Brazil leader visits Russia to discuss strategic partnership.

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 13 (Itar-Tass) - The signing of a plan of action
to strengthen strategic partnership in political, trade and economic
spheres is one of the main items on the agenda President of Brazil Luiz
Inacio Lula de Silva's visit to Russia, his spokesman Marcelo Baumbach
told reporters on Wednesday.
He said "search for ways and opportunities to make trade and economic
relations more dynamic and the strengthening of technological cooperation"
are among the most important tasks of the visit.
The spokesman said talks in Moscow would also focus "on a possibility
to introduce mechanisms of settlement in domestic currencies in bilateral
trade". The sides will also discuss "Brazil's participation in the
development of the Russian satellite navigation system and an access of
agricultural products to the markets of both countries".
Brazil wants to take an opportunity "to discuss a reform of the United
Nations and the Security Council, consider issues connected with the
global financial crisis, coordinate positions within the context of the
BRIC group of states, assess the role that Brazil and Russia play in their
regions," Marcelo Baumbach said.
Moscow will be the first stopover on a foreign tour of the Brazilian
leader. President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva will also visit Qatar, Iran,
Spain and Portugal.

.Russia, US delegations meet within financial dialogue framework.

WASHINGTON, May 13 (Itar-Tass) - The first meeting within the
framework of a new Russian-American financial dialogue was held on
Wednesday at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
According to its press service, the informal dialogue is aimed at
strengthening cooperation and improving understanding of the situation at
a moment key for the two countries and the world economy. The press
service said the working groups had discussed prospects for the global
economy, approaches to macroeconomic forecasting as well as budget and
fiscal planning, the reaction of each of the countries to the financial
crisis as well as the tax policy.
The Russian delegation to a one-day session was led by Deputy Finance
Minister Alexei Savatyugin. The American delegation was led by Under
Secretary of the Treasury Lael Brainard.
She said the United States considers Russia as a major partner in
efforts to strengthen the global economic revival and welcomes this
opportunity to boost a dialogue on a number of problems.
Sources close to the Russian delegation said the dialogue could be
maintained at a ministerial level in the future. Representatives of the
central banks of the two countries are also expected to be involved in the
dialogue. The next meeting is due next autumn. It is not ruled out that it
will be timed to the annual meeting of the leading agencies of the IMF and
the World Bank.

.Political motives behind adviser murder - Karachai-Cherkessia head.

CHERKESSK, May 13 (Itar-Tass) - The president of Russia's republic of
Karachai-Cherkessia, Boris Ebzeyev, believes the murder of his adviser on
Wednesday was politically motivated.
"I am sure it was not a dometic crime," Ebzeyev told Tass on
Wednesday. "This was not the murder connected with business, as I know for
sure he had no such business," he stressed, expressing confidence that
"the murder was politically motivated".
The republican president called his advisor, Fral Shezbukhov, "a
clever, inspiring and very profound person, a highly professional and at
the same time surprisingly tactful man, who could not have offended anyone
in word and deed".
Ebzeyev intends to ask the leadership of federal law enforcement
agencies to take extraordinary measures to find the murderers. "I have
reported to the head of the North Caucasian Federal District, Alexander
Khloponin, on that crime. I will appeal to the heads of law enforcement
agencies at the federal level to assist law enforcement agencies of the
republic in order to accuse and punish the criminals," Ebzeyev stressed.
The adviser was killed at about 6 pm, Moscow time, on Wednesday. Three
unidentified people wearing masks attacked him in Cherkessk with bats, and
when he tried to run aside, they fired at him. The attackers left the
scene on a car without licence plates. Shezbukhov died of a gunshot wound
at the site. Criminal proceedings were instituted.

. Azerbaijan's Consulate General opens office in Yekaterinburg.

YEKATERINBURG, May 13 (Itar-Tass) - The office of Azerbaijan's
Consulate General opens in Yekaterinburg on Thursday, sources from the
Sverdlovsk region ministry for foreign economic relations told Tass.
They specified that the consul-general began working in Yekaterinburg
back in September 2009, but the mission has no building of its own up till
the present moment. Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Russia Polad Bul-Bul Oglu
will arrive in the Urals city to take part in the unveiling ceremony.
Cooperation between the Sverdlovsk region and Azerbaijan is based on
an agreement on trade, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation
signed by their governments.
In 2009 trade between the Sverdlovsk region and Azerbaijan made up
77.7 million dollars, declining 24 percent as compared with 2008. Exports
stood at 76.5 million dollars, while imports - at 1.2 million dollars.
The biggest figure of trade turnover starting from 2003 was reached in
2008, when it amounted to 102.3 million dollars.
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