete mechanisms and parameters for cutting insurance premium
rates from January 1, 2012.
In a bid to make up for a shortfall of revenues from lower insurance premiums,
the government plans to increase the tax burden on the gas industry by 150 billion
roubles in 2012, by 168.3 billion roubles in 2013, and up to 185.9 billion roubles
in 2014, eventually moving on to a mechanism that will peg the tax on nature gas
production to world hydrocarbon prices.
In the middle of 2010, the government commission on budget projections decided
to raise the tax on the production of natural gas by 61 percent in 2011.
The tax will be further raised according to inflation in 2012 and 2013, Vice Prime
Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said back then.
The commission also decided to raise the oil production tax by 6.7 percent in
2012 and by 5.4 percent in 2013.
The Russian Finance Ministry suggested raising the oil and gas production tax in
a bid to increase budget revenues.
“We believe it necessary to increase the natural gas production tax from next
year,” head of the ministry's department of tax and customs policy, Ilya Trunin
told Itar-Tass.
In his opinion, a higher natural gas production tax will increase budget revenues
by more than 51 billion roubles from 2011, by 60.4 billion roubles in 2012, and
by 69 billion roubles in 2013.
A high oil production tax will generate an additional 78 billion roubles in budget
revenue in 2012, and 147 billion roubles in 2013.
The decision to raise the mining tax and some other payments charged to oil and
gas companies was prompted by the need to replenish the federal budget and
make up for growing expenditures.
Experts also suggested making up for a shortfall in budget revenues from the
reduction of insurance premium payments by raising alcohol and tobacco excise
duties.
They proposed a standard way: to impose additional excises for alcohol and
tobacco products. “In other words, it is proposed to shift this burden from
business to people,” one of the experts said at a meeting with Putin earlier.
In 2009, a draft law that trebles tobacco excises in 2011 and raises them time and
a half in 2012 was submitted to the State Duma.
One of the authors of the draft law, Viktor Zvyagelsky of United Russia, a
member of the Duma Committee for Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship, said.
He said tobacco excises in Russia were unacceptably low. While the least
developed EU countries, such as Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic states, have a
minimum excise of 1.28 euros (56 roubles) per pack, Russia' s excise in 2009 was
3.54 roubles per pack of filter cigarettes and 1.77 roubles per pack of non-filter
cigarettes on the average, which is 16-32 times lower. Turkey, China,
Transcaucasian countries, and even Ukraine have much high tobacco excises than
Russia.
However, Dvorkovich made it clear that the government would not raise tobacco
and alcohol excise duties next year.
He said the excise duties would not be raised “more than was announced”.
At the same time, he could not say whether tobacco and alcohol excise duties
would be raised in 2013 and 2014.
In addition, MinFin no longer expects the budget to balance, even in 2015, due to
massive non-discretionary increases in public spending in the pre-election period
(including the allocation of funds to compensate for a reduced pension tax rate,
the indexation of pensions and public sector salaries, and military reform).
In 2011, the government estimated the budget deficit at 3.1% of GDP in 2012.
Hence, at first glance, the draft budget assumptions are much better than in the
previous version. However, this is not in fact the case, as MinFin seriously raised
oil price assumptions from $76/bbl to $93/bbl, thereby technically inflating
budget revenues.
07 July 2011
The Moscow Times
The latest proposal from the Finance Ministry calls for federal spending
to increase 10.5 percent next year over this year's amount, a senior government
official said Wednesday.
Next year's budget, which the Cabinet will consider Thursday, foresees spending
12.2 trillion rubles ($435 billion), the official said on customary condition
of anonymity for pre-Cabinet briefings.
The Cabinet's decision on spending, revenue and the deficit on Thursday will
bring to a close the initial phase of government budget discussions. From that
moment on, ministries will begin adjusting their plans.
The Finance Ministry is projecting the deficit to equal 2.7 percent of gross
domestic product next year, a seemingly positive drop compared with its previous
long-term goal of 3.1 percent.
The reduction comes even as the government plans new expenditures next year —
like salary increases for military personnel — even though it is set to lose money
after reducing the payroll taxes.
But the smaller deficit stems from a "technicality" — the increase of the oil price
that underpins budget revenues, said Renaissance Capital economist Anton
Nikitin. The government is basing its 2012 budget on a riskier price of $93 per
barrel of Urals crude, the country's main export blend.
Tax revenues from the oil and natural gas industry comprise half of what
the government takes in. The most recent official long-term budget deficit
forecast, which came out last year, was based on oil at $78 per barrel in 2012.
2011-07-07 10:37
MOSCOW, July 6 -- The largest Russian state-owned bank, Sberbank, would
offer its shares in China during a global roadshow this fall, CEO German Gref
told local media Wednesday.
"We will meet investors around the world in August and September, including
those in China," Interfax news agency quoted Gref as saying.
Sberbank plans to sell 7.6 percent of the Russian government's 57.6 percent stake
to raise money for the federal budget.
The government stake is currently held by the Russian Central Bank. None of the
minority shareholders possess more than 1 percent of the bank.
Earlier, China Investment Corp announced it was considering buying 5 percent of
the Sberbank shares for 4 billion U.S. dollars.
07 July 2011
Bloomberg
Metalloinvest, Alisher Usmanov's iron ore producer, spent $2.2 billion that it
raised in a loan from banks in May to buy a 4 percent stake in Norilsk Nickel,
Moody's Investor Service said.
"The stake was bought at market price, and therefore is unlikely to provide any
meaningful upside in the near term or be liquidated without loss in value, given its
size," Moody's said in a report Tuesday. The transaction has negatively affected
the company's debt load and financial leverage, it said.
Still, the agency improved Metalloinvest's debt rating to Ba3, citing a recovery
in the company's 2010 sales and a "strong pricing environment for iron ore in the
medium term."
Metalloinvest increased sales 53 percent last year to $7.24 billion, while earnings
before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization tripled to $2.59 billion.
Metalloinvest borrowed $3.1 billion from banks including BNP Paribas
and Deutsche Bank in May and spent more than 70 percent of it on Norilsk
shares, according to Moody's.
The Metalloinvest will hold a roadshow for dollar eurobonds July 8-13,
a financial market source told Reuters on Wednesday. BNP Paribas, Bank
of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, ING, JPMorgan, Royal Bank
of Scotland, Societe Generale, Troika Dialog and VTB Capital will organize
the roadshow. The company's chief executive Eduard Potapov said last week that
the company was preparing to issue $1.0 billion to $1.5 billion in bonds in the
second half of the year to refinance its debts.
Chris Griffith
From: The Australian
July 07, 2011 3:04PM
RUSSIAN IT entrepreneur Eugene Kaspersky's internet security firm has
signed a deal to sponsor the Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL.
Kaspersky Lab will take its place on the NSW club's jersey for the first time in
this Sunday’s Brookvale Oval clash with South Sydney.
A Sea Eagles spokesman would not reveal the size of the sponsorship but he said
it was for a "very substantial amount".
"You don't get on the front of an NRL jersey these days unless it's for substantial
money," he said.
Kaspersky Lab becomes a major sponsor for the Sea Eagles who were previously
supported by club powerbroker Max Delmege, Quantum Echo Hot Water, and
Sea Eagles chairman and co-owner Scott Penn.
The sponsorship deal is a further sign of Kaspersky Lab's intention to expand
northward beyond its current Australian headquarters in Melbourne.
In 2009 the Moscow-based company signed a three-year multi-million dollar
sponsorship deal with the Melbourne Demons AFL team.
The flamboyant Kaspersky also signed up martial arts expert and actor Jackie
Chan as part of his global quest to add spice and breadth to the appeal of ridding
computers of their virus woes.
"The Manly Sea Eagles have received a significant mid season and future
financial boost with the announcement today of a new major sponsor,
international IT security company Kaspersky Lab," the company said in a
statement.
"Kaspersky Lab is firmly positioned as one of the world’s top vendors of endpoint
security software and operates in more than 100 countries worldwide with its
headquarters in Moscow, Russia."
Penn said the introduction of Kaspersky Lab broke new ground for the NRL.
"To attract such an international group, which employs more than 2300 highly
qualified specialists worldwide in 29 countries with 300 million users, is a
massive salute to the game and the iconic Sea Eagles brand," Penn said.
The Sea Eagles deal with Kaspersky Lab is for the rest of the 2011 season and
2012, with an option to extend further.
Kaspersky is a graduate of the Institute of Cryptography, Telecommunications
and Computer Science in Moscow, an institute that was co-sponsored by the
Russian Ministry of Defence and the KGB.
Kaspersky's discovery of the cascade virus on his institute computer triggered his
interest in anti- virus software and the eventual formation of his software empire
originally in partnership with ex-wife, Natalya.
MET holidays to be implemented for oil fields in the Black Sea and the Sea of
Okhotsk
http://www.bne.eu/dispatch_text16094
VTB Capital
July 7, 2011
News: According to Interfax, the Duma has approved the Mineral Extraction Tax
(MET) holidays for fields partially or totally located in the Black Sea or the Sea
of Okhotsk. MET holidays would be implemented for those fields with annual
production of less than 20mn tonnes (Black Sea) or 30mn tonnes (Sea of
Okhotsk) and with a production period of less than ten years (for development
licences) and fifteen years (for exploration and production licences). The decision
is to come into effect from the beginning of 2012.
Our View: Although oil has yet to be found in the Black Sea, and oil production
to start in the Sea of Okhotsk (outside the existing PSA), the news is positive for
the sector. In the long term, we see Rosneft as the primary beneficiary, since it
already has licences in both areas and, as a state company, also has priority access
to off-shore licensing. However, these tax holidays have been widely discussed
and we do not expect any immediate stock reaction.
Dmitry Loukashov
07.07.2011
Since the beginning of the year, NOVETEK has produced over 25 billion cubic
meters of gas.
Copyright 2011, Oil and Gas Information Agency. All rights reserved.
07.07.2011
Tatneft produced 2,130,339 tons of crude oil in June or 100.4 % versus June
2010, while the production from the beginning of the year amounted to
12,857,125 tons, which was 41.5 thousand tons more, than in 2010 (100.3 %).
12,572,671 tons of crude oil were delivered with the above-the-plan delivery
amounting to 249,421 tons.
Tatneft Group of companies produced 12,981,195 tons of crude oil during the first
six months of this year with the above-the-plan production amounting to 263,821
tons (102.1 %).
Totally the oil companies of the Republic of Tatarstan produced 2,679,233 tons of
crude oil in June, which made 100.4 % versus the same period of the previous
year. The production for six months amounted to 16,132,541 tons or 100.3%
versus the same period of the previous year.
07.07.2011
The launch of the BCS will boost associated petroleum gas (APG) utilization at
the Odoptu-More deposit and generally across Sakhalinmorneftegaz to 95% from
July 2011.
Gas is delivered through the Odoptu-More – Tungor field pipeline to the gas
supply system of the north of the Sakhalin region.
Work was performed as part of Rosneft's targeted gas program. The total cost of
work, including the construction of field pipelines, was more than 2.3 billion
rubles.
OJSC Rosneft President Eduard Khudainatov noted: “The aim of the company's
gas program is not just to increase APG utilization to 95% but also to ensure the
maximum economic effect for our shareholders by using APG to generate
electricity and providing it to the gas grid to meet domestic demands, as well as
processing it for re-injection into oil reservoirs to maintain reservoir pressure.”
As part of the targeted gas program, which anticipates an APG utilization rate of
95%, over 1,000km of gas pipelines will be constructed by 2014, along with
compressor stations at the Komsomolskoye, Kharampurskoye, Priobskoye,
Vankorskoye and other fields. Total investments in the gas program, which has
been running since 2006, will reach 120 billion rubles. In 2010, an APG-powered
power complex was launched at the Priobskoye field. The complex includes a gas
preparation facility and a 180 MWt gas turbine electric power station. The
company is currently constructing a gas pipeline between the Vankorskoye and
Khalmerpayutinskoye fields in a joint project with Lukoil to transport associated
petroleum gas to Gazprom's system.
Increasing the value of Rosneft's gas business is a very important aspect of its
strategic development. The company is well positioned to capitalize on this
opportunity thanks to its significant gas reserves of 3.2 trillion cubic meters of gas
under the Russian calculation system.
Gazprom
07.07.2011
The Gazprom delegation also met the North Korean Deputy Chair of the Cabinet
of Ministers, Kan Sok Chu.
Following the meeting results, Mr Alexey Miller noted that “I have nothing new
to say. The gas price adjustment for our Ukrainian friends may be considered
upon the merger of Gazprom and NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy.”
The Agreement stipulates special purchasing terms and conditions for the
Microsoft software use rights in the scope that would meet demand of the entire
Gazprom Group between 2011 and 2013. The Agreement will considerably
optimize the total cost of Microsoft software ownership by the Group.
The parties stated that the signed Agreement confirmed the reliability and
constructive approach to the partnership relations and opened up the prospects for
deepening cooperation between the companies.