Cypriot-Russian ties are model of interstate relations -- president.

NICOSIA, August 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Bilateral ties between Cyprus and
Russia are going through their "best period" in all areas and serve as "a
model of interstate relations", Cypriot President Demetris Christofias
said.
He sent a message to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday,
August 18, in connection with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations
between the two countries.
Christofias thanked Russia for its constant, consistent and principled
support in the Cypriot people's struggle for independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
He believes it would not be an exaggeration to say that the "Cypriot
state has survived and preserved its status largely owing to the moral
support of the international community and the protection provided by the
relevant decisions of the Security Council," in the adoption of which
Russia "played the main role".
Speaking of Medvedev's upcoming first-ever visit to Cyprus this
autumn, Christofias stressed, "Your visit to Cyprus in October of this
year will crown the strong Cypriot-Russian friendship. This historical
visit, during which we intend to give you as warm a reception as you gave
me in Moscow in November 2008, will become a landmark event in further
deepening and development of ties between the Republic of Cyprus and the
Russian Federation," the message said.

.Russian naval mine-sweeping group to attend int'l manoeuvres.

KALININGRAD, August 19 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian Baltic Fleet's
mine-sweepers Alexei Lebedev and Sergei Kolbasyev will represent the
Russian Navy during international Operation Open Spirit 2010 in the Baltic
Sea from August 28 to September 8.
"The Baltic Fleet's mine-sweeping group consisting of two basic
mine-sweepers will take part in the Open Spirit-2010 exercise, a
multinational operation to find and disarm mines and other ammunition
remaining on the Baltic seabed since World War I and World War II. This
exercise is an important part of cooperation among European countries in
cleaning coastal waters of our common Baltic Sea of explosive objects," a
spokesman for the Baltic Fleet commander, Captain 2nd Rank Andrei Taraman
told Itar-Tass on Wednesday, August 18.
Open Spirit-2010 is held every year under the Partnership for Peace
programme. Russia will be attending it for the fifth time.
The operation will take place in Lithuania's territorial waters and
will involve about 20 ships from Belgium, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania,
Norway, Russia, Finland, France, and Estonia.
According to expert assessments, about 80,000 mines were placed in the
Baltic Sea during the First and Second World Wars. Many of them still
remain on the seabed.
"We estimate that there are over 1,000 mines in Lithuanian waters
alone that were mainly left by Germany during World War II," said
Lieutenant Commander Giedrius Premeneckas, head of the Lithuanian Navy,
which is hosting the operation and providing three mine-clearing and
support vessels.
A joint survey conducted by the navies of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
and Poland in 2008 estimated that there are some 80,000 mines lying on the
Baltic seabed. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 were laid by the former
Soviet Union in the post-war period.

.Russia important trade, economic partner for Armenia -- FM.

YEREVAN, August 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia is a "very important" trade
and economic partner for Armenia and its main investor, Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan said.
"Russia is also the main external market for Armenian products," the
minister said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 news channel on
Wednesday, August 18.
"We are developing very successful cooperation in the field of energy,
including atomic energy, transport, ore mining, innovative technologies,
and many other fields," he said.
"The total volume of Russian investments in Armenia stands at 2.75
billion U.S. dollars. There are 1,400 enterprises with Russian capital in
Armenia," Nalbandyan said, adding that about 200 agreements and treaties
had been signed, new agreements were being drafted and old ones being
updated.
"We will do our best to expand, strengthen and develop relations
between our countries," he said.
"Naturally, we attach great significance to humanitarian cooperation
as well in such fields as culture, education, science, healthcare,
tourism, sport, festivals, cultural days," the minister said.
"We pay a great deal of attention to the Russian language. There are
40 schools in Armenia that have classes where teaching is conducted in
Russian. More than 3,000 students are studying at the Russian-Armenian
(Slavic) University where teaching is in Russian," Nalbandyan said.
"Russian television channels are available in all settlements across
Armenia. Newspapers are published in Russian, and many mass media,
practically most of them, have Russian-language versions of their
websites," he said.
According to Nalbandyan, "All this is very important for preserving
and strengthening spiritual and cultural closeness between the two peoples
and two countries. And we will continue paying much attention to this area
of cooperation."
-0-zak/