Medvedev to go to Denmark to resuscitate political dialogue.

OSLO, April 27 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will
arrive in Denmark from Norway for a two-day state visit on Tuesday as part
of his Scandinavian tour.
Presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko told Itar-Tass that the
Russian-Danish relations have been marked by intensive development in
recent years and a political dialogue is being given a new breath. "A
state visit - the highest grade of diplomatic protocol - is evident of the
level of inter-state relations," Prikhodko said.
The presidential aide said that the Danish colleagues were expected to
raise human rights issues, the traditional subject, but not so
aggressively as they did before.
"We are ready to continue dialogue on these issues if they are of
reasonable nature," Prikhodko told Itar-Tass.
He added that Moscow also had some questions to Denmark on the
migration policy and the presence in Denmark of Russian nationals wanted
for various crimes back home.
A state dinner will be the central event on Tuesday. Queen Margrethe
II will give a royal reception in honour of Dmitry Medvedev and his wife
Svetlana in the Fredensborg summer residence about forty kilometers away
from the Danish capital.
A business part of the visit starts on Wednesday with a meeting with
Danish businessmen. "The first Russian-Danish business forum is to
contribute to more intensive contacts between the business circles in the
two countries as well as to prompt removal of obstacles on the way to
mutually beneficial cooperation," Prikhodko said. On Tuesday afternoon,
President Medvedev is scheduled to hold talks with the Danish prime
minister. On Wednesday evening, a reception will be given on behalf of the
Danish president and in honour of the Queen.
A Russian delegation accompanying President Medvedev comprises Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Natural Resources Yuri
Trutnev, Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, Minister for Mass Communications
Igor Shchogolev, Chief Prosecutor Yuri Chaika, as well as Andrei Krayniy,
the head of the state-run fishery agency, Rosrybolovstvo, Arthur
Chilingarov, the Russian president's special envoy for cooperation in the
Arctic and the Antarctic, the heads of the Republic of Tatarstan and the
governors of the Kaluga and Pskov regions.
In the meantime, on Tuesday evening President Medvedev is to meet
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Bilateral documents are
expected to be signed. After that the Russian president and the Norwegian
prime minister will tell about the talks outcome at a news conference.
Inter-governmental agreements in the field of energy efficiency,
renewable sources of energy, ecology, education and science as well as
cooperation in the law enforcement are to be signed.
The results of talks in Oslo will be fixed in a joint statement,
according to presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko. He said that key topics
for discussion would include cooperation in energy, fisheries, and
environmental protection, nuclear and radiological security.
"Strategic partnership is being formed. The key project in a
short-term perspective will be the development of the Shtokman gas deposit
in the Barents Sea with participation of Gazprom, Norwegian Statoil and
the French Total. Statoil is also showing interest in the development of
gas fields on the Yamal peninsula and cooperation with LUKOIL in the
markets of third countries," Prikhodko went on to say.
Fisheries cooperation is also developing. "Progress has been made in
working out measures to regulate the fish stocks in the Barents and
Norwegian seas. For the first time in thirty years the sides have managed
to agree on the technical parameters of fish catches on the basis of
common methods," Prikhodko said.
He emphasized that the Russian side highly appreciated Norway's
participation in projects on nuclear and radiological security in the
North West of Russia and some other Russian regions, including the Baltic
Sea.
International topics will also feature high during talks in Oslo. They
include European security in the context of Russia's initiative the
European Security Treaty, the development of Russia's relations with NATO,
disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, climate change,
humanitarian aspects of international cooperation, regional problems and
struggle against terrorism and extremism.

."Cosmos-3M" rocket carrier to put military satellite in orbit.

MOSCOW, April 27 (Itar-Tass) - The "Cosmos-3M" rocket carrier with a
military satellite onboard took off from Plesetsk cosmodrome on Tuesday.
The satellite will be put in orbit in the interests of the Russian Defence
Ministry.

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