Putin to visit Vladivostok Oct 12 to see APEC summit preparations.

MOSCOW, October 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin on October 12 will pay a working visit to Vladivostok to review
preparations for a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
organization, the chief of the government staff, Yuri Ushakov, told the media on Friday.

The prime minister will chair a conference devoted to progress in
building facilities for the APEC summit of 2012. Putin will certainly
visit the Russky Island, selected as the venue of the main events of the
summit. The prime minister intends to inspect the facilities in person to
see progress in construction work and their degree of readiness.
The governor of the Primorye Territory, Sergei Darkin, last April
asked the prime minister to visit the region.
"Construction projects are proceeding in keeping with the schedule.
The bridges are under construction. We are inviting you to come and see
the work," he told the prime minister. Putin then replied that it was most
important to ensure preparations for the APEC summit should be felt not
only on the Russky Island, but in the city of Vladivostok as well.
First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said lately the government
had no intention of cutting spending on APEC summit preparations. He
recalled that a special program for creating infrastructures in
Vladivostok had been drawn up and its financing from the federal budget
was set at 202 billion rubles.
One of the two runways at Vladivostok's airport has begun to be
upgraded and it will be finalized next summer, by the city's 150th
anniversary. The second runway will be upgraded by 2011. A decision has
been made to build a new terminal at the airport. When upgraded, the
airport will be able to service more than three million passengers a year.
Also, by 2012 a modern road and two bridges across straits will
connect the airport with the Russky Island. By the summit two five-star
hotels are to be completed, for which purpose up to 7.5 rubles has been
reserved.
Regional Development Minister Viktor Basargin visited the island
earlier this week. He announced that seventeen web-cameras will begin to
monitor progress in preparations round the clock in the near future. All
construction sites will be under the on-line control of the headquarters
located in the community of Ayaks.
In the evening of Monday, October 12, Vladimir Putin will leave
Vladivostok for China on a two-day working visit.


.Moscow wants to see fair, comprehensive settlement on Cyprus - FM.


MOSCOW, October 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia wants to see a just and
comprehensive settlement on Cyprus on the basis of UN Security Council
resolutions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday after a meeting
between Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov and the permanent secretary
of Cyprus's Foreign Ministry Nicholas Emiliou.
The two sides discussed bilateral cooperation, the Cypriot settlement
situation and a number of topical international problems.
"Russia emphasized the importance of achieving a fair, viable and
comprehensive settlement on Cyprus on the basis of the corresponding UN
Security Council resolutions," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
During his visit to Sukhum on October 2 Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov strongly dismissed the rumors Russia might recognize the
regime in the territory of Cyprus Turkey occupied in 1974 in exchange for
Ankara's recognition of Abkhazia.
"Russia has no intention of comparing the situation in Abkhazia and
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," he said. "These are two
different situations, and I believe that any bargaining is out of place
here."
For his part Lavrov's Cypriot counterpart, Markos Kiprianou described
Russia's position as clear-cut.
"We are satisfied with Sergei Lavrov's clear position, reflecting the
foreign policy of the Russian Federation. Lavrov said very clearly that
the two situations are very different," Kirpianou said. "Such a
transaction would be impossible either from the legal point of view, or
from the ethical one."

.Tajikistan invites neighbors to finalize Rogun Hydro project.


ASHGABAT, October 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Tajikistan is inviting Russia and
the Central Asian countries into an international consortium that would
complete the construction of the Rogun Hydro.
"We shall be glad to have the support and understanding of our
neighbors first and foremost," Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon said
in the Turkmen port of Turkmenbashi on Friday. He is in Turkmenistan on a
working visit. On Friday there was a one-on-one meeting of the national
leaders and negotiations between delegations in a wider format.
On the list of crucial regional themes the president discussed
Tajikistan's hydropower projects, which, Rakhmon said, "are vulnerable to
misunderstanding and wrong interpretations."
"The construction of hydro power plants in Tajikistan by no means
poses a threat to the interests of countries downstream," Rakhmon said
about the fears there might be a decline in the water flow. "The more so,
since the hydro power plants are built on internal rivers."
"The Rogun Hydro on the Vakhsh river and the Kambar-Ata water
reservoir in Kyrgyzstan will help ease or prevent the effects of droughts
in the region. Control of the water level in the Rogun reservoir will
allow for supplying water for more than 90 percent of irrigated farmland
in the Amu-Darya river basin measuring 4.5 million hectares in area," he
said.
Rakhmon voiced the certainty the construction of the Rogun Hydro was
of great importance to providing water resources and electricity for
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and southern areas of Kazakhstan in droughty
years.

-0-str