The Russian Information Agency Novosti begins Hotline coverage for Wednesday, February 25, 2004.
MOSCOW
* Igor Ivanov, Russia's acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, is holding conference with Abdullah Gul, Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, currently in Moscow on visit.
* The Board of the Federal State Construction Committee opens an enlarged-attendance session to sum up last year's construction work and activities of housing and municipal offices, and offer guidelines for this year.
* The Federal Labour Ministry Board holds an enlarged-attendance session to sum up last year's efforts and highlight objectives for this year.
* The Federal Education Ministry Board holds an enlarged-attendance session to take stock of educational priorities for this and next year, and sum up an initial stage of educational network updating. Galina Karelova, acting Deputy Prime Minister, is expected to attend.
* Andrei Sharonov, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, addresses a news conference on the ministerial premises to sum up the ministry's work in 2002 and 2003 to implement the Electronic Russia federal target programme for 2002-2010.
* The Federal Culture Ministry is hosting a news conference on Russian participation in the 9th international architectural biennial show in Venice, due this year. Project Architectural Workshop-Russia, to be presented to the show, will be introduced to the public at the conference. Mikhail Shvydkoi, acting Culture Minister, is attending.
* The Federation Council, parliament's upper house, is gathering for its 120th session. Alexei Gordeyev, acting Agriculture Minister and acting Deputy Prime Minister, will address the house during its Government Hour.
* The OPORA Rossii (Russian Pillar), a national public organisation of small and medium-scale private enterprise, is holding a forum on, "Administrative Reform and Small Business". Boris Aleshin, acting Deputy Prime Minister, and Mikhail Dmitriev, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, are expected to attend.
* The foundation, Unity for Russia's Sake, is arranging a roundtable on, "Can the CIS Make a United Economic Environment? Oil and Gas Mainlines and Other Matters". Ruslan Grinberg, Director of the Institute of International Economic and Political Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences, will offer a central report to the gathering.
* Andrei Kostin, Vneshtorgbank President and Board Chairman, is addressing a news conference to sum up last year's work of the principal Russian foreign trade bank.
* Winners of the Golden Falcon international public award will be decorated in a gala at the Church Council Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
* The Patriarchal Chambers of the Moscow Kremlin will host an annual gala to award the national prize, Person of the Year, for 2003.
* Vyacheslav Fetisov, Federal State Sport Committee president, is addressing a news conference.
KIEV
* Speaker Boris Gryzlov of the State Duma, Russia's lower parliamentary house, will pay a one-day routine visit to the Ukrainian capital on invitation of the Supreme Rada, the host country's parliament. He is to meet with Vladimir Litvin, Rada Speaker, and other parliamentarians. Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma and Prime Minister Victor Yanukovich are expected to receive the visitor.
BEIJING
* Prominent diplomats of China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia and the USA are opening a second round of six-sided negotiations on the Korean nuclear issue.
PARIS
* The FATF is opening a plenary session to gather spokesmen of the FATF members-31 countries and two international organisations-and experts of international organisations with observers' status. Victor Zubkov, president of the Federal Financial Monitoring Committee, leads the Russian delegation.
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