Medvedev to sum up 2009 results in 2-hour live TV program

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MOSCOW, December 24 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on
Thursday will summarise the main results of the outgoing 2009. The same as
a year ago, the RF head of state will give an interview to representatives
of three federal television channels - Channel One, Rossiya and NTV.
However, this time the interview will be transmitted not indirectly, but
live.
President's press secretary Natalya Timakova told Itar-Tass that the
interview ill become a kind of continuation of the cycle "Conversation
with Dmitry Medvedev." This format of regular conversations on important
problems the country is facing was chosen by the head of state at the
beginning of the year.
"It is very important in our life to tell the truth and tell about the
difficulties experienced today by the whole world and our country as
well," the president said in the first such interview that was aired in
February. "I believe that the power also should speak about it frankly and
openly, to speak about decisions the power makes in order to overcome the
crisis and about difficulties that we confront," he said then. "I think
that generally, the conversation of the power in the current situation
should be regular on these issues," the head of state stressed.
Nine programmes of the cycle "Conversation with Dmitry Medvedev" were
aired in the outgoing year, however, the president did not limit himself
to this format. Practically each his international meeting, foreign visit
or countrywide working trip was ending with a press conference or meeting
with reporters during which he answered questions of the press. Medvedev
has held 79 such events since taking office. Besides, he gave 29
interviews to printed media and television channels.
According to Timakova, the president intends to spend about two hours
on Thursday's conversation. The president's partners in the dialogue will
be the heads of the television Channel One, Rossiya and NTV - Konstantin
Ernst, Oleg Dobrodeyev and Vladimir Kulistikov.
The programme "Results of the Year with the President of Russia" will
begin at noon, Moscow time.
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.Russia, Abkhazia FMs to sign agt on diplomatic missions.

MOSCOW, December 24 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov and his Abkhazian counterpart Sergei Shamba on Thursday will sign
an intergovernmental agreement on the conditions of stay of diplomatic
missions: of Russia in Abkhazia and Abkhazian in Russia. The Abkhazian
foreign minister arrived in Moscow on Wednesday on a working visit, the
first one after the republic's presidential election that was held on
December 12.
"The sides will discuss, in particular, the construction of a building
of the RF embassy in Abkhazia and ambassador's residence, as well as the
rent of the building of the embassy of the Republic of Abkhazia in the
centre of Moscow," Shamba said.
Noting that the talks with the Russian foreign minister will be
continued also on December 25 he added that the sides intend to discuss
"priority directions of Russian-Abkhazian mutual relations."
"The main priority for Abkhazia," Shamba stressed, "is the strategic
alliance with our great neighbour - the Russian Federation that determines
our reliable, guaranteed existence, our security and economic
development." He recalled that Abkhazia and Russia have already signed
more than 20 agreements and another 40 are being drafted. "All these
agreements are developing the big Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and
Mutual Assistance that was signed by the presidents of Russia and
Abkhazia," the Abkhazian foreign minister said.
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.RF Public Chamber to complete formation of new staff.

MOSCOW, December 24 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Public Chamber will hold
the third and final stage of the formation of its new staff. Members of
the chamber approved by the president is September and colleagues from
all-Russian non-governmental organisations selected by him will decide on
Thursday who will become members of the renewed chamber from regional and
interregional non-governmental organisations.
The Public Chamber's press service said that many of the current
members that were not included in the presidential list and were not
elected from all-Russian organisations in November are nominated from
regional organisations. Among them there are also such active members of
the chamber as the head of the human rights movement "Resistance" Olga
Kostina and vice president of the "National Glory Centre' Zalina Medoyeva.
"Interesting campaigners occur in regions," believe the chamber
members. "Sometimes they are defending their ideas even with more ardour
than activists of the federal level," they said. The press service
explained that each of the already approved members of the chamber on
Thursday are to select 42 candidatures from the offered list and then all
the votes will be counted.
The RF Public Chamber was established in 2005 and its decisions are
advisory.
Of the 42 members of the chamber appointed by the president on
September 24 only 12 were transferred from the previous presidential list.
Among the first third of the new staff of the chamber are writer Daniil
Granin, specialist for the protection of information Yevgeny Kaspersky,
television journalist Alexei Pimanov, film director Pavel Lungin,
television presenter Tina Kandelaki, the youngest Hero of Russia student
Sergei Mylnikov and others. New members of the Public Chamber will gather
for their first plenary session in late January 2010.
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