The Russian Information Agency Novosti begins Hotline coverage for Wednesday, April 14, 2004.
MOSCOW
* Mikhail Fradkov, Russia's Prime Minister, will address a plenary session of the Federation Council to inform parliament's upper house about measures to streamline federal government work, and about the objectives of Russia's social and economic progress. 11.00.
* The State Duma, parliament's lower house, gathers for a "government hour", during which Alexei Gordeyev, Agriculture Minister, will report the implementation of a federal law on this year's federal budget, where it concerns promotion of the agro-industrial complex. He will also take stock of implementing Cabinet resolutions and ministerial steps to ensure spring sowing in due time.
* The State Duma hosts the following events:
- Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov receives Edgar Savisaar, president of the Centrist Party of Estonia, and mayor of Tallinn, Estonian capital. (Walnut Room, noon. Accreditation telephones: 292 2739, 292 8625);
- Duma member Andrei Klimov addresses a press conference on, "Problems and Prospects for the Legal Support of Russian Interregional Integration". (Smaller Hall, 14.00);
- Duma member Alexander Chuyev addresses a press conference to introduce a bill on repatriating Russians and members of Russia's other indigenous ethnic entities. (Smaller Hall, 15.00).
* The Wise Men's Council has its maiden session on the mayoral premises. The council was established on President Vladimir Putin's instruction, December 2003. Council co-presidents-Mayor Yuri Luzhkov of Moscow and Yoshiro Mori, once Japan's Prime Minister, will take part in the session. (36 Novy Arbat St., C Sector, 10.00; Accreditation telephones: 290 9761, 290 9199, 200 1958).
* The Russian Banking Association has its 15th congress. Trade Union House, Hall of Columns.
* The Russian Information Agency Novosti (4 Zubovsky Boulevard, 6th storey, Press Club. Accreditation telephones: 201 5019, 201 3968, 201 4567) hosts the following news conferences:
- Alexander Kondakov, chairman, CIS Commission for Study Books; Vice-President, Russian Book Union; Director General, Prosveshcheniye Publishers, on "The Russian Language in the Post-Soviet Area: Problems of Russian as Tuition Language and of Book Publication in Russian". (11.00);
- "On the Activities of the Sect, Moscow Society of Krishna's Consciousness: A Ban on Building a Krishnaite Temple in Khodynsky Field". Taking part are Sergei Kirsanov, chairman, All-Russia Public Political Association of Orthodox Voters; Alexander Dvorkin, Religion Study Centre head; and Natalia Narochnitskaya, State Duma member. (14.00);
- summing up a research expedition to Herat (Afghanistan), arranged by the St. Petersburg-based Russian Ethnographic Museum. Addressing the conference are Mr. Gairat Gulam Sahi, Charge d'Affaires ad interim of Afghanistan; a spokesman of Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Vladimir Grusman, Director, Russian Ethnographic Museum; Yuri Chistov, Director, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, or the Kunstkammer; and expedition members Dmitri Baranov, anthropologist, and Yuri Karpov, historian and ethnographer. (15.00).
DUBLIN
* Sergei Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, on an official visit to Ireland, meets the European Union leading three at the negotiation table.
HELSINKI
* Sergei Shoigu, Russia's Minister for Emergency Situations, on an official visit to Finland, carries on negotiations with Kari Rajamaki, the host country's Interior Minister.
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