Medvedev to end Mongolia visit, attend Khalkhin-Gol victory events.

ULAN-BATOR, August 26 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
will on Wednesday end his two-day state visit to Mongolia. It is planned
that he will attend festivities devoted to the 70th anniversary of the
joint victory on the Khalkhin-Gol River and hand state awards to Mongolian
veterans.

The Battle of Khalkhin Gol was the decisive engagement of the
undeclared Soviet-Japanese Border War, or Japanese-Soviet War, fought
between the Soviet Union, Mongolia and the Empire of Japan in 1939. The
battle was named after the river Khalkhin Gol passing through the
battlefield. In Japan, the battle was known as the Nomonhan Incident after
a nearby village on the border between Mongolia and Manchuria.
Besides, the Russian president will attend the national holiday Naadam
that the Mongolian authorities hold specially in his honour.
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.Putin to hold talks in Moscow with S Ossetian president.

MOSCOW, August 26 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
will hold talks on Wednesday with South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity
who will be in Moscow on a working visit.
The RF government's press service told Itar-Tass that the Russian
prime minister and South Ossetian president will "discuss a wide range of
bilateral issues related first of all to the provision of assistance by
Russia to South Ossetia in the restoration and construction of
infrastructure and housing fund facilities that were damaged during the
Georgian aggression in August 2008."
The sides are expected to sign an intergovernmental agreement on the
provision of aid to the Republic of South Ossetia in socio-economic
development.
The meeting of Putin and Kokoity will be held on the first anniversary
of recognition the Republic of South Ossetia by the Russian Federation.
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.Ukraine will have no default - Timoshenko.

KIEV, August 26 (Itar-Tass) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia
Timoshenko has promised to prevent natural gas price rise for the
population. She made this statement at an opening ceremony of a section of
the international highway Kiev-Chop in the Rovno region on Tuesday.
"Settlement for gas have been made to the last kopeck and there will
be no price rises for the population," Timoshenko stated. She also noted
that despite forecasts of many experts, Ukraine will have no default. The
prime minister expressed confidence that the Ukrainian economy growth
tempos will be gradually increasing.
The National Electricity Regulatory Commission of Ukraine earlier made
a decision to increase by 20 percent retail gas prices for the population
from September 1 and by 20 percent gas prices for heating utility
enterprises starting from October 1. This is one of the conditions of
getting by Ukraine of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) loan, as
well as loans for the pumping of gas in underground storage facilities.
Besides, the government, according to a memorandum with the IMF, assumed
the obligation starting from 2010 to introduce the quarterly correction of
gas prices for these categories of consumers.
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.Dzuarikau-Tskhinval gas pipeline to be opened in S Ossetia.

TSKHINVAL, August 26 (Itar-Tass) - The festive opening ceremony of the
Dzuarikau-Tskhinval gas pipeline will be held on Wednesday - the first
anniversary of recognition of the Republic of South Ossetia by the Russian
Federation.
From now on natural gas will be supplied to South Ossetia directly
from Russia. The republic earlier received Russian gas via the Georgian
territory. Gas will be supplied to the gas metering station in Tskhinval
and from there will be distributed among social facilities and dwelling
houses. Besides, from now on residents of several high mountain villages
of South Ossetia will be supplied with natural gas.
"The opening of the gas pipeline is a great event and we are proud of
it," head of the company general contractor - Stroiprogress Albert
Dzhussoyev said.
The pipeline construction was launched in 2006 and was conducted at
accelerated tempos. It is laid through the Greater Caucasus Range and is
the world's highest mountainous pipeline. The gas pipeline's length is 163
kilometres, 93 of which run in the North Ossetian territory. The pipe
diameter is 400 mm. The highest point of the gas pipeline is on the Kudar
pass at mark 3148 metres. A total of 13 tunnels have been built on the
gas main route. More than 3000 people took part in the construction of the
gas pipeline. The awarding ceremony of 350 best construction workers will
also be held on Wednesday.
The welding of the "golden joint" in the area of the Kudar pass
connected the northern and southern parts of the pipeline where fuel
pumping started on August 23. Gas reached Tskhinval on August 24. All the
operations were conducted on schedule.
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.S Ossetia so sign intergovt agt with Russia, launch gas pipeline.


TSKHINVAL, August 26 (Itar-Tass) - South Ossetia on Wednesday is
marking the day of recognition by the Russian Federation of the republic's
independence. The main event of the day will be the opening of the
Dzuarikau-Tskhinval gas pipeline and signing of an agreement between the
RF and South Ossetian governments.
The gas pipeline will link South Ossetia with North Ossetia and will
allow the republic to receive natural gas directly from Russia. Until now
it was supplied in transit via Georgia. On Wednesday, simultaneously with
the launch of the new gas pipeline, the valve on the pipe from Georgia
will be closed. According to South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity,
"Thus Georgia will lose the last lever of influence on South Ossetia."
The second important event for the republic is the signing of an
agreement between the governments of Russia and South Ossetia on the
provision of aid to South Ossetia in its socio-economic development. The
signing will take place in Moscow where Eduard Kokoity and Foreign
Minister Murat Dzhioyev flew on Tuesday evening. The South Ossetian
presidential administration told Itar-Tass that "after the
intergovernmental agreement's signing in Moscow Eduard Kokoity is planned
to hold talks with RF Prime Minister Vladimir Putin."
South Ossetia's independence recognition day - August 26 - has been
put on the list of state holidays of the republic by a decree of South
Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity. Events devoted to this day will last in
the republic until August 27. They include an ethnographic holiday,
exhibitions, roundtables, sports tournaments and numerous concerts.
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