Turkmen president views Russia as strategic partner
MOSCOW, March 16 (Xinhua) — Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on Tuesday called Russia a valued friend of his country, Russian news agencies reported.
\”Russia is our strategic and reliable partner,\” Berdymukhamedov said during a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Ashgabat.
Turkmenistan highly values its political, economic and educational cooperation with Russia, the president was quoted as saying.
Lavrov, for his part, said Russia is \”satisfied with the development of the bilateral relations.\”
Lavrov was in Ashgabat for a two-day working visit, seeking further expansion of bilateral ties in economy and trade. He was also to hold talks with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov.
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and its Turkmen counterpart Turkmengaz clinched a deal on the sidelines of President Dmitry Medvedev\’s visit to the Turkmen capital in December.
Under the new contract, Turkmenistan will supply Russia with up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually at European-level prices.
The two countries meanwhile agreed to jointly implement two projects of the Caspian gas pipeline and the East-West gas pipeline.
http://www.nmgmzbwg.com.cn
MOSCOW, March 16 (Xinhua) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that the date and venue for the signing of a strategic arms reduction treaty (START) have not yet been determined.
Negotiators from both countries would report to Lavrov and U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton on the progress of the arms talks in Moscow on Thursday, said Lavrov as cited by the Interfax news agency.
Clinton is to meet Lavrov in Moscow between on March 18-19, when both sides are expected to discuss the START treaty.
\”We will receive reports from the heads of the delegations and see how they are implementing the agreements that were reached by the presidents,\” said Lavrov on his way from Ashgabat to Moscow.
\”The end of March or the beginning of April are the dates when the delegations will finalize the treaty, provided they strictly follow the presidents\’ instructions,\” said Lavrov as cited by the Itar-Tass news agency.
\”It is up to the presidents to decide where the treaty is to be signed and when,\” he added.
Earlier Russian media reported that Kiev had suggested to serve as the venue of the signing ceremony, in an effort from the newly elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to position as a link between Russia and the West.
Russia and the United States have been working on a new arms control deal since Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. president Barack Obama met in April last year, but they failed to reach a pact before START-1 expired in December.
The U.S. missile defense plans have become a major sticking point in the nuclear disarmament negotiations.
http://www.minamik.com
MOSCOW, March 16 (Xinhua) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that the date and venue for the signing of a strategic arms reduction treaty (START) have not yet been determined.
Negotiators from both countries would report to Lavrov and U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton on the progress of the arms talks in Moscow on Thursday, said Lavrov as cited by the Interfax news agency.
Clinton is to meet Lavrov in Moscow between on March 18-19, when both sides are expected to discuss the START treaty.
\”We will receive reports from the heads of the delegations and see how they are implementing the agreements that were reached by the presidents,\” said Lavrov on his way from Ashgabat to Moscow.
\”The end of March or the beginning of April are the dates when the delegations will finalize the treaty, provided they strictly follow the presidents\’ instructions,\” said Lavrov as cited by the Itar-Tass news agency.
\”It is up to the presidents to decide where the treaty is to be signed and when,\” he added.
Earlier Russian media reported that Kiev had suggested to serve as the venue of the signing ceremony, in an effort from the newly elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to position as a link between Russia and the West.
Russia and the United States have been working on a new arms control deal since Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. president Barack Obama met in April last year, but they failed to reach a pact before START-1 expired in December.
The U.S. missile defense plans have become a major sticking point in the nuclear disarmament negotiations.
http://www.minamik.com
