Russia

By Gabriela Baczynska | Reuters | Moscow | 04 Jul 2012

Syrian opposition leaders will visit Moscow next week in what could be a litmus test for an agreement struck by the United States, Russia and other major powers on a plan for political transition in Syria.

"We will use this coming meeting with yet another Syrian opposition group to continue work to end violence and start Syrian dialogue between the government and all groups of the Syrian opposition as soon as possible," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.

By Ellen Barry | New York Times | Moscow | 02 Jul 2012

By : Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles | Reuters | Geneva | 30 Jun 2012

Foreign ministers of world powers gather in Geneva on Saturday to try and forge a common strategy to end the bloodshed in Syria, but differences between Russia and the West may thwart them.

Kofi Annan, the former U.N. chief who is special international envoy on Syria, has been hoping for consensus on a plan for a unity government that, by excluding from the leadership figures deemed too divisive, would effectively mean President Bashar al-Assad stepping down.

By Tony Karon | Time.com | 28 Jun 2012

Source : AFP | Moscow | 21 Jun 2012

Russia must stop providing military supplies to Syria, Arab League’s deputy secretary general Ahmed Bin Hilli said in an interview with the Interfax news agency on Thursday.

“Any assistance to violence must be ceased because when you supply military equipment, you help kill people. This must stop,” he was quoted as saying in comments translated into Russian.

He also called for the mandate of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to be revamped, saying that a new mechanism was needed to enforce the plan.

Source : RIA Novosti | 15 Jun 2012

The United States and Russia continue discussions on a post-Assad transition strategy despite some disagreements on approaches to the settlement of a political crisis in Syria, the U.S. State Department said.

U.S. Deputy State Secretary Robert Burns met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday on the sidelines of the Hearts of Asia ministerial meeting in Kabul to discuss a wide range of issues, including the situation in Syria.

Source : Agencies | 09 Jun 2012

Russia will not oppose the departure of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad if such a move is a result of a dialogue between Syrians themselves and is not enforced through external pressure, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.

"If the Syrians agree (about Assad's departure) between each other, we will only be happy to support such a solution," Lavrov told reporters. "But we believe it is unacceptable to impose the conditions for such a dialogue from outside."

Source : IANS/RIA Novosti | Astana | 08 Jun 2012

Russia and Kazakhstan have agreed to extend their bilateral Friendship Treaty, originally signed in 1992, for an additional 10 years.

The protocol on amendments to the treaty was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev after talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

Both sides also agreed to step up efforts to expand bilateral cooperation and integration. Moscow and Astana have plans to increase trade from the current $24 billion to $40 billion annually over the next few years.

By Henry Meyer | Bloomberg | 08 Jun 2012

Russia is looking to a proposed international conference on Syria to pressure Saudi Arabia and Qatar to halt help for rebels against President Bashar al-Assad, a senior lawmaker in the Russian ruling party said.

By Gleb Bryanski and Chris Buckley | Reuters | Beijing | 07 Jun 2012

Leaders of a bloc grouping China, Russia and Central Asian states called on Thursday for dialogue to address the violence in Syria, all but guaranteeing that there will be no end to the deadlock in discussions at the U.N. Security Council.