Category: Foreign Policy, Security, Visas

Russia could join OECD in two years if politics do not get in way, official says

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
OECD Logo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) Russia could complete negotiations to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in two years if this issue is not politicized, Vladimir Tkachenko, Russia’s representative in talks to join the organization, said in an interview with Interfax. “If we’re talking about a timeframe, then technically all work could in principle be finished […]

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Russian PM against revising international laws; praises European integration

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Dmitry Medvedev file photo

(Interfax – May 15, 2013) Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev believes that the basic principles of international law must not be revised even in the face of global crises, Russian Interfax news agency reported on 15 May. Speaking at the International Legal Forum in St Petersburg on the same day, Medvedev admitted that “many things that seem unshakable to us […]

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Russians see CIS, China as Russia’s chief foreign-policy partners – poll

China, CIS, Customs Union, Eurasian Union, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Eurasia Map

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 28, 2013) Respondents polled in Russia recently said they would prefer Russia to deal with China and countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States rather than with the United States. “Asked which countries should be given priority as partners in cooperation, 28% of those polled named members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Levada Center […]

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Russian agency has suspected marathon bomber’s uncollected ID in its files – official

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Terrorism, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Boston Bombings Suspects File Photo Adapted from FBI Image

(Interfax – MAKHACHKALA, Russia – April 22, 2013) Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) has an uncollected Russian internal passport to the name of Tamerlan Tsarnaev in its files, a suspected co-perpetrator of the Boston Marathon bombings killed by police who tried to arrest him, a senior FMS official said. In July 2012, Tsarnaev “filed an application saying that he had […]

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Ethnically-Based Force Structures Make Clashes between Republics More Likely

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Map of Russia

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, April 22, 2013 – http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2013/04/window-on-eurasia-ethnically-based.html) The clash between Chechnya and Ingushetia over the border between the two became possible and is more serious because the authorities in each, with Moscow’s approval, have formed units in their force structures that consist largely or entirely of people from the titular nationality. And because that […]

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Academics predict new world war for next decade

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military
World Map Showing Continents, Greens, Browns, Ice

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Inna Soboleva, RBTH – April 18, 2013) Russian researchers warn that a new world war might break out in the next 10 years. They proceed from the theory of economic cycles and their impact on the level of military aggression in the world. The origin of the next world war’s breakout is expected […]

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Closed part of Russia’s response to Magnitsky List longer than open – source

Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Human Rights, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(Interfax -MOSCOW. April 16, 2013) The closed part of the list of U.S. citizens prohibited to visit Russia is longer than the open part, a source at the Russian Foreign Ministry told Interfax on Tuesday. “Concerning the Russian list, its closed part carries more names than the open one,” he said. The source said he did not know how many […]

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Not all Russian NGOs with foreign funds controlled by Justice Ministry – ministry official

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – MOSCOW. April 15, 2013) The information on the multi-billion funding of non-governmental organizations (NGO) in Russia coming from abroad voiced by the president only partially refers to the NGOs whose activities are controlled by the Justice Ministry. “Of course, not all NGOs that are reported by banks to receive such funding according to the NGO legal status belong […]

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Russian police says NGOs made no complaints over ‘foreign agent’ checks

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – Moscow, April 15, 2013) The Interior Ministry has received no complaints against police with regard to checks of non-commercial organizations, Deputy Minister Mikhail Vanichkin has said. “Since the start of the checks, there has not been a single complaint to date from heads of non-commercial organizations against the actions of the police,” Vanichkin told a special meeting of […]

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Second ‘Foreign Agent’ NGO Probed in Russia

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, April 16, 2013) ­ Russian prosecutors have opened a case against a regional non-governmental organization accused of not registering as a “foreign agent” in the wake of a wave of inspections of NGOs, a rights group reported on Tuesday. Alexander Zamaryanov, director of the Kostroma Public Initiatives Support Center, is suspected of being involved in political […]

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Putin’s cranes fail to reintegrate with the wild over diplomatic rifts – newspaper

Environment, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin and Pilot in Hang Glider Airborne Next to Flying Cranes

(Interfax – MOSCOW. April 12, 2013) The rare Siberian cranes that took a migration flight with President Vladimir Putin’s motorized deltaplane in the autumn of 2012, have not reintegrated with the wild over diplomats’ failure to come to terms on their hibernation in Uzbekistan, Vedomosti wrote on Friday citing the Flight of Hope project director, Alexander Sorokin. “Uzbekistan’s border service […]

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G8 foreign ministers reach consensus on intl’ topics despite initial differences – Lavrov

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Iran
G8 Foreign Ministers Group File Photo

(Interfax – GENEVA. April 12, 2013) The G8 foreign ministers managed to reach consensus on Iran, North Korea’s nuclear issue and other international topics regardless of their initial differences. “Of course, the positions differed considerably initially, but common sense and good will lead to formulating common approaches in line with the necessity to search for political and diplomatic solutions without […]

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Lavrov: no obstacle to Russia, U.S. scrapping entry visas

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Sergei Lavrov file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 11, 2013) Moscow can see no obstacle to Russia and the United States abolishing the entry visa regime in travel between them, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “As far back as two years ago, (Russian President) Vladimir Putin proposed that we do not limit ourselves to loosening the visa regime but that we move […]

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‘Quality Issues’ Led to Work-and-Travel Visa Crunch

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Education, Academia, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Artist's Rendition of U.S. Embassy, Moscow, with the Russian Foreign Ministry in the Background

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jonathan Earle – April 11, 2013) Concerns about participants’ safety, health and well-being are behind record visa refusal rates for Russian university students applying to work and travel in the United States this summer, a senior State Department official told an audience at the American Center in Moscow on Wednesday. Tara Sonenshine, the State Department’s […]

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Russian NGOs financed from abroad obstructing prosecutorial inspections – spokesperson

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 10, 2013) A number of non-governmental organizations (NGO) performing the functions of a foreign agent are obstructing their inspections and refusing to comply with legitimate demands by supervisory and controlling bodies, the Prosecutor General’s Office said. “It should be emphasized that some organizations receiving financing from abroad, despite inspectors’ legitimate demands, are actively obstructing the ongoing […]

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Government Eases Visa Rules For Major Investors

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – April 9, 2013) The government has allowed the Economic Development Ministry to obtain visas for the employees of big foreign companies that invest in the Russian economy from the country’s diplomatic missions and consulates abroad, a news report said Monday. The rules also apply to firms involved in the implementation of the Skolkovo project and […]

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NGOs Slam Putin’s $1Bln Foreign-Funding Estimate

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – April 9, 2013) NGO representatives on Monday questioned the validity of President Vladimir Putin’s comment to German television that NGOs in Russia had received about $1 billion from abroad since the “foreign agent” law was adopted in 2012. In the interview broadcast Friday, Putin said there were 654 active NGOs in Russia […]

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NGO Inspections Aim to Control Foreign Funding – Putin

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo

(RIA Novosti, HANOVER, April 8, 2013) The recent wave of inspections of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia is not aimed at restricting their activity but rather at controlling their foreign funding, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “All our actions are not designed to shut down or ban [the operation of NGOs in […]

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Soft Power: What can Russia learn from the U.S. experience?

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Russian Folk Singers file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Pavel Koshkin, RBTH – April 3, 2013) While Russia struggles to improve its image abroad, the U.S. model of “soft power” sets a good example to follow. How many cultural and educational centers does Russia have in the United States? This was the very question that preoccupied my thoughts when I first visited […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Interview to the German ARD

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Kremlin.ru – April 5, 2013) Ahead of the working visit to Germany, Vladimir Putin gave an interview to the German ARD. The interview was recorded on April 2, 2013 in Novo-Ogaryovo. * * * JÖRG SCHÖNENBORN (retranslated): Good evening, Mr President, Germany and Russia enjoy special relationship and, economically speaking, they are a good match. However, there exist certain difficulties […]

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Putin rules out ‘ideological considerations’ in military cooperation loans

Arms Trade, Military Aid, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

NOVO-OGARYOVO. April 3 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin favors broader use of export loans and new forms of settlements in broadening military-technical cooperation with foreign states. “In order to strengthen (military-technical) cooperation with key partners, we should pay special attention to long-term cooperation programs and broaden the use of state export loans,” Putin said at a meeting of the […]

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Despite Visa Hassles, Russia Promotes Itself as Tourist Destination

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Manik Mehta – March 27, 2013) BERLIN ­ In an attempt to refurbish its image as a tourist destination, Russia went on a charm offensive to court international travelers at the recent Berlin International Tourism Bourse, the world’s largest tourism show. Conceding that visa rules were a big problem, a large contingent of Russian tour […]

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Business Travel in Russia Fraught With Bureaucratic Pitfalls

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Map of Russia

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Howard Amos – March 27, 2013) While most Russians wade through a bureaucratic quagmire to get a visa for the European Union or the United States, once they arrive they enjoy almost complete freedom of movement. For those who choose to come to Russia to live and work, however, the bureaucratic challenges really begin to […]

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Checks at Russian NGOs seek to identify ‘foreign agents’ – Justice Ministry

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – Moscow, March 25, 2013) The Justice Ministry has explained that mass checks at NGOs are being carried out to uncover the organizations that fall under the definition of “foreign agents”. “If breaches of the laws of the Russian Federation are uncovered, including the provisions of the Federal Law “On the introduction of changes to legislative acts as regards […]

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Visas main obstacle to broader Russia-EU ties – Medvedev

Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

MOSCOW. March 22 (Interfax) – If visas are not scrapped, strategic partnership between Russia and the European Union will not be possible, said Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. “We must understand that visas will have to be scrapped in any case if we are to build a strategic partnership,” Medvedev said at a press conference on Friday after talks between […]

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BRICS format is non-military – top Russian diplomat

Brazil, BRICS, China, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, India, Military, South Africa
File Photo of Flags of BRICS Nations and BRICS Logo from Past Summit

MOSCOW. March 21 (Interfax) – The BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) will not form a military alliance and will center its efforts on tackling economic and social issues, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said. “I would like to reiterate once again that BRICS is not a bloc directed against third states. This principle was firmly […]

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Hundreds of NGOs Checked for Foreign Agents, Extremism

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jonathan Earle – March 20, 2013) Acting on instructions from the Prosecutor General’s Office, government inspectors in at least nine Russian regions have conducted hundreds of unannounced checks on non-governmental organizations, including well-known human rights, environment and religious groups. The checks are designed to catch organizations that receive foreign funding and are involved in “political […]

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Russia’s Rogozin Asks ‘Who’s the Enemy?’

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military
Dmitry Rogozin file photo

MOSCOW, March 20 (RIA Novosti) – Russia needs to determine exactly who its enemies are and develop its Armed Forces accordingly, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday. “We really need to understand what our strategic threats are, clearly define who our adversary is, what kind of adversary, and configure our Armed Forces and military-technical systems to counter those […]

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Kremlin’s Child Advocate ‘Upset’ As US Parents Cleared

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Russian Foreign Ministry Building Tower file photo

MOSCOW, March 19 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russia’s child rights ombudsman and Foreign Ministry criticized on Tuesday the decision by Texas prosecutors not to charge the adoptive parents of a Russian toddler who died suddenly in January. “The Texas prosecutors’ position in the case of Maxim Kuzmin is upsetting, because they refused to scrutinize the circumstances of his death,” ombudsman Pavel […]

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Russia may grant non-visa entry to ‘non-dangerous’ foreigners

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Sports, Olympics, World Cup
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Aleksandras Budrys – March 19, 2013) Russia’s Culture Ministry has presented to the government a bill on 10-day visa-free entry for “non-dangerous” foreigners to participate in cultural, sporting and business events, Minister Vladimir Medinsky said on Tuesday. “We have developed a number of draft laws in this regard,” Medinsky told Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at […]

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Chagrin and Ambivalence in Putin’s Foreign Policy

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Far East, Siberia, APEC, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Middle East, North Africa
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 10, Issue 45 – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Pavel K. Baev – March 11, 2013) Entering the second year of his third presidency, President Vladimir Putin has shown uncharacteristically scant interest to foreign policy matters perhaps suspecting that Western “partners” are sponsoring Russia’s opposition movement and that neighboring post-Soviet leaders and even Chinese “friends” are […]

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EU Visa Deal Looks Likely, but Catches Remain

Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nikolaus von Twickel – March 12, 2013) A much-touted agreement with the European Union making travel easier for businesspeople, students, NGO workers and other professionals might go into force finally, as Brussels has changed its stance on Moscow’s demand to include a visa waiver for government officials. But there are some catches, as both sides […]

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Prosecutor General Checks NGOs for Source of Foreign Funding

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anya Aseeva – March 11, 2013) The Prosecutor General’s office, together with the Justice Ministry and the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, has begun conducting large-scale unscheduled checks into non-governmental organizations to determine sources of foreign funding, a news report said Monday. Marina Grudneva, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General’s office, said the inspection was being conducted […]

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Latest work on foreign policy [re: Russia’s Foreign Policy: Change and Continuity in National Identity]

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Kremlin and St. Basil's

From: Andrei P Tsygankov <andrei@sfsu.edu> Subject: Latest work on foreign policy Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2013 Russia’s Foreign Policy: Change and Continuity in National Identity, 3d edition (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442220010 La Russie et le Moyen-Orient: entre islamisme et occidentalisme. Politique étrangère 78, 1, Spring 2013 The original in English is available here: http://online.sfsu.edu/andrei/Research/Articles.htm — Andrei P. Tsygankov Professor […]

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Russian Diplomats Move in to the Real World

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Russian Foreign Ministry Building Tower file photo

(RIA Novosti – Fyodor Lukyanov – February 28, 2013) Fyodor Lukyanov is Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal, an authoritative source of expertise on Russian foreign policy and global developments – http://eng.globalaffairs.ru/ Russia’s much-anticipated Foreign Policy Concept has finally been released. And while the latest version does not contain anything revolutionary, it does provide insight into how Russia’s […]

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Lavrov Lambastes EU Over Visa Fairness

Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – February 26, 2013) Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday accused the European Union of employing a double standard when it agreed to allow nondiplomatic Ukrainian officials to enter member states without a visa. “A Ukrainian bureaucrat is no different from a Russian one,” he told students at Moscow’s Diplomatic Academy. Russian and […]

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Justice Ministry Refuses to Check Golos Election Watchdog

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Moscow TImes – themoscowtimes.com – February 26, 2013) The Justice Ministry has refused to conduct a check into election watchdog Golos’ compliance with recently passed legislation requiring foreign-funded organizations to register as “foreign agents” despite over 100 requests to do so. The ministry received 120 requests to recognize Golos as a foreign agent, and 350 such requests for the Levada […]

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Russia in the Caucasus

Armenia, Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Georgia, Terrorism
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(International Relations and Security Network (ISN) – www.isn.ethz.ch – Aglaya Snetkov for the ISN – February 25, 2013) Aglaya Snetkov is a senior researcher at the Center for Security Studies (CSS). Despite the attempts by Western powers to penetrate the Caucasus, Russia continues to exert unmatched influence over the region. In today’s Questions and Answers presentation, the CSS’ Aglaya Snetkov […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Dmitry Medvedev’s interview with the Brazilian newspaper O Globo

Americas, Brazil, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Dmitry Medvedev file photo

(Government.ru – February 22, 2013) Transcript: Correspondent (via interpreter): I know we have little time and will try to be succinct. I’ll start with Syria right away. Do you think Bashar al-Assad will remain in power for a long time to come? We know that Syria has been in this situation for a long time already, and it is still […]

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Russian Foreign Ministry opens Facebook account

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russian Foreign Ministry Building Tower file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, February 21, 2013) The Russian Foreign Ministry has opened an official account in the social network Facebook, says a report published on the ministry’s website today. “Topical information about the Russian foreign policy, archive materials about the history of the Russian diplomatic service, helpful information for countrymen and Russians staying abroad will be posted there. We expect […]

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G20 tests Russia’s influence

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
G20 Logo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – www.rbth.ru – Alexey Dolinskiy, special to RBTH – February 21, 2013) In 2013, Russia will host the G-20 summit for the first time ever. Russia’s official presidency started in December 2012, but high-level meetings, culminating in the September 2013 St. Petersburg summit, are just beginning. Leading a global institution of the world’s most powerful countries […]

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Russia Spells Out Foreign Policy Priorities, Says Western Dominance Declining

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Russia & the West
World Map Showing Continents, Greens, Browns, Ice

(RIA Novosti – Moscow, 18 February 2013) The West’s capabilities to dominate global politics continue to dwindle, the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, whose text was posted on the website of the Foreign Ministry today, reads. [http://www.mid.ru/bdomp/ns-osndoc.nsf/e2f289bea62097f9c325787a0034c255/c32577ca0017434944257b160051bf7f] “The capabilities of the historically established West to dominate the global economy and politics continue to decline. The global potential of […]

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Senior senator hails Russian foreign policy concept

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Mikhail Margelov file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, 17 February) The concept of Russia’s foreign policy that was voiced by Vladimir Putin is aimed at using economic diplomacy and applying “soft power” as well as “the democratization of diplomacy”, head of the Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee Mikhail Margelov has said. “This concept reflects the fact that today international economic problems cannot always be resolved […]

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OECD Accession Progressing Slowly but Surely

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
OECD Logo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Irina Filatova – February 18, 2013) The head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development promised Friday that accession to the club of the world’s most economically advanced countries won’t take Russia as long as its entry into the World Trade Organization. “It will not take 17 years,” Angel Gurria told Finance Minister Anton […]

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Putin Warns Against Foreign ‘Interference’ at FSB Meeting

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Partial FSB Headquarters Building Facade

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Winning – February 15, 2013) President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called on security service officers to shield Russians from an array of threats, including extremist groups, foreign-funded organizations and cyberattacks. “Any direct or indirect interference in our internal affairs, any form of pressure on Russia, our allies and partners is unacceptable,” Putin told senior […]

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Putin wants to end Soviet secrecy over mineral resources

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Diamonds generic file photo

(Business New Europe – bne.com – February 14, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an end to the long Soviet-era habit of classifying geological data as a state secret. As part of the new look Russia-can-do Inc, that he hopes will bring in more investment, the president said the information on the size and location of the countrys natural […]

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Funding Russian NGOs: opportunity in a crisis?

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(opendemocracy.net – Almut Rochowanski – February 13, 2013) Almut Rochowanski is a co-founder and coordinator of Chechnya Advocacy Network, a US-based NGO. Russian NGOs have traditionally looked abroad for their funding, and are dismayed at recent legislation setting up new barriers to this practice. Almut Rochowanski argues, however, that this should be seen as a challenge to increase the involvement […]

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Russia needs to promote its positive image abroad – Putin

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Kremlin and St. Basil's

NOVO-OGARYOVO. Feb 11 (Interfax) – President Vladimir Putin has emphasized the need for “soft force” mechanisms in Russian Foreign Ministry operations. “Obviously, ‘classic’ diplomacy is, if not particularly out of date, then seriously transformed. You and your colleagues have to deal with the economy, developing business relations, supporting various economic projects and opening new promising markets,” Putin told Russian Foreign […]

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Russia to soon present UN with scientific research on continental shelf

Arctic, Far East, Siberia, APEC, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Oil, Gas, Energy
Map of Northern Japan, Kurill Islands, Sea of Okhotsk, Portions of Russian Far East

MOSCOW. Feb 7 (Interfax) – Russia will soon present the UN with the results of its research on the extent of the continental shelf in the central Sea of Okhotsk, and later in the Arctic Ocean more than 200 miles from the shore, official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich said at a Thursday briefing. “Russia has long […]

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Would democratic change in Russia transform its foreign policy?

Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Russia & the West, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
World Map Showing Continents, Greens, Browns, Ice

(www.opendemocracy.net – Ivan Krastev – February 7, 2013) Ivan Krastev is chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies, Sofia, and permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna (IWM). The incompatibility of an anachronistic and arbitrary regime with the modern world is leading many to consider that democratic change is possible ­ likely even ­ in Russia. But […]

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