Second international banking forum ends in Odessa Fri.

ODESSA, April 30 (Itar-Tass) -- Calls for resuming and advancing
cooperation by the banks of different countries were made at the II
International Banking Forum that ended in Odessa on Friday. Over 300
representatives of financial and lending organizations that supervise
banking activities and relations with financial institutions, and
delegates from the dealer communities of Russia, Ukraine other CIS
countries, the Baltic States, Europe and the United States participated in
the event arranged for by the Moscow International Currency Association.
Over the two days of discussions the participants in the forum
discussed and looked for new responses to the emerging challenges and
sought to formulate business strategies and form a program for further
development. The delegates were unanimous that the national currencies of
the CIS countries were regaining stability. There were even some forecasts
for their revaluation. The resource base of banks keeps growing but the
effects of the world crisis have not been overcome yet and the population
still has not enough confidence in banks, the organizers of and
participants in the forum said.
They also expressed the collective opinion such meetings should become
a tradition and be held annually in the last ten days of April and the
leading experts of both CIS and non-CIS countries invited.

.Kazakhstan, Russia's power grids to exchange commercial services.

ASTANA, May 1 (Itar-Tass) -- Kazakhstan and Russia are shifting the
exchanges of services between their power grids to the commercial basis,
as follows from the treaty on the parallel operation of the two countries'
energy systems signed by the Kazakh national company for the management of
the electric power grids AO KEGOC and the Russian energy companies -
federal network company UES FSK and the UES SO system operator.
The press service of the national company has explained that from now
on the Russian side will transmit and transit electric power through
Kazakhstan's power grids on the commercial basis. For its part KEGOC, as
the system operator of Kazakhstan's energy system, will start paying for
the services related to maintaining the required frequency.
"So far the power control has been carried out in exchange for power
transit. The existence of the contractual liabilities will promote power
traffic control discipline and the observance of the balance of power
transition on the border between the two countries," the press-service
said.
KEGOC chief Almasadam Satkaliyev believes that "the traditional
partnership-like relations between the two countries in the electric power
industry are about to achieve a qualitatively new level."
"Within the framework of the joint policies by the leaderships of
Kazakhstan and Russia for creating a common customs space the just-signed
agreements allow for using with the maximum efficiency the economic and
technological advantages of the energy systems' parallel operation to the
benefit of consumers in both countries," he said.
Also on Friday KEGOC signed contracts with the Russian federal network
company UES FSK for the provision of services to transmit and transit
electric power through Kazakhstan's electric power grids and with INTER
RAO for the purchase and marketing of electricity with the aim to
compensate for the hourly deviations in the amounts of electricity moved
across the border of Russia and Kazakhstan.
At the end of 2009 the energy companies of the two countries concluded
an agreement on the rules of hourly accounting of the amount of
electricity moved across the border of Kazakhstan and Russia and on the
daily exchanges and reconciliation of hourly statistics.

.Amphibious ship Kaliningrad to visit Poland for V-day celebrations.

KALININGRAD, May 1 (Itar-Tass) -- The amphibious ship The Kaliningrad,
of Russia's Baltic Fleet will pay an unofficial visit to Poland for the
forthcoming ceremonies on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the
allied forces' victory in Europe over Nazi Germany, an assistant to the
Baltic Fleet's commander, Captain 1st Class Yuri Kuroyedov told Itar-Tass
on Friday.
"The visit will last May 5 to 10. The Kaliningrad under Captain 1st
Class Vladimir Sokolov will visit to the port of Swinoujscie. It will
carry a delegation of naval veterans, who served in the Baltic Fleet's
units that were stationed in that Polish seaside city in 1945 through
1992," Kuroyedov said. Admiral Vladimir Yegorov, a former commander of the
Baltic Fleet, will be among the honorary crewmembers of The Kaliningrad.
Russian veterans will meet with their Polish counterparts to visit a
Polish military memorial and a monument to Soviet soldiers, who died in
World War II battles for the liberation of that territory from Nazi
occupation. There will be wreath-laying ceremonies at wartime memorials
and a special reception on board the Russian ship on the occasion of the
Victory Day.
The residents and guests of Swinoujscie will be able to see the daily
routine of the ship's crew and hear songs and tunes performed by the
Baltic Sea Fleet's orchestra.

-0-str