Contents tagged with Russia
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Bertelsmann Foundation: Russia is becoming increasingly autocratic
Political and social conflicts are increasing around the world and as conflict escalates, the influence of religion on politics is growing and authoritarian tendencies are intensifying. This is evidenced by the publication of the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) for 2014-2016 on Monday, February, 29th. The BTI is a survey of political and economic developments in 129 developing and transitional countries.
Russia is currently at 81st place in the BTI ranking, dropping four positions …
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Meeting planned between Foreign Ministers of Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan
The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it is planning to hold a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan.
“Soon there will be a trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia. At this meeting will be discussed issues concerning the realization of the agreements reached at the meeting between Hassan Rouhani [President of Iran] and Ilham Aliyev [President of Azerbaijan],” APA quoted a representative of Iranian Foreign Ministry as …
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UK representative at the UN calls on Russia to release all Ukrainian political prisoners
At the UN Security Council session, the British Representative for the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, reported that Great Britain called on Russia to release all Ukrainians political prisoners, including those who are in Russia and in illegally annexed Crimea, a UNIAN correspondent reported. According to him, there has since been a positive exchange of hostages between Ukraine and militants.
“We called on Russia to release all illegally detained Ukrainians, including those who are in Russia …
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Baltic States expect a larger NATO presence
The Baltic States are expecting an expansion of NATO troops on their territory, as was stated by the head of the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs.
In July, at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, the Baltic States will need a “very strong statement” from the alliance that “will stay there until as long as we’ve got such a neighbor [Russia],” he said in an interview with the Washington Post.
According to the Minister, he “is convinced that the NATO Military Contingent staying in the …
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US Ambassador to Ukraine: Sanctions will not be lifted against Russia until Minsk Agreements are implemented
The Unites States Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt stated on the air of ZIK TV that sanctions against Russia can be reviewed only when the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented.
“The President of the United States, Barack Obama, discussed this position in a talk with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. He also noted the special requirement of granting full access to OSCE observers to the whole territory of Ukraine – up to the internationally recognized borders. Now, there is nothing …
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EU Ambassadors in Moscow call for investigation into killing of Boris Nemtsov
The Ambassadors of 28 EU countries and Norway laid flowers at the site of Boris Nemtsov’s assassination on the Moskvoretski Bridge in the Russian capital, as reported by a Dozhd correspondent.
Vygaudas Ushatskas, the head of the representative office of the European Union in Moscow, was also present. “The organizers and perpetrators of the crime must be found,” he said. Peter Eriksson, the Swedish Ambassador to Russia also demanded an unbiased investigation of the killing.
Boris Nemtsov was …
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Russian Ministry of Labor predicts drop in real wages
According to the Russian Minister of Labor, Maxim Topilin, there will not be a dramatic drop in real wages in the country. “Maybe there will be a slight decline, between 3% and 4%,” Topilin was quoted as saying by TASS.
Also Topllin explained an increase of the unemployment rate of between 6% and 6.3% is not critical, and it is an acceptable percentage.
Topilin has said that the Ministry of Labor is in the process of drawing up legislation to increase the maximum amount of the unemployment …
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Putin plans to get around sanctions with the help of western banks
Russia is planning to evade the European and US sanctions that were placed against them two years ago. Their plan is to allow the Kremlin to release and make available a 3-billion-dollar loan with a 10-year maturity term. Russia plans to achieve this with the help of Chinese, European and US banks.
This was reported by the Insomi news website with reference to German newspaper, Die Welt.
“Putin draws his net around the giants of Wall Street,” the newspaper reported. The newspaper also …
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Ukrainian diaspora in Europe held demonstrations against Russian aggression
On February 28th, protests against Russian aggression in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea were held in France, Italy, Spain and other European countries. In particular, numerous activists gathered under the flags of Ukraine and the European Union in Paris, Lisbon and Rome, and held peaceful demonstrations to remind the world about the annexation of Crimea and Russian aggression, Radio Svoboda reported.
In Paris, the slogans made by the participants of the event were made in French because, …
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Saudi Arabia accuses Russia and Syria of violating ceasefire
The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Adel Al-Jubeir, has accused Moscow and Damascus of carrying out airstrikes which violate the conditions of the truce in Syria. According to Reuters, the diplomat stated that the Saudi authorities are currently discussing this issue with other countries.
Adel Al-Jubeir also reported that if the Syrian authorities and their allies aren’t serious about observing the truce, plan B will be activated. Meanwhile, the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs didn’t give …