17:30
PORTUGUESE PRESIDENT IN RUSSIA
President Jorge Sampaio of Portugal is on a 5-day trip to the Russian Federation to sign bilateral economic and diplomatic agreements and to continue the process of friendship initiated between the two countries in 1994. More details...

13:37
RUSSIAN CONSULATE GENERAL WILL BE OPENED DUBAI
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov has signed instructions on opening a Consulate General of Russia in the city of Dubai /the United Arab Emirates/. More details...

13:37
RUSSIAN AND PORTUGUESE PRESIDENTS MEET IN MOSCOW
The Russian-Portuguese extended-format negotiations are currently under way in Moscow. Opening the meeting, Portuguese president Jorge Sampaio invited Russian president Vladimir Putin to Portugal in 2002. More details...

13:10
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT ACCEPTED INVITATION OF HIS PORTUGUESE COUNTERPART
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the invitation of his Portuguese counterpart Jorge Sampaio to visit his country in 2002. Opening the negotiations between the two countries' delegations, President Putin stated that he was glad to accept the invitation of the Portuguese President. More details...

12:49
SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER JOSEP PIQUE TO VISIT RUSSIA OCTOBER 29
Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique is to arrive in Russia for a brief visit on October 29, the Spanish Embassy in Moscow said. Pique will arrive in Moscow on Monday evening. He is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov in the residence of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Spanish Minister is to return to Madrid on that evening, the Embassy noted. More details...

12:42
PORTUGUESE PRESIDENT FAVOURS CLOSER COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA
The presidents of Russia and Portugal, Vladimir Putin and Jorge Sampaio, are holding negotiations in the Kremlin. Portuguese President Sampaio said at the beginning of the meeting that he favours the construction of a "new security and confidence-building system in Europe." More details...

12:39
US AMBASSADOR: RUSSIA IS US KEY PARTNER IN COMBATING TERRORISM
Russia is the key partner of the United States in its drive against terrorism, said US Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow during a press conference in Moscow. According to him, the terror acts in the United States on September 11 resulted in "an unprecedented alliance" between our countries. More details...

12:25
CHINESE VICE PRESIDENT HU JINTAO ARRIVES IN MOSCOW
Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao will arrive in Moscow on October 27 for a one-day official visit, diplomatic sources told RIA Novosti Friday. The Chinese Vice President is scheduled to meet Russian top officials and to discuss vital international problems and Russian-Chinese relations. More details...

12:22
PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA SENT GREETING TO PARTICIPANTS IN 4TH MEETING OF RUSSIAN-CHINESE FRIENDSHIP COMMITTEE
President of Russia Vladimir Putin sent a message of greeting to the participants in the 4th meeting of the Russian-Chinese committee of friendship, peace and development which opened in Moscow. The text of this message was read out by Vice-Premier of the government of Russia Ilya Klebanov. More details...

12:07
PRESIDENT OF PORTUGAL INVITES VLADIMIR PUTIN TO VISIT PORTUGAL NEXT YEAR
The Russian-Portuguese high-level talks are underway in the Kremlin. In his opening remarks, the Russian president said that the visit by President of Portugal Jorge Sampaio to Russia would give a new impetus to the Russian-Portuguese relations. More details...

11:33
COLLATERAL DAMAGEII
More collateral damage has been caused by US/UK air raids on Afghanistan. Although many claims have been made by the Taleban, the Pentagon has admitted “rare errors”. More details...

11:00
AGREEMENTS ON STRATEGIC WEAPONS LIKELY TO BE SIGNED DURING VLADIMIR PUTIN'S VISIT TO USA
US Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow does not rule out signing agreements on strategic weapons during Vladimir Putin's visit to the United States in November. The US and Russian Presidents' meeting in Shanghai cleared the way for future possible agreements in the sphere of strategic weapons, the American diplomat told a news conference in Moscow. More details...

10:38
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT SPOKE TO GERMAN CHANCELLOR ON TELEPHONE
In the late hours of Thursday, the German side arranged a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. More details...

10:34
RUSSIAN AND PORTUGUESE PRESIDENTS TO MEET IN THE KREMLIN
Russian President Vladimir Putin will conduct negotiations in the Kremlin with Portuguese leader Jorge Sampaio who yesterday arrived in Moscow for his first official visit. More details...

20:34
RUSSIA: PORTUGAL'S PRESIDENT ARRIVES ON OFFICIAL VISIT
Jorge Sampayo, President of Portugal, has arrived in Moscow on an official visit, the first-ever by a Portuguese head of state More details...

19:17
POLAND'S PRIME MINISTER: WE WILL DEEPEN DIALOGUE WITH RUSSIA
A new language sounds in the Poland-Russia dialogue, which is conducive to a more favourable climate, emergence of initiatives in bilateral relations, said Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller More details...

18:52
BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY TO VISIT RUSSIA NEXT WEEK
Diplomatic sources in the Russian capital told RIA Novosti on Thursday that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was to visit Russia from October 31st to November 1st More details...

17:22
PUTIN, BERLUSCONI WRAP UP 4-HOUR KREMLIN TALKS
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi held negotiations in the Kremlin on Thursday, which lasted four hours More details...

17:15
SAUDI ARABIA'S PETROLEUM, MINERAL RESOURCES MINISTER TO VISIT RUSSIA, MEXICO ON EVE OF OPEC CONFERENCE
In the beginning of November Ali Ibrahim Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, will make working visits to Russia and Mexico More details...

16:30
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
Among the many claims by the Taliban of bombing raids on civilians, the United Nations has confirmed that a hospital in Heart was hit. More details...

13:41
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, ITALIAN PM DISCUSS SITUATION IN THE WORLD FOLLOWING TERRORIST ATTACKS IN USA
Negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under way in the Kremlin, have focused on the new situation in the world after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. More details...

13:41
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, ITALIAN PM DISCUSS SITUATION IN THE WORLD FOLLOWING TERRORIST ATTACKS IN USA
Negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under way in the Kremlin, have focused on the new situation in the world after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. More details...

13:41
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, ITALIAN PM DISCUSS SITUATION IN THE WORLD FOLLOWING TERRORIST ATTACKS IN USA
Negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under way in the Kremlin, have focused on the new situation in the world after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. More details...

13:32
PUTIN MEETS ITALIAN PREMIER IN KREMLIN
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is taking place in the Kremlin. More details...

12:18
MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT TO ARRIVE IN MOSCOW SUNDAY
Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski is to arrive in Moscow Sunday for a brief visit at the invitation of the Russian President, the Macedonian Embassy to Russia told RIA Novosti. More details...

10:45
PORTUGUESE PRESIDENT TO MEET STUDENTS IN MOSCOW AND ST. PETERSBURG DURING HIS VISIT TO RUSSIA
In addition to his official negotiations with the Russian top officials, Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio will meet students of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and the State University of St. Petersburg during his visit to Russia to start on Thursday. More details...

10:43
PORTUGUESE PRESIDENT TO PAY HIS FIRST FIVE-DAY VISIT TO RUSSIA LISBON
Portuguese president Jorge Sampaio will arrive in Moscow on Thursday evening for his first five-day official visit to Russia. More details...

10:02
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN TO MEET ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI IN THE KREMLIN
Russian President Vladimir Putin is to meet Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in the Kremlin Thursday. Berlusconi earlier arrived in Moscow for a one-day official visit. More details...

17:29
VLADIMIR PUTIN RECEIVES ISRAELI VICE-PREMIER
Russian President Vladimir Putin has received Israeli Vice-Premier Natan Sharanski. The vice-premier told a news conference Wednesday he had had a business lunch with President Putin and had nothing to tell the press about it. More details...

17:13
BUCHAREST TO PUSH FOR A BASIC POLITICAL AGREEMENT WITH MOSCOW
Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana has stood up for support of a qualitatively new stage of relations with Russia and Eastern partners. Returning from Moscow last night, Geoana said his talks in Moscow focused on the Romanian premier's upcoming visit to Russia. More details...