Situation in Kyrgyzstan, region to top CSTO summit agenda in Armenia.

.

SOCHI, August 19 (Itar-Tass) -- The situation in Kyrgyzstan and the
region in general will dominate the agenda of the upcoming informal summit
of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Armenia to be
attended by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday, August 20.
"It is believed that the heads of state will discuss the situation in
Central Asia, measures that can be taken by the CSTO member states to help
stabilise the situation in Kyrgyzstan, and ways to improve the CSTO's
emergency response mechanisms," presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said on
Wednesday, August 18.
"Taking into account the nature of the event, any of the presidents
can propose additional issues for discussion. For example, it is planned
that the president of Russia, who is the current chairman of the CSTO
Collective Security Council, will discuss the date of the next CSTO
Collective Security Council meeting in Moscow," the aide said.

.Hot summer delays winter crop sowing, but does not mean bad
harvest-expert.

MOSCOW, August 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian agricultural workers will
start sowing winter crops later than usual because of an abnormally hot
summer, but this does not mean they will have a poor harvest next year,
Russia's Hydrometeorological Centre Director Roman Vilfand said.
"This year sowing is impossible in the majority of regions in central
Russia because the soil is not ready, it is absolutely dry and minimum
moisture," he said at a press conference at Itar-Tass on Wednesday, August
18.
"We have to wait for the soil to become moistened enough. Experts say
that sowing this year will begin late, not earlier than the third week of
September," Vilfand said.
In his opinion, the winter crop harvest "depends on how moistened the
soil is."
"If we get heavy enough rains, and they will begin already this week,
the sowing can go faster," he said.
The Agriculture Ministry confirmed that the sowing of winter crops is
lagging behind last year's schedule because of the "soil and air drought".

.Medvedev, Sargsyan to discuss Russian military base, NPP, joint
projects.

SOCHI, August 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will discuss further presence of the
Russian military base in Armenia, the construction of new units at the
Armenian nuclear power plant, and major joint projects.
"The documents being prepared for signing includes a protocol on the
extension of the agreement on the Russian military base in Armenia, and
inter-governmental agreements on readmission and on mutual establishment
of trade missions," presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Wednesday,
August 18.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan said "changes will extend
the treaty of 1995: while before it was effective for 25 years, henceforth
it will be in force for 49 years starting from 1995 until 2044."
According to the minister, a new treaty will state more specifically
that "the Russian military base alongside the Armed Forces of Armenia will
ensure the security of the republic in addition to the interests of
Russia."
"The Russian side will help provide the Republic of Armenia with arms
and modern military hardware to this end," he added.
The Russian 102nd military base in Armenia was deployed in accordance
with the treaty of March 16, 1995. The base was created in order to ensure
strategic stability on the external border, protect the interests of
Russia and Armenia, including by using Russian and Armenian troops in
accordance with the regulations of the Collective Security Treaty
Organisation of May 15, 1992.
The base has its units stationed in Gyumri and Yerevan. There are
about 3,500 personnel at the base, which includes three motorised infantry
regiments, an artillery regiment, and a detached tank battalion.
According to military sources, the base is armed with defence systems.
Russian and Armenian air defence units have been on joint duty at the base
since 2001.
"We expect that the implementation of major Russian investment
projects in Armenia will be discussed during the visit and plans are made
for the future," Prikhodko said.
"One of the most promising sectors is nuclear power engineering. An
inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in the construction of a new
generation nuclear power unit in Armenia is being prepared for signing,"
the aide said.
Russia-Armenian relations are based on a strong economic foundation.
Leading Russian companies such as Gazprom, Inter RAO UES, Russian
Railways, Bank VTB, Russian Aluminium, AFK Sistema, VimpelCom are
operating in Armenia.
Accumulated Russian investments in Armenia since 1991 have reached
about 2.4 billion U.S. dollars, which is almost 60 percent of all foreign
investments in the country. The main sectors where Russian capital is
invested are energy, banking, telecom, ore mining, and construction.
"The international agenda will also touch on the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement," Prikhodko said.
A great deal of attention will be paid to cooperation in integration
organisations, primarily the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.
-0-zak/