Germany supports Schengen visa-free regime with Russia in future.

BERLIN, November 1 (Itar-Tass) -- Germany supports "the introduction
of a visa-free regime between Russia and the Schengen visa zone in the
long-term perspective," German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Guido
Westerwelle, who arrived on an official visit in Moscow, told Itar-Tass.
According to him, the German federal government confirmed this
position in a joint statement at the top level meeting in St. Petersburg
in 2003 and again later in the preamble to the agreement on an easier visa
regime between the countries signed on May 25, 2006.
"The decision taken jointly with our European partners to outline "the
joint steps" on the way to a visa-free regime was an important step
forward," Westerwelle said with confidence. "Now we should do the
necessary detailed work," he added.
"This means to work out "joint steps" separately and to agree on
them," the Germany foreign minister went on to say. "For joint progress in
this issue a decisive precondition will be how quickly both sides will
fulfill the prerequisites developed at the joint negotiations," the German
foreign minister remarked. "It will depend mainly for this when the visa
regime between the countries will be finally abolished," he underlined.

.Medvedev pledges to solve red caviar supply problems to mainland.

THE KUNASHIR ISLAND, November 1 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev, who is currently visiting the Kuril Islands, pledged to
solve the problems on red caviar supplies to the mainland. He visited the
Yuzhno-Kurilsk fish-processing plant on the Kunashir Island.
Director of the plant Konstantin Korobkov told that 180 people work at
the plant with the average salary of about 17,000 roubles. The plant
processes about 110 tonnes of fish daily.
The president was traditionally treated with the red caviar at the
plant. The president was offered to put the red caviar on the bread with
butter. Noting that he is trying to keep in shape Medvedev put the red
caviar on a piece of bread without butter. Governor of the Sakhalin Region
Alexander Khoroshavin, who is accompanying the president in this trip,
also tasted the caviar and said already as an expert that it is the calico
salmon caviar.
"This is a very tasty caviar. I wonder how much time its delivery to
the mainland will take," the president asked. The director of the
fish-processing plant acknowledged that there are some bureaucratic
problems with red caviar supplies to the mainland. Medvedev pledged to
give instructions to his plenipotentiary representative to settle this
situation.
Then the president examined berthing facilities under construction in
the Yuzhno-Kurilsk Bay. The first stage of construction is over, the pier
is built, and electric power supplies are provided. A three-storey
passenger ship terminal will be built next year. The berthing complex is
to be commissioned in 2011.
It is raining heavily on the Kunashir Island on Monday. But the
president decided not to change the visit agenda. He will visit
residential houses under construction and will drop at the flat of a young
family.

.Russia interested in development of Kuril Islands - Medvedev.

THE KUNASHIR ISLAND (The Kuril Islands), November 1 (Itar-Tass) --
Russia is interested in the development of the Kuril Islands, Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev said. The president arrived on the Kunashir
Island on Monday and visited several local enterprises and a family.
"We are interested in people to stay here. The development is
important here, we will certainly invest money here," Medvedev said at a
tea party.
The president asked the hosts about food supplies and the level of
medical services. They answered that food supplies are permanent to the
island and they have all necessary things for the life.
Dmitry Medvedev is the first Russian president to visit this remote
Russian region.
-0-baz