How simply sad and pathetic to measure a man’s worth by the value of his paper assets alone. If that is the metric that we find most compelling to use, then it is far better to be consider a loser on the planet “Usury…”
There are far more important metrics to measure the worth of a human being, but the blind cannot see, and will remain ignorant of the truth until the time for retrogression has come…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
“So what do you do?”
A lot depends on one’s age. If you are young with much of your life still ahead of you, get the hell out of this sinking, stinking, rusty old tanker and find some small, peaceful, independent, and self sufficient “ship” on which to reside. If you are old, like me, find a comfortable deck chair, settle back, relax, enjoy the music, and go down with the ship knowing that you have lived the best life, at the best time in history, in the best possible place the world has ever produced and simply watch the end of that utopia…
Na! I decided to act half my age, like I did not have six heart attacks, brain tumor, diabetes and several other issues and I went to Russia to live with the best Russian girl on earth…
It is there, that I found a comfortable deck chair, settled back, relaxed, enjoying the music, and without the rusty old tanker (since I was never the captain in the first place) knowing that I have lived the best life, at the best time in history, in the best possible place the world has ever produced and simply watch the end of that utopia and still have the best life, at the best time in history, in the best possible place the world has ever produced and simply watch the end of utopia from across the pond, in Russia…
Simply because I decided life was still worth living and I was not too old or too sick to start over…
We are never too old and that my friend is the simple fact…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
I received hundreds of propaganda regarding the three Israeli teens, while I am sad they died, the after affect is what makes me very sad. Typical of Israel as with the U.S., they use the deaths of these teens to promote destruction and hatred toward Palestine or what ever is their target at that moment. As I have pointed out a thousand times on this website, “We take what we want to believe and use the media to drive home the lie until it becomes the truth!”
The truth is, Israel has no idea that Palestinians are behind this situation and Israel does not care, it was just an excuse to take hatred out and kill more innocents. Regardless of who dun-it, the Philistines are to be blamed, because it fits the agenda…
While I received hundreds plus propaganda articles from the Israel side, I received one lonely article from an American, who is concerned. That is all I received to try to help the other side, so to speak…
I spent two days reading about this, all the while being slammed with articles of mass duplicated data to tell the world about how terrible the Israeli’s are treated. The Israel internet has a bunch of old ladies and willingly or not, they pass all the state media on like it is a duty to perform for God himself. I find half of the passed on data is from bots sending from infected computers…
So to the Lopsided Sadness in the worlds media. I post this information and we need to get our act together and start waking up to reality, but then we would have no one to blame, would we…
* * *
“Your news outlet has most likely heard of and reported on the 3 Israeli teens whose bodies were found. The recent turn of events in the West Bank and tragedy has hit home for local Palestinians as well. Mohammad Abukhdair, only 15 years old, was kidnapped by Israelis, stabbed to death, and his body was burned and left in a forest. His family is mourning, just as the Israeli families are mourning. Please honor Mohammad’s memory by contacting his family and sharing with our nation who young Mohammad was. His first cousins, and direct aunt and uncle live in Sacramento, California. They have agreed to do interviews with the media. You can contact Wadha Abukhdeir at wadhapal@yahoo.com or 916-893-4059.”
Israeli authorities have not allowed his body (Mohammad Abukhdair) to be released to his relatives for burial, except on one condition, that his family signs a statement that he was killed in a family dispute; and that he was not abducted, and that there was no Israeli settler involvement. Four of the Abukhdeir family members, who happen to be Mohammed’s closest friends, were detained for questioning to get a “confession” about their involvement in Mohammed’s death…
Some national contacts to start with:
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/
MSNBC: mediainquiries@msnbc.com
NPR: atc@npr.org (National) insight@capradio.org (live interview) news@capradio.org (written article)
LA Times: Davan.Maharaj@latimes.com / melanie.mason@latimes.com
Please post any other contacts in the comments!
Please share widely. This is only one life of millions of Palestinians who are not only affected but also constantly portrayed as villains whose existence should be wiped off the planet. Please help ensure Palestinians’ stories are humanized. Please remember Mohammad and his family and all those who are suffering from injustice in your prayers.” – via Ustadha Maryam Amireb
* * *
May we stop killing teens and then lets stop killing everyone to boot, Nuff said…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
US Representative Eliot Engel of New York, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee; Representative Michael Turner of Ohio, chairman of the US delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly; and Massachusetts Representative William Keating, the top Democrat on the House Europe subcommittee, have asked for the U.S. to buy the Mistral Warships out from under Russia, force France to sell them to NATO…
Now that would destroy France and her business confidence with the world…
This isn’t only about Russia. This is about American politicians trying to intervene in affairs between two independent nations that are not America. Nor have anything to do with America…
Now as to negative comments against Russia put out about by the American citizens themselves… Who elected the above politician? That answers why we so hate the world…
By definition you have to blame the people of America for what America does, country or government. We have a government of/for/by the people. The people make the choices that the politicians carry out. If it were not so, the people would elect new politicians, but they do not…
The American people are the problem…
Don’t like the sound of that? Then change what is happening…
Buy them from whom? Russia has already paid for them. They want to buy ships from Russia? A truly exceptional country, full of fools…
By the way! These are the damn ships that I said from the beginning are ugly, worthless and Russia should not buy…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
The house of cards is crumbling and the east is building a new foundation, slowly but surely…
The west ignores what it wants to go away or it attacks what it can not ignore… and the east builds it and develops it, for they have to grow and the west keeps trying to subservient the east. The west is scared and scared is dangerous…
For the long ignored and long feared BRICS bank is almost ready to become reality. Therefore, war is an important option to try to stop these “renegade” countries from exercising their rights to a free world. We destroyed Libya for the banking issue, we are trying to destroy Syria over banking, We want to destroy Iran over banking and Russia is on that list. There can be no bank not affiliated with the central control system of the west and the ones who fight it are the ones who are being murdered, at all costs and the BRICS bank is pure fear in the Wests eyes. This is a banking system that ignores the western system and that means it will build its own future…
Each BRICS member will put an equal share into establishing the start-up capital of $50 billion. The bank is most likely going to be located in Shanghai. Though I do know that Russia and South Africa have designated a city that they would like to see the bank located at. The decision will be made soon in a meeting in Brazil. The BRICS bank system will then after its initial start-up, set up a joint $100 billion emergency swap fund for financial crises available only if needed, to meet the BRICS bank’s obligations…
The rumor (?) has it that MIST (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey) is showing a desire to join this new banking system, for security against the western pressures of finance…
The BRICS bank is an attempt by and for emerging economies to challenge the US-based global lending institutions…
That my friend is why the west is scared. So do not interpret warmongering as bravery and fearlessness. For 99% of the time warmongering is nothing but simply being scared of what the future might bring and the losses that you could endure…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
The image above is what we think we are about (left) and what we really are (right)…
We really need to stop and think and then act. It seems to me that we lost something important over the years…
Happy 4th of July and do not call it “Independence Day” for you have to earn that title and we lost all independence, years ago…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
I have been working on the only image that I have seen or found of the original church. I realize that the Orthodox may have an archive with more and better images in it, but I have never seen better than this. I have seen much worse and that is what drove me to image enhancing of this photo…
It may be still a poor image, but it shows information that concurs with my knowledge’s of what was and what is, in the past with the old monastery…
What a beautiful church and to think that it was intentionally blown up…
At the time of this picture it was no longer a female monastery, it was a old church being used for grain storage and the guys that you see in the photo are part of the Soviet school for the deaf and blind. I see a stack in the background and that verifies that they had steam heat and hot water and I have located the foundation of that building. The Orthodox crosses are missing from the buildings and of course no girls in the image. The monastery was female when it operated…
You can just see the dormitory buildings edge behind the right side of the church and the building that is attached to that building is still visible. It is almost ready to fall down though, as they did not reinforce the building with steel bar and only used broken bricks as a strengthener. It is ready to crumble and very soon. Another building is visible in the background, it is another utility building and built just like the crumbling dormitory addition. This building has crumbled and has only a wall and a half left to go…
I also see the attached additions to the bell tower, which are now gone, but the visible remains of them are still present. I know all this because I am here studying the remains and they are digging up some of these foundations as I study them. The image below is the old well and water building, or what is left of it and this is located in front of the bell tower…
The well is to the right, when I first came to the village years ago, there was a water tower mounted on top of the well and the Monks from the “Church Village” stole it (They may disagree!) and are using it at their compound there. You see I know this stuff and I keep an eye out on who is doing what…
Now I am going to tell you a story that only I am able to verify and most who can verify it now are dead…
24 people died in the destruction of the church and the church was destroyed for the hidden gold that it had been able to evade confiscation by the Soviet government. But the local government had a man who being typical greedy sick politician, plotted and schemed to gather this gold. He succeeded after gaining the confidence of the locals and discovering that the gold was hidden in the tunnels under the monastery. There is a tunnel network that connects all the buildings together under ground and it also included several homes built later for the school…
There was a common chamber that was basically in the center of the compound and the room held the treasure for the politician, after he stole it from another part of the complex. The church was blown up with the people who were made to help him. The church collapsing buried the evidence and people who could tell on him, but alas the man who stole and killed, met his demise before he could utilize the gold several years later and the gold stays buried in the main chamber under the ground. The chamber has collapse many years ago and has sealed itself sufficiently, but the monks have discovered one of the entrances to the tunnels and I have discovered three of the entrances, myself…
How do I know this?
That is for me to know and you to wonder about…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
I posted this transcript, for it is probably one of the most important speeches given by an individual in modern times. Russia is really all that is standing between the east and west and World War Three. This is serious and Putin lays it all out for you to see, if you open your eyes and look…
Strange, but we Americans are celebrating Fourth of July and we like to say Independence day, but again if we allow the neocons (neo-conservative), warmongers, psychos, neo-Nazi and other low forms of life, that are abundant in the Administration of America right now, to keep flourishing and instigating the soup pot of the world. You may not have a Forth of July to celebrate in a few years…
This is a serious speech and it is totally unlike the garbage that we in America are use to hearing from our government…
* * *
Conference of Russian ambassadors and permanent representatives
1 July 2014, 15:45, Moscow
Conference of Russian ambassadors and permanent representatives.
Vladimir Putin took part in a conference of Russian Federation ambassadors and permanent representatives on protecting Russia’s national interests and strengthening the foundations and principles of international relations.
Also taking part in the conference were the heads of the Government, both chambers of the Federal Assembly, ministries and agencies involved in international activities, and representatives of the national expert and business communities.
President awarded orders to eight Foreign Ministry employees and the honorary title of Honored Worker of the Diplomatic Service of the Russian Federation to two.
* * *
Beginning of conference of Russian Federation ambassadors and permanent representatives
PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN:
Colleagues, friends,
Meetings with the diplomatic corps have become a tradition. We need this direct conversation to make an overall assessment of the situation in the world, to set current and long-term foreign policy objectives and on that basis to more effectively coordinate the work of our missions abroad.
I would like to begin by saying that the Foreign Ministry and our embassies are under a lot of pressure; we see this, we are aware of this, but this pressure will not be reduced. It will only increase, just as the requirement to show efficiency, precision and flexibility in our actions to ensure Russia’s national interests.
You know how dynamic and unpredictable international developments may sometimes be. They seem to be pressed together and unfortunately are not all of a positive nature. The potential for conflict is growing in the world, old contradictions are growing ever more acute and new ones are being provoked. We come across such developments, often unexpectedly, and we observe with regret that international law is not working, the most basic norms of decency are not complied with and the principle of all-permissiveness is gaining the upper hand.
We are observing this in Ukraine as well. We need to understand clearly that the events provoked in Ukraine are the concentrated outcome of the notorious deterrence policy. As you may know, its roots go deep into history and it is clear that unfortunately, this policy did not end with the end of the Cold War.
“Strengthening close friendly ties and developing mutually advantageous economic cooperation with our neighbors is the key strategic priority of Russia’s long-term foreign policy.”
In Ukraine, as you may have seen, at threat were our compatriots, Russian people and people of other nationalities, their language, history, culture and legal rights, guaranteed, by the way, by European conventions. When I speak of Russians and Russian-speaking citizens I am referring to those people who consider themselves part of the broad Russian community, they may not necessarily be ethnic Russians, but they consider themselves Russian people.
What did our partners expect from us as the developments in Ukraine unfolded? We clearly had no right to abandon the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol to the mercy of nationalist and radical militants; we could not allow our access to the Black Sea to be significantly limited; we could not allow NATO forces to eventually come to the land of Crimea and Sevastopol, the land of Russian military glory, and cardinally change the balance of forces in the Black Sea area. This would mean giving up practically everything that Russia had fought for since the times of Peter the Great, or maybe even earlier – historians should know.
I would like to make it clear to all: our country will continue to actively defend the rights of Russians, our compatriots abroad, using the entire range of available means – from political and economic to operations under international humanitarian law and the right of self-defense.
I would like to stress that what happened in Ukraine was the climax of the negative tendencies in international affairs that had been building up for years. We have long been warning about this, and unfortunately, our predictions came true.
You know about the latest efforts to restore, to maintain peace in Ukraine. Foreign Ministry staff and the Minister himself took an active part in this. You know about the numerous telephone conversations we had on this subject.
Unfortunately, President Poroshenko has resolved to resume military action, and we failed – when I say ‘we’, I mean my colleagues in Europe and myself – we failed to convince him that the road to a secure, stable and inviolable peace cannot lie through war.
So far Mr. Poroshenko was not directly linked to the orders to begin military action, and only now did he take full responsibility, and not only military, but political as well, which is much more important.
We also failed to agree to make public the statement approved by the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine on the need to maintain peace and search for mutually acceptable solutions.
“As we promote the Eurasian integration project, we are in no way trying to separate ourselves from the rest of the world; we are ready to consider prospects for creating free trade zones both with individual states and with regional associations and unions, primarily the European Union, of course.”
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that after the ceasefire was declared, no substantive, as you say, negotiations on the settlement of the situation ever began. Virtually, a disarmament ultimatum was given. However, even the ceasefire was not bad overall, though not enough to settle the situation on a long-term basis in a way that would be acceptable to all the people living in the country, including those in its southeast.
A constitution was made public, but it was never discussed. Even within Ukrainian society there is a discussion of whether it is good or bad, but nobody definitely ever discussed it with the east.
Of course, everything that is going on in Ukraine is the internal affair of the Ukrainian state. It pains us to see people dying, especially civilians. As you may know, the number of refugees in the Russian Federation is growing. We will of course provide assistance to all those who need it. However, killing journalists is unacceptable. I reminded the Ukrainian President of this yesterday yet again.
In my view, we are observing a focused effort to liquidate all media representatives. This applies to both Russian and foreign journalists. Who could be afraid of fair reporting? Probably those, who are committing crimes. We strongly hope that the Ukrainian authorities act on their promises to carefully investigate the crimes.
More new hotspots are appearing on the world map. There is a deficit of security in Europe, in the Middle East, South-East Asia, in the Asia-Pacific region and in Africa. The global economic, financial and trade systems are becoming unbalanced, and moral and spiritual values are being washed out.
There is hardly any doubt that the unipolar world order did not come to be. Peoples and countries are raising their voices in favor of self-determination and civilization and cultural identity, which conflicts with the attempts by certain countries to maintain their domination in the military sphere, in politics, finance, the economy and in ideology.
“We clearly had no right to abandon the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol to the mercy of nationalist and radical militants; we could not allow our access to the Black Sea to be significantly limited; we could not allow NATO forces to eventually come to the land of Crimea and Sevastopol, the land of Russian military glory, and cardinally change the balance of forces in the Black Sea area.”
I know this has no direct bearing on us, however what is being done to the French banks can cause nothing but indignation in Europe in general and here as well. We are aware of the pressure our American partners are putting on France to force it not to supply Mistrals to Russia. We even know that they hinted that if France does not deliver the Mistrals, the sanctions will be quietly lifted from their banks, or at least they will be significantly minimized.
What is this if not blackmail? Is this the right way to act on the international arena? Besides, when we speak of sanctions, we always assume that sanctions are applied pursuant to Article 7 of the UN Charter. Otherwise, these are not sanctions in the true legal sense of the word, but something different, some other unilateral policy instrument.
In the past 20 years, our partners have been trying to convince Russia of their good intentions, their readiness to jointly develop strategic cooperation. However, at the same time they kept expanding NATO, extending the area under their military and political control ever closer to our borders. And when we rightfully asked: “Don’t you find it possible and necessary to discuss this with us?” they said: “No, this is none of your business.” Those who continue insisting on their exclusivity strongly dislike Russia’s independent policy. The events in Ukraine prove this. They also prove that a model of relations full of double standards does not work with Russia.
Nevertheless, I hope pragmatism will eventually prevail. We need to get rid of ambitions, of attempts to establish a ‘world barracks’ and arrange everybody by rank, or to impose single rules of behavior and life, and to finally begin building relations based on equality, mutual respect and concern for mutual interests. It is time we admit each others right to be different, the right of every country to live its own life rather than to be told what to do by someone else.
Colleagues, in its foreign policy Russia has been consistently proceeding from the notion that solutions to global and regional conflicts should be sought not through confrontation, but through cooperation and compromise. We advocate the supremacy of international law while supporting the UN’s leading role.
International law should be mandatory for all and should not be applied selectively to serve the interests of individual select countries or groups of states, and most importantly, it should be interpreted consistently. It is impossible to interpret it in one way today, and in a different way tomorrow to match the political goals of the day.
World development cannot be unified. However, we can look for common issues, see each other as partners rather than competitors, and establish cooperation between states, their associations and integration structures.
These are the principles we were guided by in the past, and they continue to guide us now as we promote integration within the CIS. Strengthening close friendly ties and developing mutually advantageous economic cooperation with our neighbors is the key strategic priority of Russia’s long-term foreign policy.
The driving force behind Eurasian integration is the trio of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The Agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union, signed in Astana on May 29, symbolizes a qualitatively new step in our relations. A powerful center of economic development that attracts business and investors, a common market is being formed in Eurasia. That is why our CIS partners show a strong interest in this union. I hope that very soon, Armenia will become a full-fledged member of this union. Negotiations with Kyrgyzstan are at an advanced stage. We are open to other Commonwealth states as well.
As we promote the Eurasian integration project, we are in no way trying to separate ourselves from the rest of the world; we are ready to consider prospects for creating free trade zones both with individual states and with regional associations and unions, primarily the European Union, of course.
“Our country will continue to actively defend the rights of Russians, our compatriots abroad, using the entire range of available means – from political and economic to operations under international humanitarian law and the right of self-defense.”
Europe is our natural and most significant trade and economic partner. We strive to find new opportunities to expand our business cooperation, to open up new prospects for mutual investment and to lift trade barriers. This requires an upgrade of the legal contractual base of our cooperation and the stability and predictability of ties, primarily in such strategically important areas as energy. Stability on the entire territory of Eurasia and sustainable development of the EU economies and Russia depend on well-coordinated cooperation based on consideration for mutual interests.
We have always held high our reputation of a reliable supplier of energy resources and invested in the development of gas infrastructure. Together with European companies, as you may know, we have built a new gas transportation system called Nord Stream under the Baltic Sea. Despite certain difficulties, we will promote the South Stream project, especially since ever more European politicians and businessmen are coming to understand that someone simply wants to use Europe in their own interests, that it is becoming a hostage of someone’s near-sighted ideological approaches.
If we return to Ukraine, the violation by Ukraine of its commitments regarding the purchase of our natural gas has become a common problem. Kiev refuses to pay on its debt. This is absolutely unacceptable. They have not paid for November-December of last year, though there were no arguments whatsoever then.
Our partners are using blatant blackmail – this is what it is. They demand an ungrounded reduction of prices on our goods, though the agreement was signed in 2009, and the parties complied with it in good faith. Now, as you may know, the court in Kiev has lifted all accusations against Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Tymoshenko, who signed the contract. Thus, the Kiev court authorities admit that they have done everything right not only by international law, but by Ukrainian law as well. But they do not wish to comply, or to pay for the product already received.
As of June 16, as you may know, we have transferred Ukraine to a pre-payment system, so they will get exactly the amount of gas they pay for. Today they do not pay; therefore, they are not getting anything – only in the so-called reverse mode. We know all about this reverse mode: it is a fake; there is no reverse mode. How can you supply gas two ways along the same pipeline? One does not have to be a gas transportation expert to understand that this is impossible. They are playing tricks with some of their partners: in fact, they are getting our gas and paying some western partners in Europe who are not receiving their volume. We are quire aware of this.
We are not taking any action at this point only because we do not want the situation to deteriorate. However, everyone should draw the proper conclusions from the situation. The main thing is that honest gas consumers and suppliers should not suffer from the actions of Ukrainian politicians and bureaucrats.
Generally, all of us – Ukraine, our European partners, and we – should seriously consider how to reduce the probability of any type of political or economic risks or force major situations on the continent.
In this connection, I would like to remind you that in August 2015 we will be marking 40 years of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. This anniversary is a good reason not only to turn to the basic principles of cooperation on the continent that were laid back in 1975, but also to jointly make them work, to help them take root in practical European politics.
We have to work consistently to rule out any unconstitutional coups in Europe, any interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, the use of blackmail or threats in international relations or the support of radical and neo-Nazi forces.
All of us in Europe need a sort of safety net to make sure that Iraqi, Libyan or Syrian – and unfortunately, I have to say also Ukrainian – precedents do not become contagious. This is especially dangerous for the post-Soviet area, because the states have yet not gained political or economic strength, they do not have a stable political system. It is very important that the constitutions of these states be treated with great care and respect.
Why is this important – and not only on the post-Soviet area, but all over Europe? Because even in those countries of Western and Eastern Europe where things seem to be going fine, there are quite a few hidden ethnic and social contradictions that may become acute any moment, may serve as ground for conflicts and extremism, and may be used by external forces to rock the social and political situation to achieve an illegitimate undemocratic change of power with all the negative consequences.
Firm guarantees of indivisible security, stability, respect for sovereignty and non-interference in each others internal affairs should become the basis that we can use to build a common space for economic and humanitarian cooperation that would spread from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean – I already spoke of this as a single space from Lisbon to Vladivostok.
“Everything that is going on in Ukraine is the internal affair of the Ukrainian state. It pains us to see people dying, especially civilians. As you may know, the number of refugees in the Russian Federation is growing. We will of course provide assistance to all those who need it.”
I would like to ask the Foreign Ministry to draft a set of proposals in this respect, with special focus on the inadmissibility of any attempts to influence internal political processes from the outside. The job is to work the traditional principle of non-interference into the modern European realities and initiate a serious international discussion on the subject.
We also need to continue strengthening the eastern vector of our diplomacy, to more intensively use the impressive potential of the Asia-Pacific region in the interests of the further development of our country, primarily, of course, of Siberia and the Far East. We should continue to direct Russia’s policy in Asia and the Pacific at maintaining the security of our eastern borders and at supporting peace and stability in the region. The coming leadership of Russia in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the SCO and BRICS summits to be held in Ufa in the summer of 2015 work to support this.
We need to strengthen overall partnership and strategic cooperation with the People’s Republic of China. We can say that a strong Russian-Chinese connection has taken shape on the international arena. It is based on a coincidence of views on both global processes and key regional issues. It is of primary importance that Russian-Chinese friendship is not directed against anyone: we are not creating any military unions. On the contrary, this is an example of equal, respectful and productive cooperation between states in the 21st century.
We intend to further develop our relations with our traditional partners in this area of the world: with India and Vietnam, who are playing an ever-greater role in the world; with Japan and other countries, including the ASEAN states. We intend to further use the potential of the growing markets in Latin America and Africa and the great experience of political and humanitarian relations with the countries there.
Our contacts with the United States of America are of great importance for the whole world. We do not intend to shut down our relations with the USA. True, bilateral relations are not in their best shape, but – I would like to stress this – not through Russia’s fault. We have always tried to be predictable partners and conduct our affairs on the basis of equality. However, in return, our lawful interests were often ignored.
Now over to various types of international meetings. If we are assigned the observer role without a decisive vote on key issues that are of vital importance to us, then such meetings are of little interest to us. We should not sacrifice our vital interests just for the sake of being able to sit and observe. I hope our partners will eventually come to understand this obvious fact. So far, we have been hearing ultimatums or mentoring. Nevertheless, we are ready for dialogue, but I would like to stress that this should be an equal dialogue.
Colleagues, the complicated and unpredictable situation in the world places great demands on Russian diplomats’ professional level. The Foreign Ministry’s staff in Moscow and the Russian embassies abroad worked effectively and in coordinated fashion during the serious situation with Crimea and Ukraine, and I want to thank you for this. I particularly note the work done by the heads and staff of Russia’s representative missions at the UN and other key international organizations.
“We have to work consistently to rule out any unconstitutional coups in Europe, any interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, the use of blackmail or threats in international relations or the support of radical and neo-Nazi forces.”
We must continue working with just such energy and dignity, in a spirit of tact, restraint and sense of measure of course. Our position must be based on clear and unshakeable principles of international law and legal and historical justification, on truth, justice, and the strength of moral superiority.
For my part, I can say that our country’s leadership will continue to do everything necessary to give you good conditions for your professional activity. As you know, I have signed presidential executive orders raising the wages of Foreign Ministry staff. Wages of people working at the central office will increase 1.4-fold on average.
Pensions for diplomatic personnel taking their retirement after January 1, 2014, will increase 3.5-fold on average. Pay for the heads of foreign diplomatic missions will increase four-fold on average in ruble equivalent. Pension top-ups for ambassadors and permanent envoys going into retirement have also increased considerably.
Wages in rubles for personnel at diplomatic missions abroad will be increased a bit later, from January 1, 2016, but this will be a four-fold increase. I hope that these steps will help to boost the Foreign Ministry’s human resources potential and thus make us more effective in carrying out our foreign policy.
I also ask the Government to speed up the decision on providing additional guarantees for personnel from other agencies and administrative and technical personnel working at Russian missions abroad, especially in situations where there are terrorist threats.
The Foreign Ministry has raised the question of giving diplomatic service the official legal status as a special type of civil service in Russia. We will examine this proposal.
This concludes my opening remarks.
I thank the members of the media for the attention they have given our work.
Link to this page: http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/transcripts/22586
www.kremlin.ru
Official site of the President of Russia
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
I got up at 4:30 am and started the process of dragging my wagon wheel. It is huge, heavy and beautiful. It also is my wagon wheel and I will fight for it… 🙂
I know Sveta will be upset with me (she was not 🙂 though) and as I predicted, Boza just ignored me and rolled in the grass as he waited for me to catch up to him. When he and I got hungry and it was time for my pills, we went back home and did our thing, then went back and dragged the wheel home…
It was two kilometers to the spot that I found it, so we had a four kilometer round trip, not including coming home to goof off. I had to do it, for I had a dream that someone found my wheel and took it. Now that would be very unlikely, for it was at the edge of the lake, at the bottom of almost a mountain and it was in the middle of nowhere. Then to boot, it weighs at least a hundred pounds +…
It is propped against our rickety outhouse in the photo above and that outhouse is around 6’7″ to 6’8″ tall. I am 6’3″ and that tells me about the outhouse height. The wheel is very large at least 4 feet tall… (Or more!)
What a beautiful wagon wheel!
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
“Our partners, especially in the United States, have always been formulating their geopolitical and state interests coherently and clearly, pursuing these interests in a steadfast manner, and adjusting the rest of the world to their [interests] according to the famous wording “Those who are not with us are against us!”” Putin said…
Once upon a time many years ago, back in the old days this fairytale was different. That “upon a time ago” was not that long ago and the U.S. was the one holding the highroad, so to speak. We were the beacon of hope and goodness. Maybe we had faults, but we held the highroad, due to our desire to do the best we can and be the best we can and be moral about it…
We got lost and drove off the highroad and now have found ourselves traveling the low road of life, we have found ourselves with many other “use to to be highroad travelers” and it seems that we could not study history very well…
I am not sure when the exact turning point was, but I do know that Vietnam was a major player in this game and we could have learned from our mistakes there and changed our path to the betterment of the world. Though it seems that we did not study history well again and kept trudging down the path of lest resistance and destruction to humanity…
My dad would have told you the same about Korea, for he fought there and saw some terrible things…
Seems to me that we had ample opportunity to change our ways and path many times and it seems that history is not a strong point for Americans…
Bottom line is; We have set the stage for Russia to be the new moral compass and China to be the new financial powerhouse…
Sorry it is too late to change the script now, we had our chance…
We Slept Through The Part – That We Lost The High Road…
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…