Medvedev begins "big tour" of Far East.

KHABAROVSK, July 2 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev late on Thursday arrived in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, the first destination of his "big tour" of the Far East, from where he will proceed to the Jewish autonomous region on Friday.

Besides Khabarovsk and Birobidzhan, Medvedev will also visit
Blagoveshchensk, and Vladivostok, covering a total distance of 20,000
kilometers.
"A big trip to the Far East is ahead," Medvedev wrote in his Twitter
weblog before the departure. "We will hold a conference on the development
of the Far East and consolidate our positions in relations with neighbors
in the region."
It is Medvedev's fourth visit to Khabarovsk and his trip to
Birobidzhan and Blagoveshchensk.
In Khabarovsk the president will chair a meeting on the socio-economic
development of the Far East and Russia's role in the Asia and the Pacific
Rim. For the first time in history, Russia will host a summit of the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) in Vladivostok in 2012.
Later in the day, the Russian president will travel to Birobidzhan to
meet representatives of small businesses of the Jewish Autonomous Region
and visit a synagogue, a Jewish religious and cultural centre, and a city
wedding palace.
On Saturday, Medvedev will proceed to Blagoveshchensk to meet the
heads of municipalities of Amur region.
While in Vladivostok, Medvedev, who is the supreme commander-in-chief,
will attend strategic exercise Vostok-2010 (East-2010) held in the
Siberian and Far Eastern military districts from June 29 through July 8
and involving as many as 20,000 troops, 2,500 armored vehicles, 70
warplanes and 30 warships.
The exercise will include combat fire, simulated airborne assaults and
amphibious assault landings. To join the drills aircraft were relocated
from European Russia. The Su-24M bombers and new-generation Su-34 fighter
bombers made an 8-hour non-stop flight with two refuellings, covering the
distance of more than 8,000 kilometres. Along with Pacific Fleet warships,
taking part in the exercise are Black Sea and Northern Fleet warships, the
Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser and the Moskva missile
cruiser.


.Lavrov sees no security threat from Asia.

KHABAROVSK, July 2 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov said on Friday Asia and the Pacific Rim posed no direct threat to
Russian security.
"Despite preserved conflict potential the region poses no direct
national security threats for Russia. We do not have serious
contradictions practically with any country of Asia and the Pacific Rim,"
he told a meeting in Khabarovsk on Friday chaired by President Dmitry
Medvedev.
Countries of the region "treat Russia in a friendly way and perceive
our country as a factor of balance and stability," Lavrov said.
"Bilateral relations of our country with Asian and Pacific Rim states
are on the rise and the states hope we shall become a factor of
sustainable economic development in the region. They are interested in a
more active cooperation with us," the minister said.
Lavrov stressed that "Russian eastern territories organically fit into
the immense space, not less than eastern provinces of China or the
Japanese islands, Hawaii or the Philippines."
"Only modernized Russia which energetically advocates its interests
can occupy a worthy place in the cooperation architecture in Asia and the
Pacific Rim," the minister said.
He added "major changes are underway in the region that concern
Russian interests."
"Interaction among the countries of the region is on the rise,
regional integration is accelerating, the security and cooperation
architecture began to transform. All that will considerably influence the
character of modern international relations, therefore we have not only to
participate in the processes, but occupy a worthy place in them," Lavrov
said.

.Clinton to discuss strategic partnership with Ukraine.

KIEV, July 2 (Itar-Tass) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
begins a visit to Ukraine on Friday to promote strategic partnership
between the countries.
She will discuss the withdrawal of remaining highly-enriched uranium
from Ukraine, as well as economic and energy issues, defense cooperation,
and democracy development.
Clinton will meet President Viktor Yanukovich who promised to U.S.
President Barack Obama at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in
April to dispose of close to 90 kilograms of enriched uranium by 2012.
Obama welcomed Ukrainian decision to dispose of the stockpiles with
U.S. technical and financial assistance.
Clinton will also meet Foreign Minister Konstantin Grishchenko, as
well as opposition leader Yulia Timoshenko, media and public
representatives, and will speak in Kiev Polytechnic University.
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