British foreign policy chief to arrive in Moscow for talks.

MOSCOW, November 1 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband will meet in Moscow to
discuss bilateral relations and the situation in Iran and Afghanistan.
The British foreign secretary will arrive in the Russian capital on
Sunday and will have an informal meeting with his Russian opposite number
on Sunday evening. The main talks are scheduled for Monday, November 2.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko earlier said
that positive dynamics had recently appeared in the Russian-British
relations and political contacts had increased.
"We hope that the forthcoming visit of Mr. Miliband will help
consolidating these trends," Nesterenko went on to say. David Miliband
will be the first British Foreign Office chief to visit Russia over the
last five years. According to experts, relations between London and Moscow
have significantly deteriorated since the autumn of 2006 mainly because of
disputes over legal grounds for the activities of the British Council in
the Russian territory and the Litvinenko case. As a result, the British
side tightened the visa regime for the Russians and stopped cooperation
with Russia in fighting international terrorism.
Ahead of his visit to Moscow Mr. Miliband said in an interview with
the Financial Times that he hoped for a meaningful discussion with his
Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The agenda includes Afghanistan, Iran
and the Middle East. At the same time, Mr. Miliband noted that he didn't
expect to solve the key problems in bilateral relations during his visit
to Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said that the
Russian side also hopes to discuss an entire range of Russian-British
relations and exchange views on urgent international issues.
"Britain remains a vital international partner for Russia and is one
of the leaders in terms of investments in the Russian Federation,"
Nesterenko said.
David Miliband regards his forthcoming visit to Moscow as a chance to
renew relations with Russia. In an interview with the "News on Saturday"
program of the RTR television channel Mr. Miliband said Russia and Britain
had worked together to overcome the consequences of the world financial
crisis and had cooperated at international forums on issues like Iraq and
the Middle East.
Despite some differences in bilateral relations, Mr. Miliband believes
that the British-Russian relations have been developing actively in the
economic, political and economic spheres since the last visit of the
British foreign secretary to Moscow.
Touching upon the EU-Russia relations Mr. Miliband said Europe had
been moving in the right direction since the Berlin Wall fell twenty years
ago. He said the European Union was not a threat but a partner for Russia
and it was time for them to develop strategic partnership that could bring
dividends for both sides.

.Russians in Baltic States unite to protect their interests.

VILNIUS, November 1 (Itar-Tass) - Russian compatriots in the Baltic
States gathered for a regional conference in the Lithuanian capital on
Saturday. They stressed that succession of generations was a vital factor
in preserving and developing the Diaspora of Russian compatriots in the
Baltic States and called for unity and consolidation of efforts for
effective protection of their interests.
Alexei Ostrovsky, the head of the Russian State Duma Committee for the
CIS affairs, is attending the conference that will continue its work on
Sunday.
"Consolidation of compatriots is a key to forming a viable and dynamic
community capable of adequately realizing and defending its cultural,
national, socio-economic and political rights," Ostrovsky said.
The delegates to the forum believe that the position of international
organizations on national minorities in the Baltic States was
inarticulate. They think that these organizations should establish direct
dialogue not with the government structures but with representatives of
the national minorities many of whom have a status of non-citizens in
Latvia and Estonia and this is a shame for Europe in the 21st century.
Interpretation of history was one of the key subjects for discussion.
The participants in the forum believe that the Baltic States were playing
the key role in attempts to revise the events of WWII.
"Alongside with a clear and firm assessment of historical events, we
also need active propaganda of our position," Viktor Gushchin from Latvia
said.
The conference began with the symbolic laying of wreaths to the graves
of Soviet soldiers who died in WWII.

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