Ahmadinejad to visit Baku to discuss relations, security.

BAKU, November 17 (Itar-Tass) - Bilateral relations and regional
security will be the main subjects of discussion during a two-day official
visit to Azerbaijan by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. The visit
begins on Wednesday.
According to diplomatic sources here, the President of the Islamic
Republic arrives in Baku on Wednesday morning. He is to hold talks with
Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev, in a one-on-one format, and later on
in a broader format with the participation of the delegations of the two
countries.
The sides are expected to examine the entire spectrum of bilateral
relations, specifically matters aimed at giving greater scope to economic
cooperation. It is not ruled out that the talks will focus on interaction
in the gas sector.
This year Azerbaijan began to export its gas to the neighbouring
country in an amount of 500 million cubic metres. Iran, for its part,
repeatedly stated its desire to boost the amount of import of Azerbaijani
gas, bringing it up to 5,000 million cu. m. at the initial stage. It is
also expected that matters aimed at stepping up mutual investment
activities in Azerbaijan and Iran will be also discussed at the
Azerbaijani-Iranian talks.
As a result of the talks Aliyev and Ahmadinejad will make statements
for the press.
Within the scope of the visit, the President of Iran will also meet
with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasi-zade, Minister of Foreign
Affairs Elmar Mamedyarov, Sheikh-Ul-Islam Allahshukyur Pashazade, Head of
the Moslem Board of the Caucasus, and with compatriots residing and
working in this Transcaucasian country.
On Thursday Ahmadinejad will attend the third Caspian summit.

.RF-Finland panel to discuss Ural towns problems.

YEKATERINBURG, November 17 (Itar-Tass) - Members of the Russo-Finnish
intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation are to discuss the
problems of one-factory towns in the Urals.
An official in the Sverdlovsk Region ministry for foreign economic
relations has told Itar-Tass that a Finnish delegation, led by Minister of
Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Vaeyrynen, arrives in the region on
Wednesday. Vaeyrynen chairs the Finnish side of the intergovernmental
Commission.
The delegation is to attend a business forum and meet with the region
leadership and representatives of Ural Federal University. "The delegation
also includes a working group on sociology and economics of the
Finnish-Russian commission on scientific and technological cooperation.
Within the scope of the visit, the delegation members intend to travel to
Nizhny Tagil for a series of meetings dealing with the problems of
one-factory towns," the Ministry official said. The Finnish delegation
will be at work in the Urals until November 19.
Nizhny Tagil is one of the first Russian single-industry cities where
a State support programme has begun to materialize already. City Mayor
Valentina Isayeva has told Itar-Tass that a large number of significant
projects have been planned out on the principles of co-financing in
conjunction with the Federal center. The projects will help diversify the
city economy and entail changes leading to a better quality of life in
Tagil.
The new projects include, in particular, those connected with the
development of the sports infrastructure. "The Finnish side has gained
wide experience in servicing international-level sports competitions. We
would like to study and apply it here if possible," Isayeva said.
In Sverdlovsk Region, there are now more than 30 one-factory towns,
which account for about one-third of the region's population.

.Army logistical supplies on view in Moscow.

MOSCOW, November 17 (Itar-Tass) - Over 200 Russian and foreign
enterprises are to present logistical supplies for the needs of the army
and the navy here on Wednesday at the 10th All-Russia specialized
exhibition on the theme of "Russian Producers and Supplies for the Armed
Forces".
An officer in the Defence Ministry's press-service and information
directorate has told Itar-Tass that an open auction for the purchase of
products in the Food section and a competition "The Best Domestic Product
for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation" are to be held within the
framework of the exhibition.
The main sections of the exhibition, which will run until November19,
are dealing with clothing and equipment, foodstuffs, medicine, fire
prevention equipment, mechanization and automation means, new achievements
of science and technology for the army and the navy.
"On view will be troops rapid-deployment systems, developed by the
Uniform-N research and development enterprise in conjunction with the
French company The Losberger Group, as well as new specimens of fabric,
including the so-called noiseless one, new models of military footgear
with the use of membrane materials, and the newest battlefield
communications systems. New specimens of military and medical optical
devices, medicinal preparations for servicemen in the field will be on
display in the section Medicine," the Ministry officer specified.
The exhibition has been arranged in the grounds of the CSKA athletics
and soccer center on Leningradsky Prospekt (Leningrad Avenue).
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