Russian Energy Minister unveils proton therapy centre in Slovakia.

RUZOMBEROK, April 7 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Energy Minister Sergei
Shmatko on Tuesday unveiled Slovak's first proton therapy centre for
cancer treatment in the town of Ruzomberok.
"The centre was among Russian-Slovak hi-tech cooperation projects,"
Shmatko said. "The project was implemented in a short time, in less than
two years, because people need it," he stressed.
He thanked the Slovak builders and the research staff the Russian
Physical Institute who built the proton accelerator.
According to Shmatko, this hi-tech project will help promote Russian
technologies and equipment via the Slovak market to other countries.
Proton therapy is generally recognized as a promising area in
radiotherapy. It makes it possible to target cancer cells more precisely
than in other types of radiotherapy, while the radioactive load on the
body surface and on tissues on the way to the target is minimal. Created
by Russia's Lebedev Physical Institute and manufactured by the Protom Co,
the proton therapy complex excels its Western analogues in its technical
and operational characteristics.

.Russia, S Ossetia to sign Russian military base agreement.

MOSCOW, April 7 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Defence Minister Anatoly
Serdyukov on Wednesday will meet with his South Ossetian counterpart
Lieutenant-General Yuri Tanayev who is making a working visit to Russia, a
spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry told Itar-Tass.
"In the course of talks, Anatoly Serdyukov and Yuri Tanayev will
discuss key issues of military and technical cooperation and will sign an
agreement on setting up a unified Russian military base on the South
Ossetian territory," the spokesman said. "This document will lay the basis
for a system of legal regulation of issues related to Russian military
presence on the territory of South Ossetia, and the activity of the
Russian military in the interests of security both in the republic and in
entire region."
Gen Tanayev's visit will last through to April 9.
In September 2009, under the instruction of the Russian president
Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov signed military cooperation agreements
with defense ministries of Abkhazia and North Ossetia. Under these
agreements, Russia was entitled to build, use and improve military
infrastructure and military bases in these republics.
Earlier, commander of the Russian land forces General Colonel
Alexander Plotnikov told journalists Russian military bases had been set
up in Abkhazia and South Ossetia to protects the local population and
prevent terrorist acts. "The size of these bases was fixed within the
limits of 4,000 personnel members, but it can be changed should it be
necessary," he said.
"The legal aspects created by this moment make it possible to develop
the infrastructure of Russia's fourth military base in South Ossetia and
seventh base in Abkhazia, including training and material bases in
garrisons, which will help maintain the high level of combat readiness,"
Plotnikov added.

.Armenia interested in close cooperation with EU - president.

YEREVAN, April 7 (Itar-Tass) -- Armenia is interested in close
cooperation with the European Union, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
said on Tuesday.
"The European direction is one of the basic components of Armenia's
foreign policy," Sargsyan said at a meeting with European Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule.
Sargsyan and Fule noted that the Eastern Partnership policy had
brought cooperation between Armenia and the European Union to an utterly
new level, and their relations were on the rise, the presidential press
service told Itar-Tass.
According to Fule, Armenia and the European Union are close to
establishing new treaty relations, which will lead to a higher level of
cooperation. He highly appreciated the activity of the EU consultative
group working at Armenia's ministries and government bodies for several
months.
Sargsyan and Fule singled out a number of basic milestones in the
Armenian-EU cooperation. In the political sphere, they include forthcoming
talks on an Eastern Partnership agreement, in the economic sphere - a free
trade agreement. The sides also discussed possible simplification of visa
issuance procedures for Armenian citizens.
Sargsyan and File exchanged views on regional problems. The EU envoy
reaffirmed EU's implicit support to normalization of relations between
Armenia and Turkey and highly assessed the Armenian president's efforts in
this area.
-0-ras