Russia 111215 Basic Political Developments

Turkmenistan: Russians Said "Panicked" About Leaving

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/64696
December 15, 2011 - 1:46am, by Catherine A. Fitzpatrick

Veteran Russian Central Asia correspondent Arkady Dubnov has a feature in Moscow News this week about the growing crisis for Russians in Turkmenistan with dual passports. As we noted, chrono-tm.org reported last week that notices have begun appearing in travel agencies that starting in 2013, tickets to Russia can only be purchased if a Turkmen passport and a Russian visa are shown.

Russians have been under pressure for some time to give up their Russian passport if they wish to receive the new Turkmen passport.

As Dubnov notes, the chief advantage for dual passport holders has been the ability to easily travel back and forth between Russia and Turkmenistan -- the average Turkmen would not find it anywhere near as easy to travel abroad.

Dubnov cites "informed sources" in Ashgabat that told him of a "new wave of panic" seizing Russians still left in Turkmenistan. The sources said, citing a registry in the Russian consulate, that there are about 120,000 people with dual Russian and Turkmen passports remaining in Turkmenistan. Prices on apartments have reportedly falled by 30 percent, because people are trying to get out quickly and are selling their homes for a lower price. Parents who sent their children to kindergarten this fall found that they were required to indicate if they had Russian citizenship, and that fueled worries as well.

Rashid Meredeov, Turkmenistan's Foreign Minister, is rumored to have said to those in his close circle that "Russia has already ceased to be a factor in Turkmen foreign policy," Dubnov reports.

Ashgabat is still forced to deal with Russia in a variety of ways, from buying vehicles and machinery and food to still selling at least some gas and discussing some international projects. But clearly the Turkmen leadership doesn't feel any pressure any more to accommodate Russians in Turkmenistan or in the Kremlin. And Moscow isn't saying anything publicly about the problem, and seems to be letting its citizens fend for themselves.

The semi-official news service turkmen.ru announced yesterday, citing the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, that President Berdymukhamedov will visit Moscow on December 23.

15 December 2011 Last updated at 08:17 GMT

Russia election: Putin accepts 'lawful' protests

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16194084

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said protests over this month's election are acceptable as long as demonstrators stay within the law.

Speaking after the biggest anti-government protests in decades, he said the opposition in Russia had always challenged election results.

But he insisted the results reflected the balance of political forces.

Mr Putin, who is standing for president in March, was speaking in an annual televised live chat with the nation.

December 15, 2011 12:23

Putin hopes demonstrations will continue within law

http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=295339
MOSCOW. Dec 15 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said that if "the result of Putin‘s regime" is that people now have a chance to express their point of view, it is normal.

"That the people express their point of view over the processes occurring in the country, in the economic, social, and political spheres - these are absolutely normal things. As long as all the actions are within the law, I hope it will be so," Putin said during a Q&A session on Thursday.

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12:20 15/12/2011ALL NEWS

Putin suggests web cameras at pres election stations 2012

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/297968.html

MOSCOW, December 15 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin suggested the Central Elections Commission installing web-cameras at all election stations of the presidential election in 2012.

“We have 90,000 election stations. Let the country see what is happening at every ballot-box. The opposition should have an opportunity to control everything happening at election stations,” he said during a real-time question and answer session on Thursday.

01:30 15/12/2011ALL NEWS

Putin to meet press, answer questions from Russians

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/297662.html

MOSCOW, December 15 (Itar-Tass) —— Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will hold a big press conference on Thursday, December 15, to answer questions from Russian citizens.

Putin will answer all acute questions. “I have no doubt about that. He never ignores burning questions,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “As a rule, he selects a pile of blitz questions on the eve to answer them during the press conference.”

Peskov said the press conference will be open-ended and not limited in time.

Questions were accepted by a special call centre, the Internet and SMS messages. More than 10,000 questions have already been received.

Last year, Putin answered 88 questions during slightly less than 4.5 hours. Questions came from different parts of the country, including Dagestan in the south, Murmansk in the north, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the east and Kaliningrad in the west.

Question time: Putin to conduct 10th Q&A

http://rt.com/politics/putin-q-and-a-annual-session-785/
Published: 15 December, 2011, 08:00
Edited: 15 December, 2011, 08:00

On Thursday, December 15, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will hold his annual live Q&A session with Russian citizens, to be broadcast by major federal TV channels and radio stations.

The special program called “Talk with Vladimir Putin: Continued” will start at midday Moscow time (08:00 GMT).

As in previous years, Putin will answer questions both from guests in the studio and citizens participating in TV link-ups with Russian cities. Questions can also be submitted by phone, text message or online. The most interesting and relevant questions received by the call center will be forwarded to Putin during the live broadcast.

Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday that this year's Q&A would be momentous, as it is organized between the December 4 parliamentary elections and the upcoming March 2012 presidential vote. The prime minister is chairman of the United Russia party, which won the parliamentary poll, and is also a presidential candidate.

Peskov said that some famous persons will be in the studio to take part in the “Talk with Vladimir Putin”. He added that it is expected to be an interesting dialogue since these are people with their own civil positions and opinions, which are not always similar to Putin's. The press secretary did not clarify, though, who exactly these people would be.

A number of celebrities also accepted an invitation to work in the call center together with regular phone operators. The point of the move is to demonstrate it is “real people” who ask the premier “real questions,” Peskov noted.He underlined that questions asked during the live broadcasting are not prepared in advance.

Mainly it is social issues, salaries, and housing problems that people want Putin to comment on. Only 5 per cent of questions relate to internal policy, society and state. Four per cent of citizens ask questions about human rights and freedoms.

Peskov expressed confidence that Putin would also answer the most pressing questions concerning the populace on Thursday.

"I am sure that [he will] of course, he never dodges poignant issues," the press secretary said, as cited by Interfax.

Peskov said that Putin had actively been preparing for the Q&A. As a rule, a day before the event he would personally choose a whole range of questions for the blitz that he would answer on-air later.

Over a half of the questions were submitted by pensioners and 20 per cent came from citizens aged between 36 and 55. Peskov said that inhabitants of Siberia were particularly active this year.

As a rule, the Q&A sessions are initially scheduled to continue for an hour-and-a-half, but it has become something of a tradition that each year Vladimir Putin breaks the record of the previous year. In 2010, the prime minister’s question marathon lasted four hours and 26 minutes. In the course of that program he answered 90 questions.

This year the time of the session will not be limited either, confirmed Peskov.

It will be the 10th live Q&A session for Vladimir Putin. The first was held on December 24, 2001, in the first year of his presidency. Becoming prime minister again in 2008, Putin did not break with the tradition.

The audience of the program has been increasing from year to year, as well as the number of questions submitted. Last year, 60 per cent of Russians watched the program live, while call-centers and online services registered 2,000,063 questions. Normally most of them touch upon the current domestic and international issues, but it has also become a tradition that Putin answers some personal questions as well.