Lavrov to meet with Association of European Businesses in Moscow

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MOSCOW, September 13 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov will deliver a speech in the Association of European Businesses
here on Monday. At a forthcoming meeting that already turned into a good
tradition the Russian minister will outline the current priorities of
Russian foreign policy and will answer the questions on potential in the
cooperation between business communities in Europe.
"Nowadays the relations cannot be developed as if nothing had happened
in the world apart from the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the
Soviet Union," Lavrov stated more than once. "The whole system of
international relations has changed radically. After new centers of
economic growth and political influence emerged the objective process of
forming a polycenter system, which should be based on the supremacy of law
and multilateral cooperation, is proceeding," he said with confidence.
"The cooperation between European countries and Russia always played a
decisive role in historical fates on the continent. The relations on the
actual state of affairs can be estimated as strategic partnership. They
are seeking to broaden and develop," the Russian foreign minister
underlined.
Russia believes that the signing of an agreement on introducing a
visa-free regime between Russia and the European Union would be a very
important stage for broader bilateral relations. This agreement "would be
a perfect joint project and the evidence of the full adherence to the
development of political and economic relations," the Russian Foreign
Ministry stated.
Russia and the European Union believe that the Partnership for
Modernization initiative, which was launched at the Russia-EU summit in
Rostov-on-Don in summer 2010, should play a considerable role for broader
economic cooperation. "Bilateral partnership should contribute to the
solution of the tasks for Russian economic modernization and the whole
range of relations with Europe," the Russian ministry remarked. The
priorities set in the document include the creation of favorable
conditions for small businesses, the assistance to harmonizing technical
regulations and standards and the protection of intellectual property
rights.
Experts noted that despite the falling trade in the 2009 crisis year
Russia and the EU states keep increasing good economic indicators. Some
50% of whole Russian trade turnover fell on the EU states for the first
half of 2010. Russia's major partners in the EU are the Netherlands with
the bilateral trade reaching 28.4 billion dollars, Germany - 22.9 billion
dollars, Italy - 17.9 billion dollars, Poland - 9.9 billion dollars and
France - 9.7 billion dollars.
A greater part of European commodities imported in Russia are
vehicles, mobile phones and medical products. Russia mainly exports the
hydrocarbons to the EU states that make over 75% of whole Russian exports.
The Association of European Businesses, which was founded in 1995, is
a non-profit organization, which brings together more than 600 companies
from the EU states and Russia. The association includes multinational
corporations, small and medium businesses. The association has more than
30 committees that are working on improving business cooperation in Europe.

.Fuel pumping launched from Russia dredger ran ashore near Sakhalin.

VLADIVOSTOK, September 13 (Itar-Tass) -- The pumping of 100 tonnes of
fuel was launched from the Russian dredger Anabar, which rank into rocks
on the Russian Far Eastern island of Moneron near Sakhalin in the Sea of
Japan (the East Sea). Seven specialists from the Sakhalin sea rescue
department are pumping out the fuel. They are pumping out the fuel in
200-liter oil tanks that are brought in a boat to the oil recovery vessel
Centurion. Some 6,800 liters of diesel fuel have been recovered from the
Anabar last Sunday, a duty officer from the Sakhalin rescue department
reported on Monday. No oil spill from the dredger was reported.
The dredging vessel Anabar is registered at the Yakutsk port. She left
Sakhalin on August 1, sailed along the Lena River, passed independently
the Northern Sea Route and headed for Sakhalin from the Bering Strait. The
dredger was to involve in the laying a gas pipeline across the Strait of
Nevelsky. Meanwhile, before the end of a long cruise the Anabar was caught
in the storm and had to anchor off the Moneron Island. However, high waves
and stormy winds broke moorings and the dredger ran into the Moneron rocks
in the late evening on September 7. The Anabar crew consisted of 33
people. Some 323 crewmen were saved, and a seaman waved overbroad was
reported missing.
The dredger with a 5-degree list to port is stuck on the Moneron
rocks. All compartments lower the main deck, including the engine room,
are flooded in the dredger. The dredger hull has numerous cracks, but the
fuel tanks remained undamaged with about 100 tonnes of diesel fuel inside.
The pumping from the fuel tanks is labour-intensive and can take much time
depending on the weather.
The dredger Anabar, which was built in 1986, is 112 meters long. The
Yakutia shipping company owns the dredger.
-0-baz


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