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Estonian parliament speaker: inviting Putin to visit Estonia is a big mistake
Estonian Parliament Henn Polluaas said in an interview with ERR.ee that he believes that the country's president, Kersti Kaljulaid, made a mistake by inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the World Congress of the Finno-Ugric Peoples in Tartu, Estonia.
He expressed doubt that the Russian president would come to Estonia. "I am very sorry that the president made this step and called Putin," he said. According to Polluaas, Russia "is carrying out a blatant russification of national …
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Russia concerned for Israel after Iran withdraws from nuclear deal
Israel, as a long-standing ally of the US, could be at risk now that Tehran has renounced all obligations associated with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal), said First Deputy Chairman of Russian Parliament for Defense Alexander Sherin, RIA Novosti reports.
“I think that first Israel, as a close ally of the US and long-standing enemy of Iran, will be at risk. But of course, it could also seriously affect world stability, because we still need to …
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Lukashenko decides to pay for Russian gas using Belarusian rubles
Belarus is aiming to stop paying for Russian gas in US dollars and start using Belarusian rubles in its contracts with Gazprom.
This goal was included in the “Strategy for increasing faith in the national currency until 2035” which was compiled by the Belarusian government and National Bank and approved on January 3.
The Belarusian ruble, introduced in 1994, has suffered from chronic devaluation and at present has “completely stopped fulfilling the function of money”. As much as 60% of the …
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Russian Defense Minister discusses tensions in Middle East with Iranian Chief of Staff
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu spoke on the phone with Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri to discuss steps to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from escalating following the US’s assassination of the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, TASS reports, citing the Defense Ministry’s press service.
“During their conversation, the military commanders discussed practical steps to prevent an escalation of the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic and the Middle …
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Merkel to visit Russia at Putin's invitation on January 11
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will arrive in Russia on January 11 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, reported the press service of the Kremlin. The leaders of the two countries plan to discuss the crisis in the Middle East after the assassination by U.S. forces of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
The parties also plan to discuss the situation in Syria, Libya and the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, including the implementation of the agreements reached at the …