PM calls meeting of State Border Commission in Petrozavodsk

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MOSCOW, July 9 (Itar-Tass) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will make a
working trip to the Karelia Republic on Thursday, during which he will
call a meeting of the State Border Commission in the Karelia capital
Petrozavodsk, Itar-Tass learnt at the government press service.
The meeting is expected to centre on a draft Concept of customs
clearance of goods in places, close to the state border. "Besides, it is
planned to discuss Russia's participation in implementing the agreed
border policy of CIS states as well as development of the system of
passage points across the border, taking into account priority areas of
the economic development of the Russian Federation till 2010," the press
service specified.
Its representative noted "the rise in Russia's foreign trade
aggravates the problem of the extreme load on infrastructure of big
Russian cities where customs bodies are located, as a rule, often creating
head-on transport flows".
A Concept of customs clearance of goods in places, close to the state
border, suggests a set of measures, aimed at redistributing customs
operations between customs bodies inside the country and in Russian border
regions as well as development of customs-logistics infrastructure mostly
in place, close to the state border.
"An important role in settling this task is offered to the institute
of private-state partnership and creation of conditions, permitting
private business to invest funds in setting up transport and logistics
projects," the press service noted.
As for the agreed border policy of CIS countries, it "aims at building
a comprehensive system of ensuring border security, prevention and
stopping of encroachments on sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
Commonwealth states, protection and guarding of their state borders".
"Its strategic aim is to protect in border spaces common and national
interests of CIS member states, security of the personality, society and
the state," the press service representative emphasised, noting that
implementation of the agreed border policy of CIS countries is based on
the appropriate Concept, approved by CIS member states at the Commonwealth
summit in August 2005.
It is expected that while discussing the development of a system of
passage points across the state border, the meeting will give much
attention to analysis and forecasting of export-import and transit freight
flows. This is necessary to determine future loads at sections of the
state border in priority areas of movement of foreign trade flows as well
as parameters which the system of passage points should meet in future.
The press service noted that a working group was set up in 2008. It
was instructed to examine and forecast the development of a system of
passage points, taking into account priorities of Russia's development
till 2020.
The State Border Commission was established in 2008 in compliance with
a presidential decree in 2003. The main sphere of the Commission's
operation is to orchestrate work of bodies of state power in order to
formulate and implement Russia's border policy.
The Commission's jurisdiction covers questions of security in border
areas, examination of drafts of appropriate normative acts and federal
target programmes and solution of current issues in the border sphere.
On Thursday, the Commission's meeting will be attended by cabinet
members, heads of subjects of the Russian Federation, the president's
representatives in federal districts, members of the Russian parliament
and representatives of federal and regional bodies of executive power.

.Medvedev, Brown discuss bilateral cooperation, intl issues.

L' AQUILA, July 9 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown discussed bilateral partnership, above
all in energy, and international issues, Itar-Tass learnt about the
results of the meeting from a source at the Russian delegation.
"The leaders discussed bilateral relations, above all, in the economic
sphere, and dwelt at length on energy cooperation, including the sphere of
research of alternative energy sources," he said.
"Medvedev and Brown examined also international issues, including
question of nuclear non-proliferation, Iran and North Korea," the
delegation representative added. "The sides expressed satisfaction with
the discussion, held at the working dinner, during which the G8 leaders
held an open exchange of opinions on all questions of the international
agenda," he noted.
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