.Medvedev, Norway's PM to hold talks in Murmansk Wed.

MOSCOW, September 15 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
will hold talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg in Murmansk
on Wednesday to discuss a whole lot of bilateral matters, a Kremlin
administration official has told Itar-Tass.
The sides plan to discuss a broad spectrum of Russo-Norwegian
relations, including the implementation of the provisions of the Joint
Statement, signed by the Russian president the Norwegian prime minister
during Medvedev's State visit to Norway on April 26-27, as well as the
top-level accords," the Kremlin official said.

.Putin to inspect reconstruction work in fire-stricken areas.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, September 15 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin is expected to inspect in person the reconstruction work in
wildfires-stricken villages in Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod Regions on
Wednesday. In particular, it is planned to visit Verkhnyaya Vereya
Township in Nizhny Novgorod Region and Ivatino Village in Vladimir Region.
Since the beginning of 2010, forty populated areas in Nizhny Novgorod
Region have been hit by wildfires, with almost 800 houses being burned and
22 people dying. Over 1,000 rural residents have remained without a roof
over their heads.
As of now, almost 1,500 residents of the region have had remitted
200,000 roubles to each of them as compensation for the lost property.
Reconstruction of housing after the fires is under way in the region.
Thus, in the Vyksa District, more than 600 houses are to be built for
the wildfire victims, more than 400 ones in Verkhnyaya Vereya alone.
After visiting the fire-stricken regions, Vladimir Putin is to hold a
hook-up conference on Thursday to discuss matters aimed at eliminating the
aftermath of the fires with Minister for Regional Development Viktor
Basargin and the governors of stricken regions.

.Canada FM to deliver lecture in Moscow on Arctic policy.

MOSCOW, September 15 (Itar-Tass) - Canadian Minister of Foreign
Affairs Lawrence Cannon begins his visit to Moscow on Wednesday with a
lecture at the Diplomatic Academy on Canada's foreign policy in the Arctic.
At the end of August this year, Canada formulated the international
aspects of its Northern Strategy based on the following four principles:
the ensurance of sovereignty in the Arctic, assistance in the economic and
social development of northern areas, protection of the environment and
improvement of the managerial system.
The same subject will be brought up for discussion at the forthcoming
talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The talks are scheduled
for Thursday, September 16. Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei
Nesterenko said on the eve of the Canadian Minister's visit, "Joint
activities in the Arctic and in the North are among the most important
aspects of bilateral relations. Russia and Canada intend to reaffirm their
priorities in this respect, as well as the need for closer cooperation and
coordination of further actions".
On a bilateral plane, the two Ministers are also to consider
possibilities for "deeper cooperation, including prospects for refinement
of consular and visa-related practice," the diplomat pointed out..
Lavrov and Cannon are also to discuss international problems of
current concern, such as, in particular, regional aspects of
non-proliferation -- the situation around Iran and on the Korean
Peninsula. The two Ministers are to touch upon the MIddle East peace
process and problems connected with the post-conflict construction in
Afghanistan. "Russia and Canada are interested in a settlement of
territorial and regional conflicts in the present-day world, and in a rise
in the general level of security, law and order," Nesterenko emphasized.
On Thursday, Cannon is scheduled to hold talks in the State Duma lower
house of the Russian parliament, specifically with Artur Chilingarov,
presidential special representative for international cooperation in the
Arctic and Antarctica.
This is Mr. Cannon's first visit to the Russian capital as Foreign
Minister. The visit, though, was to be made way back on April 18-19.
However, owing to the discharge of a cloud of volcanic ash into the
atmosphere, the visit had to be postponed. At that time Canadian Foreign
Ministry regretted very much the interference of the elements in the
political dialogue between Moscow and Ottawa, stressing that a visit to
Russia was of exceptional importance.
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