|  | Central Asia/Russia NEWSLINE: Central Asia and TranscaucasiaRegional leaders react to US disaster
The presidents of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan have sent telegrams of condolence to US President George W Bush following the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Uzbek President Islam Karimov has sent a note to the US ambassador in Tashkent, and Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry has issued a statement condemning the "acts of barbarism".
Closure of Azerbaijan radar center demanded
Ecologists in Baku have called for the closure of the Gabala radar facility in Azerbaijan that is currently leased to Russia. After years of inconclusive talks, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel General Safar Abiev and his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov have succeeded in coming close to agreement on the conditions under which that lease will be extended.
Kazakhstan's budget discussed
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has met with Prime Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev to discuss the final draft budget for 2002. That draft reportedly "took into consideration" unspecified recommendations made by the president, who during a four-hour session on August 27 criticized the proposed targets for both revenues and expenditures in earlier versions. In May, Economy Minister Zhaqsybek Kulekeev had said that three alternative variants would be prepared for economic development in 2002, based on "optimistic", "pessimistic", and "realistic" assessments of average world market prices next year for oil.
Kazakhstan to suspend fuel oil exports
Kazakhstan's government has imposed a ban on exports of fuel oil between October 1, 2001 and March 1, 2002, in order to ensure that sufficient reserves remain available for the country's domestic needs.
Kyrgyz-Russian economic commission meets
The third session of the Kyrgyz-Russia intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation took place in Cholpon-Ata on September 10-11 under the joint chairmanship of Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Trade and Industry Minister Arzymat Sulaimankulov and Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Aleksandr Rumyantsev. Among the issues on the agenda were the Russian-Kyrgyz-Kazakh joint venture established last year to produce nuclear fuel in Kyrgyzstan on the basis of Kazakh uranium; the transfer to Russia of shares in some 27 Kyrgyz industrial enterprises in partial repayment of Kyrgyzstan's US$150 million debt to Moscow; Russian participation in developing gold deposits in southern Kyrgyzstan; and the construction of two hydroelectric power stations on the Kambar-Ata River.
Putin calls for US retaliation to attacks
In both a telegram and a telephone conversation to US President George W Bush's National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 11 expressed his sympathies to Bush and the American people for what he called "these terrible tragedies" of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. He and other Russian officials offered whatever assistance they could to help the United States find and punish those responsible. "There is no doubt that such inhuman actions must not remain unpunished," Putin said. In a later speech, Putin said that what happened "goes far beyond the borders of the United States". Rather, he said, it is a clear challenge to all of humanity, and "this yet again underscores the importance of Russia's proposals to unite the forces of the international community in the struggle with terror, with this plague of the 21st century." Meanwhile, Putin convened his top security officials at the Kremlin and ordered them to take measures to counter any threat against Russia.
Putin advised to 'make use of' US situation
Duma Deputy Speaker and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky said that the United States will need to turn to Moscow for help in dealing with terrorism, and that this represents a unique opportunity for Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase his influence in the world. Zhirinovsky said that Putin "must make use of the situation". The often outspoken Zhirinovsky called for Russia to triple the size of its army and increase its air defenses by a factor of 10. "Two hundred years ago, Russia was the gendarme of Europe," he said. "Today we can increase the role of our country throughout the entire world, and we ought to do so." Zhirinovsky concluded that "without us, the Americans will not be able to deal with the terrorists".
Moscow prepared to keep grain prices up
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Aleksei Gordeev has said that the Russian government is prepared to intervene more actively than planned in the grain market to help keep prices up in the wake of a bumper crop. He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed that the government take this step. Gordeev also repeated his earlier prediction that Russia will be able to export as much as 5 million tons of grain this year.
Russia has fully paid its UN dues
Sergei Lavrov, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, has announced that Russia has fully paid its UN dues and also its share of peacekeeping costs. Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ordzhonikidze has praised the decision of the UN Security Council to lift the arms embargo on Belgrade.
Sino-Russian ties please Putin
Following a September 11 meeting with visiting Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he is pleased by the level of development of bilateral ties. He used the occasion to say that he will seek the rapid ratification of the accord he signed with China's leader Jiang Zemin. Meanwhile, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov said that he expects bilateral trade to increase over the next few years to US$20 billion annually.
Moscow urged to 'close' Kurils dispute
Representatives of Sakhalin Cossacks, the Communist Party regional committee, and the oblast trade union leadership have appealed in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin to take steps to "close the Kurils territorial dispute" with Japan by clearly declaring that those islands are and will remain part of Russia. Meanwhile, on Sakhalin itself, Japanese journalists were kept out of hearings about the future status of the Kurils.
Fuel reserves in Far North remain low
The press service of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry has said that despite Moscow's assistance in recent weeks, many regions in the Far North have not yet succeeded in putting aside the fuel reserves necessary for the upcoming winter. In many cases, the spokesman said, the fuel reserves in this area are only 20 percent of what is needed.
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