CIS foreign ministers to meet in Chisinau.

CHISINAU, October 8 (Itar-Tass) - The CIS foreign ministers will
gather for a meeting in the Moldovan capital on Thursday to discuss the
preparation for the CIS summit, a source at the Moldovan Ministry for
Foreign Affairs and European Integration told journalists.
The foreign ministers of eleven CIS countries will arrive in Chisinau
for a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS countries.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent Russia.
The ministers will discuss about 20 issues. The Council of the CIS
Foreign Ministers is to pass decisions on the internal life of the CIS,
discuss ways of strengthening cooperation in the settlement of migration
processes and prevention of drugs trade.
Multilateral cooperation with Georgia within the CIS will be a
separate item for discussion. Georgia suspended its CIS membership on
August 18.
The Council of Foreign Ministers will discuss the CIS legal framework
and will approve the program of a summit of the CIS heads of state to be
held in Chisinau on October 9.

.Russian first vice-premier to visit Togliatti.

SAMARA, the Volga region, October 8 (Itar-Tass) - First Vice-Premier
Igor Shuvalov will on Thursday visit Russia's biggest car producer Avtovaz
to discuss its reform and reorganization, a source at the Avtovaz press
service told Itar-Tass.
This year has been the most difficult for Avtovaz. The situation in
the Russian car market is forcing the plant to stop its production line
and introduce a short working week for its employees. The plant plans to
produce about 330,000 cars which is almost half less than in 2008. In the
first half of 2009 Avtovaz's losses stood at 14,103 billion roubles and
about 56.6% of cars were sold in the first half of 2009 compared to the
volumes of the first nine months of 2008 when more than 477,000 Lada cars
were sold in the Russian market.
A new production plan and the market situation have made job cuts
inimitable. Avtovaz plans to dismiss about five thousand people out of
more than 102,000 employees between December 14 and 28, 2009.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to
work out three plans for saving Avtovaz together with the plant's
management and shareholders. They are plans of financial recovery,
technological modernization and social development. Putin said that new
employments for dismissed Avtovaz workers should be found at other plants
in Togliatti and financial support should be given to the former employees
who don't get a pension. All the three plans should be discussed with the
trade unions.
A special commission began its work at Avtovaz on October 6. Its task
is to consider employment issues and divest the plant's assets that don't
belong to the main business, including the carmaker's medical unit.


.CIS FMs to gather in Chisinau to discuss prep for CIS summit.

MOSCOW, October 8 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
is on Thursday leaving for a two-day working visit to Chisinau, which is
hosting a meeting of the Council of CIS Foreign Ministers.
The CIS foreign ministers will gather for a meeting in the Moldovan
capital on October 8 to discuss the preparation for the CIS summit, a
source at the Moldovan Ministry for Foreign Affairs and European
Integration told journalists.
The foreign ministers of eleven CIS countries will arrive in Chisinau
for a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS countries.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent Russia.
The ministers will discuss about 20 issues. The Council of the CIS
Foreign Ministers is to pass decisions on the internal life of the CIS,
discuss ways of strengthening cooperation in the settlement of migration
processes and prevention of drugs trade as well as interaction within the
CIS in increasing security and raising the efficiency of joint border
policy.
The CIS foreign ministers will discuss a draft address of the
Commonwealth leaders to the CIS peoples and the world public in connection
with the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great
Patriotic War in 2010 and the status of veteran organizations in CIS
countries.
The Council of the CIS foreign ministers will also consider a bloc of
humanitarian and social issues. A plan for interaction in expanding the
application of remote educational technologies will be submitted for the
Council's consideration. Besides, the CIS foreign ministers will work out
additional measures in the provision of IT support for educational systems
in the CIS territory.
Multilateral cooperation with Georgia within the CIS will be a
separate item for discussion. Georgia suspended its CIS membership on
August 18.
The Council of Foreign Ministers will discuss the CIS legal framework
and will approve the program of a summit of the CIS heads of state to be
held in Chisinau on October 9.

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