Altai region, Franche-Comte to launch student exchange program.

BARNAUL, May 13 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Altai region and the Region of
Franche-Comte situated in eastern France launch a student and school
student exchange program, sources from the Altai region administration
said on Thursday.
Altai students will study French, winemaking and cheese-making, while
French students will study the Russian language. The exchange will be
organized between Lycee Charles Nodier in Dole and Altai Teachers'
Training Lycee.
The regional department for education and youth says the educational
packages of both educational establishments are very similar. The French
side is ready to receive Altai students not only for short-term
twelve-week programs, but for long-term programs up to ten months, they
stressed.
The first group of 15 French lycee students will arrive in the Altai
region already at the end of May. They will study Russian, while several
French students will study tourism industry at the Fadeyev Log recreation
centre for children in the Altai region.
Future winemakers from the Altai region, where winemaking was launched
last year, will also undergo a training course in the Region of
Franche-Comte next autumn. "Now we will have our own specialists, who will
grow grapes and make wine in accordance with state-of-the-art French
technologies," Vladimir Vagner, general director of the Altaispirtprom
Corporation producing alcoholic beverages, said.
Starting from last year, young specialists from the Altai region have
been undergoing in-depth training at the French National School of Dairy
Industries (ENIL).
The Altai region and the Region of Franche-Comte, the birthplace of
France's prominent writer Victor Hugo, enjoy close cultural and economic
ties. The regions have signed an agreement on cooperation, which
envisages, in particular, the opening in Altai of a cheese-making school
in line with standards of the French National School of Dairy Industries.
On Wednesday, the two regions also presented in Paris their joint
projects. "One of the main agricultural producers, the Altai region is
also among the three leaders in the tourism industry of the country,"
Governor Alexander Karlin said at the meeting. For the fourth year running
the region hosts an international cheese fair, in which specialists from
France, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Mongolia and Kazakhstan take part. "This
is an international forum of cheese-makers, which has no analogues not
only in Russia but also in the world," the governor stressed.
It was the dairy products industry and cheese making that became the
starting point in cooperation between the Altai region and the Region of
Franche-Comte.
"Our products - porcelain, ceramics, textile, bead products are in
high demand," Altai Region's Vice Governor Mikhail Shchetinin said. "We
have agreed to execute an agreement on a school of cheese-making in the
Altai region," he added. A vineyard in the Altai region is boldest project
of cooperation between the two regions. Few people believed in the idea,
but almost all 600 vines planted last autumn survived an abnormally cold
winter. The program of cooperation also envisages the training of
specialists in viniculture and wine-making.

.Russia to supply civil copters for coalition force in Afghanistan.

MOSCOW, May 13 (Itar-Tass) - Russia will be supplying civil
helicopters for the coalition force in Afghanistan within three years, the
executive director of the Helicopters of Russia holding, Andrei Shibitov,
said on Wednesday.
"This year we have signed and work on an order for the resumption of
supplies of civil helicopters Mi-17 for the coalition force in
Afghanistan," the official said. "If we are asked to resume deliveries,
Russian enterprises are ready to satisfy the demand within three years,"
Shibitov said.
According to him, "Russia has received an advance application on
deliveries of civil helicopters for 2011". He expressed hope that within
the next few years Russian enterprises will be engaged in active work on
deliveries of helicopters for the coalition force in Afghanistan.

.Duma MP cautiously optimistic about better ties with Great Britain.

MOSCOW, May 13 (Itar-Tass) - The head of the Russian State Duma's
international affairs committee expressed cautious optimism on Wednesday
about the possible improvement of ties with Great Britain with the coming
to power of a coalition government led by Conservative David Cameron.
The deputy, Konstantin Kosachev, heads the Russian delegation to the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He told reporters that he
had repeatedly met there with representatives of the British Conservative
Party. "They are broad-minded and progressive people, demonstrating
ability for a dialogue even in most difficult situations," Kosachev said.
He admitted, however, that he "does not feel euphoric so far" about an
end of the 13-year-long rule of the Labourists. "Relations between Russia
and Great Britain have reached their low point, and this is the choice of
the British side," he told reporters.
"Now everything will depend on concrete moves of the new Cabinet of
Ministers. I hope that an excessive focusing on mutual differences in
Russian-British relations will become a thing of the past," the head of
the Duma committee added.
-0-zhe/


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