Russia Has Right to Place Nuclear Weapons in Crimea.

Russia Has Right to Place Nuclear Weapons in Crimea.(SP).

Moscow has the right to place nuclear weapons in Crimea, but is not currently planning to do so, the head of the Department for Nonproliferation and Control of Arms of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Ulyanov said Wednesday.

"Obviously, Russia has the right to place nuclear arms on its territory, if it considers it necessary, in any region. I am not aware of any presence of nuclear weapons in Crimea, I do not know anything about plans of placing them there, but in principle we presume that we have this right, obviously, but Kiev, of course, believes differently," Ulyanov said at a press conference in Moscow.

Last December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia reserves the right to place nuclear weapons on any part of its territory, including in Crimea. Later the same month, US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland vowed that Washington and its allies would respond to possible stationing of nuclear weapons in the peninsula. Read the full story here.

Turkish PM urges UN sec-gen Ban to come up with Cyprus plan....Why not end illegal occupation?

Turkish PM urges UN sec-gen Ban to come up with Cyprus plan....Why not end illegal occupation? (CM).

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has urged the United Nations Secretary-General to come up with a plan to solve the Cyprus problem before his term ends in 2016.

Speaking after a meeting with Ban Ki-moon in New York on Thursday, Davutoglu said he had reminded the UNSG that the Turkish side had supported the Annan plan in 2004, which was rejected by the Greek Cypriot side.

“In 2004 we supported the Annan plan and I suggested to Mr Ban Ki-moon that we need now a Ban Ki-moon plan before the end of his term to end this long-standing crisis,” he said.

The UNSG’s term ends on December 31, 2016. Hmmm......'Neo Ottoman conquerors' ...a.k.a. 'Bullies'. Cyprus best chances are with Russia, since the US and EU won't do anything to prevent Cheap gas flowing through Turkey to Europe.  Read the full story here.

Cypriot Pres: "Cyprus and Russia will continue to cooperate without paying any heed to international reaction."

Cypriot Pres: "Cyprus and Russia will continue to cooperate without paying any heed to international reaction." (CM).

PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades on Friday said Cyprus and Russia would continue to cooperate without paying any heed to international reaction to the agreements struck with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

One of the agreements, formalising the use of Cypriot ports by Russian navy ships for anti-terrorism and humanitarian reasons, has caused particular consternation abroad, especially in Britain, which maintains two military bases on the island.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had strong words for Cyprus on Friday, according to a report from the Cyprus News Agency. It cited FCO sources in London as saying that although the agreement was a matter for Cyprus, when set in the context of the West’s stance on Russia over Ukraine, the move was a cause for concern.

The FCO source said London believed the European Union position on Russia’s actions in Ukraine were clear. “We acknowledge the unity which Cyprus has demonstrated with the EU on this,” said the official.

“In light of the current problems it is not the time to extend a hand of friendship to Russia until it shows willingness to fulfill the Minsk agreement,” he added, referring to the agreement signed in the Belarus capital aimed at a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

But Anastasiades, who has felt let down by the West’s failure to come out strongly enough against Turkey’s violation of the island’s exclusive economic zone, on Thursday said “many of the friends” showing intense concern for other countries, had remained silent on Turkey’s violations, adopting a policy of double standards.

He said although he recognised the concerns of some countries over his Russia visit, Putin had not asked “for the slightest thing that would put us in a difficult position with our partners, or our partners across the Atlantic”.

“We [Russia and Cyprus] will cooperate without paying attention to who is reacting or who may have concerns”. Anastasiades is due back in Cyprus today Saturday. Hmmmm.....He's right By Allowing Turkey to terrorize everyone they pushed Cyprus in Putin's arms, the EU their quest for Cheap Iranian Gas flowing through Turkey will surely create more problems in the future. Read the full story here.


Related: Russia is reportedly getting military bases in EU member........CYPRUS?

Russia does not need bases on Cyprus - Military expert, or Can't Afford them?

Russia does not need bases on Cyprus - Military expert, or Can't Afford them? (RBTH).

Russia does not need military bases on Cyprus, especially considering the current economic climate, former chief of the international agreements division of the Russian Defense Ministry\'s main international cooperation department Lt. Gen. Yevgeny Buzhinsky said.

"Sure, we do not need them [the bases], especially given the present-day economic conditions," Buzhinsky, PIR Center Board Chairman, told Interfax-AVN on Monday.

He was commenting on a statement by Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiadis who said Cyprus was prepared to consider the deployment of Russian air and naval bases on the island.

In the opinion of Buzhinsky, "Cyprus must need something, it wants money and is ready to do anything. It is especially amusing that they are offering [Russia] to open its base near Akrotiri, the location of a British military base."

Being a member of the European Union, Cyprus is part of the sphere of influence of the Europeans and the Americans, primarily, the Brits, he said.

"So, all this talk about Russian bases on Cyprus reminds me of Cyprus' "procurement" of S-300 missile systems. It even paid the bill, but the S-300 systems were finally deployed in Greece because no one would let Cyprus to deploy Russian-made air defense systems," Buzhinsky said.

Speaking of Greek media reports regarding the Russian government's request for leasing an air base on Cyprus, a military diplomat told Interfax-AVN in Moscow earlier that the Russian army did not have an operative need to deploy an airbase in the Mediterranean but it could temporarily use the Cypriot territory, for instance, for possible evacuation of Russian citizens from conflict-ridden Syria.

"The Russian army has no operative need to station an airbase on Cyprus, because the Russian Defense Ministry does not posses a regional group which will require support from such base," the source said.

"Most probably, it could be the question of temporary use, with the consent of the Cypriot side, of some airfield for possible evacuation of Russian citizens in the case of escalated tensions in Syria," he continued.

"The situation around that country [Syria] has changed, and Russia has contributed to that by its efforts," the source said.

At present, Russian airbases are deployed outside the national territory wherever Russia has army forces, i.e. in Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Tajikistan, he said.

Western media, which commented on the statement by Anastasiadis, said that a formal agreement on military cooperation between Russia and Cyprus might be signed on February 25, 2015.

"CHANGE" - Moscow & Cairo to drop USD, use national currencies in bilateral trade – Putin.

"CHANGE" - Moscow and Cairo to drop USD, use national currencies in bilateral trade – Putin. (RT).

Russia and Egypt might soon exclude the US dollar and use their national currencies in the settlement of accounts in bilateral trade, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview to Egyptian media ahead of his Monday visit to the country.

The issue of abandoning the dollar in trade is “being actively discussed,” Putin told Al-Ahram daily newspaper ahead of his two-day trip to Egypt. The Russian president was invited for a bilateral meeting by his Egyptian counterpart Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.

“This measure will open up new prospects for trade and investment cooperation between our countries, reduce its dependence on the current trends in the world markets,” Putin said.

“I should note that we already use national currencies for trade with a number of the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] states, and China. This practice proves its worth; we are ready to adopt it in our relations with Egypt as well. This issue is being discussed in substance by relevant agencies of both countries.”

Egypt is a long-time and trusted partner of Russia and the relationship between the two countries has been rapidly developing, the Russian president said.

During Sisi’s last visit to Russia in August 2014, the two leaders agreed to look at a possibility of creating a free trade zone between Egypt and the countries of the Customs Union. Meeting in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, the presidents also agreed upon the creation of a Russian industrial zone in Egypt, which will be part of a new Suez Canal project. Hmmmmm.......And Cyprus will sell GAS To Egypt. Read the full story here.


RELATED: Russia is reportedly getting military bases in EU member........CYPRUS?

Russia is reportedly getting military bases in EU member........CYPRUS?

Russia is reportedly getting military bases in EU member........CYPRUS? (GCSSI).By Elena Holodny

Cyprus has offered Russia to have air and navy bases on its territory.

Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades announced that the country is ready to host Russian aviation and naval bases. The official agreement on military cooperation between the two nations is expected be signed on February 25, 2015, according to Lenta.ru.

“There is an old [defense] agreement, which should be renewed as is. At the same time, some additional services will be provided in the same way as we do with other countries, such as, for example, with France and Germany,” Nicos Anastasiades said. “Cyprus and Russia have traditionally had good relations, and this is not subject to change.”

Cyprus’ announcement comes after Russia expressed interest in having a military base in Cyprus in late January, according to the Global Post and Greek Reporter.

And just like Greece has recently caused a stir by complicating the process of extending sanctions on Russia, Cyprus, too, just voiced some opposition to the additional sanctions on Russia, adding that many EU members share that opinion.

“We want to avoid further deterioration of relations between Russia and the European Union,” the Cypriot president reportedly said. So military cooperation between Cyprus and Russia is yet another red flag for the EU.

Presumably, the Russian Air Force will use the airbase “Andreas Papandreou,” along with the international airport of Paphos in the southwest of the island, approximately 50 kilometers from the air base of the British Royal Air Force “Akrotiri.” Additionally, the Russian navy will be able to permanently use the base of Limassol, according to Lenta.Ru.

“The Limassol port borders on the British air base of Akrotiri which serves NATO operations and is also an important hub in the electronic military surveillance system of the alliance,” according to the Global Post.

But the most alarming Russia-Cyprus dalliance came during the height of the Cypriot financial crisis when Cyprus was reportedly negotiating with Russia for a bailout in 2013. The EU was particularly nervous about this because there was speculation that Russia might ask for a naval port and access to the country’s gas reserves in return.

On top of all of that, it’s notable that Russia made some major moves in the Mediterranean recently.

In mid-January, Russia announced that it will shift all its natural gas flows to Europe via Turkey, instead of Ukraine. “Our European partners have been informed of this and now their task is to create the necessary gas transport infrastructure from the Greek and Turkish border,” the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller said in a statement.

Additionally, Russia and Greece’s new government have taken initiatives to explore their military and economic relationship (for example, here, here, and here).

In fact, the new Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras even stated in early February: “Greece and Cyprus can become a bridge of peace and cooperation between the EU and Russia.”

So this part of the world could soon become very interesting — and a huge pain for Europe. Hmmmm....If true this will also be a major headache for 'Neo Ottoman Conqueror' Turkey's plans on Cypriot gas reserves, Guess Putin's love for Turkey isn't that deep after all.......just ask the Tatars. Read the full story here.

Ukraine crisis: Do not try to scare Putin with arms deliveries, warns Merkel.

Ukraine crisis: Do not try to scare Putin, warns Merkel. (Telegraph).

Sending arms to Ukraine will not scare Vladimir Putin, warns Angela Merkel, while Francois Hollande warns it could lead to war

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, championed last chance efforts to end the Ukraine conflict while warning success was far from certain as Kiev said rebels were massing for a new offensive.

As fresh fighting in eastern Ukraine saw five civilians and five government soldiers reported killed in 24 hours Merkel insisted that sending more weapons would not resolve the conflict.

"I can't conceive of a situation where better armaments for the Ukrainian army would so impress President Putin that he believes he will militarily lose," Merkel told the Munich Security Conference.

The German leader came to Munich from overnight Moscow talks she and French President Francois Hollande held with Russian President Vladimir Putin to thrash out new peace proposals.

"It is uncertain whether it will lead to success, but from my point of view and that of the French president it is definitely worth trying," she said of the Franco-German initiative.

Hollande for his part said the stakes could not be higher and the new peace plan was "one of the last chances" to halt the 10-month-old conflict.

"If we fail to find a lasting peace agreement, we know the scenario perfectly well - it has a name, it is called war," he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he believed the new proposals could help end the conflict, all the while charging the United States and the European Union with having escalated the conflict at every turn.

"These talks will continue as you know; we believe there is every possibility that we will reach a result and agree the recommendations that will allow the sides to really untie this knot of a conflict," Lavrov told an MSC panel.

In that case, Russia would be ready to guarantee the outcome, he added..Hmmm..........Russia is not ready yet he will only go to war if provoked, but it will come once he's ready. Read the full story here.

Related: Russian Dep PM Rogozin: " This Armata tank isn't for parades. But we'll make an exception for May 9th."

Netanyahu to Putin: Resolve Iran like you did Syria.

Netanyahu to Putin: Resolve Iran like you did Syria.(RT).

“This will be a peaceful, diplomatic solution of Iran’s nuclear issue just the way it [solution] has been achieved in Syria regarding its chemical weapons,” the Israeli Prime Minister said at a press-conference with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. 

Netanyahu has compared Iran’s nuclear issue to Syria's possession of chemical weapons saying that it was a matter “very similar” to what the “states [P5+1 group] involved in Geneva talks” are now negotiating.

Netanyahu has reiterated that Iran’s nuclear activity and “attempts to develop a nuclear weapon” remain the main threat for “Israelis existence” and “peace and security” in the whole world.

The Israeli Prime Minister is in Moscow to try to persuade Russia to impose tougher terms in a nuclear deal with Iran that the Jewish state strongly opposes.

Netanyahu has met President Vladimir Putin behind closed-doors to reportedly voice his concerns about the deal being discussed at Iran nuclear talks in Geneva, where senior diplomats from Britain, China, France, Russia, the US and Germany (known together as P5+1 group) are back at the negotiating table.

Israel considers Iran’s stockpile of nuclear material a mortal threat and wants its enriched uranium to be removed and capabilities dismantled.

Russia is hopeful the sides will hammer out a deal during talks in Geneva this week. It is also seeking to freeze or curb Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for some relief from international sanctions.


The previous round of talks in Geneva two weeks ago failed to produce an agreement. Some blamed the failure on France, while others, particularly the US, pointed at Tehran, saying that it “couldn't take” it as the P5+1 “presented our proposal to the Iranians”.