Washington says talks to replace START 1 to continue in Moscow

Washington says its U.S. National Security Adviser James Jones’ primary aim of visiting Russia is to negotiate a new nuclear arms cuts treaty to replace START 1, RIA-Novosti quoted a spokesman for the White House as saying.

“They’re going to, I think, primarily to continue our discussions on renewing our START treaty… continue to make progress and get an agreement on something that we can sign this year to further cut the number of nuclear weapons that each side has,” Robert Gibbs said.

The Kremlin said on Saturday the Russian and U.S. presidents hoped a treaty on nuclear arms cuts to replace START 1 would be ready by early December.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jones is expected to be in Moscow on October 28.

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the pillar of Russian-US disarmament commitments, expires on December 5.

The latest round of talks took place in Geneva two weeks ago.

The outlines of the new pact were agreed during the presidents’ bilateral summit in Moscow in July and include cutting their countries’ nuclear arsenals to 1,500-1,675 operational warheads and delivery vehicles to 500-1,000.

START 1 obliges the countries to reduce nuclear warheads to 6,000 and their delivery vehicles to 1,600 each. In 2002, a follow-up agreement on strategic offensive arms reduction was concluded in Moscow. The document, known as the Moscow Treaty, envisioned cuts to 1,700-2,200 warheads by December 2012.

 

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Vietnamese firms off to Moscow

HA NOI — Ninety-seven Vietnamese companies will participate in a trade fair for Vietnamese exports in Moscow next week, according to the Embassy of Viet Nam to Russia.

The trade fair would be held at the Moscow Expo-centre from September 15-18 by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Vietnamese Embassy to Russia, Ambassador Bui Dinh Dinh told a press conference in Moscow on Monday.

“The event aims to increase economic and trade ties between Viet Nam and Russia, spotlight Viet Nam’s production capacity and export potential, promote the country’s business and investment climate and encourage tourism,” he added.

“Two-way trade reached more than US$1.64 billion in 2008 and has surpassed $980 million in the first seven months of this year,” said Dinh.

However, the results had yet to reach a level consistent with the political links between the two countries. As a result, leaders of the two countries were keen to increase trade to $3 billion a year.

“The expo will include a forum on Viet Nam’s trade and investment potential in agriculture, forestry and fisheries,” added the diplomat. —

Source: vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Moscow pairs with VN’s major cities

HA NOI — President Nguyen Minh Triet yesterday praised an agreement made between Ha Noi, HCM City and Moscow to grant each other land to build trade and cultural centres and friendship houses.

Speaking at a meeting with Mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov in Ha Noi yesterday, Triet said he hoped the three cities’ close co-operation would create a new driving force to boost trade between Viet Nam and Russia.

He said he was glad to have seen concrete results of the two countries’ strategic partnership and multi-faceted co-operation. Triet added he was proud of Russia’s growth and important position in the world.

Mayor Luzhkov told the President about the results of his meeting with Ha Noi Party Secretary Pham Quang Nghi and Chairman of Ha Noi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao.

The municipal leaders had signed a joint commitment and agreed to build a Moscow House in Ha Noi and a Ha Noi Trade and Culture Centre in Moscow.

The mayor said he believed the centres would contribute to developing the two countries’ relationship.

Moscow was ready to support Ha Noi in many areas, Luzhkov said, including development planning and management. Moscow expected to develop co-operation with other localities in Viet Nam. —

Hanoi, Moscow mayors meet for closer ties

Officials from Hanoi and Moscow signed a joint statement and an agreement of cooperation between their friendship associations in Hanoi on November 26, the first day of a three-day visit by a senior delegation from Moscow .

The delegation, led by Moscow ’s Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, paid a courtesy visit to the Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi, who described the mayor’s visit as one of great importance to future bilateral relations.

In the afternoon, Luzhkov attended talks with Hanoi People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen The Thao.

Both host and guest expressed their mutual satisfaction at recent developments in relations between the two capital cities. They pledged to strengthen ties in a number of areas, such as the economy, trade and investment, serving the interests of the two cities and the two nations as a whole.

Mayor Thao proposed a plan to host a Moscow Culture Week in Hanoi during 2009 and extended an invitation to a Moscow delegation to attend the Hanoi-Thang Long Millennium Anniversary in 2010.

In reply, Luzhkov agreed to send an delegation of artists to perform at the anniversary celebrations.

Marking the occasion, the two mayors were presented with insignia by the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association.-

Moscow plans closer Ha Noi, City ties

MOSCOW — The Russian capital of Moscow foresees greater economic co-operation with Ha Noi and HCM City, particulary among small-and medium-sized enterprises and in such sectors as education and training, culture and science, tourism, and infrastructure.

At a press briefing in Moscow last Thursday, Vladimir Lebedev, deputy director of the Moscow Foreign Trade and International Relations Department, praised the progress Vietnamese businesses have already made in implementing major projects that have brought practical benefits to both Moscow and the two largest Vietnamese cities.

He also expressed optimism about the further prospects for growing economic ties among the cities, noting that Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov would visit Ha Noi and HCM City starting today to review projects for which Viet Nam has issued a call for investment. He will also consider additional major projects of mutual benefit, such as the urban railway in HCM City and other infrastructure and transportation projects.

Luzhkov plans to discuss with Ha Noi authorities possible co-operation in organising cultural and trade promotion events to coincide with the celebration of the upcoming 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi.

Bilateral trade between Viet Nam and the city of Moscow reached US$600 million in 2007, accounting for 60 per cent of total trade between the two countries, the trade counselor of the Vietnamese Embassy in Moscow, Vu Trong Nghia, said at the press briefing.

Two-way trade between Viet Nam and Russia was projected to hit $1.5 billion in 2008, rise to $3 billion per year by 2010 and to as much as $10 billion per year by 2020, he added.

Moscow mainly exports metals, fertiliser and machinery to Viet Nam, while importing rice, seafood and food staples from Viet Nam. Food security was one of Russia’s primary concerns, Lebedev noted, particularly in the context of the current food crisis which has driven up food prices alarmingly. Viet Nam was considered to be a reliable food supplier for Russia, he added. —

VRB bank to open a bank in Moscow

HA NOI — The joint-venture Viet Nam-Russia Bank (VRB), has received approval from the State Bank of Viet Nam to establish a bank in Moscow.

The VRB will still need a licence from the Planning and Investment Ministry of Viet Nam before opening the bank in Moscow.

The charter capital of the new bank is US$8 million, and wholly provided by VRB.

The Ha Noi-based joint-venture bank (VRB), has charter capital of $62.5-million, 51 per cent owned by the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) and 49 per cent by VTB, the second largest lender in Russia, formerly known as Vneshtorgbank.

The VRB venture began in 2006 while the then Russian President, Vladimir Putin, was in Ha Noi for the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation summit (APEC).

Viet Nam-Russia Bank’s total assets in June this year reached $228 million at the end of June, up 25 per cent from the end of 2007. —

Vietnamese embassy in Kazakhstan inaugurated

Vietnam officially inaugurated its embassy in Kazakhstan’s capital city of Astana on July 1.

The move reflects the resolve of the two countries’ leaders to lift up their friendly relations to a more comprehensive closer and sustainable level, said Vietnamese charge d’affaires to Kazakhstan Vu The Hiep at the opening ceremony.

A representative of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised that Vietnam is Kazakhstan’s important partner in Southeast Asia and Kazakhstanis wishes to maintain and develop their comprehensive relations.