* Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev during a routine visit to the Chelyabinsk region. The two leaders are expected to meet with governors of the Russian and Kazakh border regions.
MOSCOW
* Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov is expected to meet with President of the MERCOSUR Commission of Permanent representatives Eduardo Dualde, who will arrive in Moscow on a visit.
* The Russian Federation Council (the upper house of the Russian parliament) will host the awarding ceremony of the nationwide contest of education and social projects "We Build Our World Ourselves" (15.00).
* The State Duma (the lower house of parliament) will host:
- a meeting between State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov and faction leaders on interaction between the legislative and executive powers to implement provisions of the presidential state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly;
- the international meeting of female parliamentarians of the Commonwealth of Independent States dedicated to the protection of family and children's rights (12.00).
* Chairwoman of the presidential council for the development of civil society institutions and human rights Ella Pamfilova will give a web press conference on the topic "Human rights in the Russian Federation" (12.00).
* The Russian News and Information Agency Novosti will host a press conference with political analyst and founder of the National Strategy Institute Stanislav Belkovsky entitled "The schedule of post-Soviet revolutions and the threat of Russia's collapse" (11.30).
* State Duma deputy Alexei Mitrofanov will give a press conference on the release of his book "Russia Facing a Collapse or Accession to the European Union" (13.00).
* First Vice President of the Bank of Russia Alexei Ulyukayev will give a press conference on the topic "Inflation in Russia in the light of current reforms. The forecast of dollar/euro stability related to ruble" (12.00).
* The pronunciation of the sentence to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev and Andrei Krainov will continue at the Meshchansky Court (10.30).
* The Moscow garrison military court will consider the complaint of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko's lawyer in connection with the military prosecutor's refusal to familiarize him with her case files. The premier is charged with causing $11 million damage to the Russian Defense Ministry during the supplies of Ukrainian furniture.
* The Central House of Journalists will host a press conference of the Moscow branch of the Rodina (Homeland) party prior to the party congress. Rodina leader Dmitry Rogozin and other party chiefs are expected to make program statements (12.00).
* A press conference dedicated to the Jazz For Children charity concert due on June 1 will be held in Moscow (15.00). Well-known musicians are to participate in the concert.
* Moscow will host the opening ceremony of the 2nd international festival Moscow Greets Friends organized by Vladimir Spivakov's international foundation (19.00).
ST. PETERSBURG
An international conference "UNESCO between two stages of the world summit on the information society" (May 17-19). The conference will be held under the UNESCO auspices.
NIZHNY NOVGOROD
* The Great Rivers-2005 7th international scientific-industrial forum will open in Nizhny Novgorod (May 17-20). It will focus on international and inter-regional cooperation in the sphere of stable development of basins of great rivers.
YEREVAN
* The 9th session of the Armenian-Russian inter-parliamentary commission for economic cooperation will take place in Yerevan.
MINSK
* The 3rd international exhibition of weapons and military hardware MILEX-2005 will open in Minsk (May 17-20). Rosoboronexport is the organizer of the Russian exposition.
THE HAGUE
* A delegation of the Kaluga region headed by governor Anatoly Artamonov will arrive in the Netherlands to familiarize Dutch companies with economic and investment potential of this Russian region.
SINGAPORE
* The International Maritime Defense Exhibition IMDEX Asia 2005 will open in Singapore (May 17-20). Russia will present battleships of small and middle displacement which can be used to counter piracy, illicit drug trafficking and terrorism.
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