tass--2020-02-04--Idea to re-launch dialogue with Russia on Ukraine proved its efficiency — Macron

WARSAW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the idea to re-launch the dialogue with Russia has proved its efficiency for Ukrainian reconciliation .
`` In the past weeks , the idea to give a new start to the dialogue with Russia demonstrated its efficiency for those who are concerned about the situation and want it to be resolved , '' the French leader said at a news conference with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki .
`` During the past years , there have been no summits [ of the Normandy Quartet ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Macron said .
`` But after the relations with Russia had been restarted , German Chancellor Angela Merkel and I managed to achieve a previously unseen progress . ''
A Normandy Four summit was held in Paris on December 9 , for the first time after a three-year break .
Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia , Emmanuel Macron of Germany , Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gathered in the Elysee Palace to discuss ways of settling the conflict in Donbass .
The seven-hour talks yielded a final document @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accords .
Among the summit ’ s most expected results was an agreement to exchange prisoners-of-war in Donbass under the formula of ‘ all identified for all identified ’ by the year-end , to disengage forces at three more sections of the contact line by March 2020 and to enshrine the ‘ Steinmeier formula ’ into the Ukrainian legislation which provides a mechanism to grant a special status to Donbass .
The leaders also agreed to continue high-level discussion in the Normandy Four format in four months , while making a number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donbass conflict .

WARSAW, February 4. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the idea to re-launch the dialogue with Russia has proved its efficiency for Ukrainian reconciliation.
"In the past weeks, the idea to give a new start to the dialogue with Russia demonstrated its efficiency for those who are concerned about the situation and want it to be resolved," the French leader said at a news conference with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
"During the past years, there have been no summits [of the Normandy Quartet] and no progress on ministerial agreements," Macron said. "But after the relations with Russia had been restarted, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and I managed to achieve a previously unseen progress."
A Normandy Four summit was held in Paris on December 9, for the first time after a three-year break. Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Emmanuel Macron of Germany, Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gathered in the Elysee Palace to discuss ways of settling the conflict in Donbass. The seven-hour talks yielded a final document committing to paper a number of concrete accords. Among the summit’s most expected results was an agreement to exchange prisoners-of-war in Donbass under the formula of ‘all identified for all identified’ by the year-end, to disengage forces at three more sections of the contact line by March 2020 and to enshrine the ‘Steinmeier formula’ into the Ukrainian legislation which provides a mechanism to grant a special status to Donbass. The leaders also agreed to continue high-level discussion in the Normandy Four format in four months, while making a number of steps towards a political settlement of the Donbass conflict.


tass--2020-02-03--Haikou airport uses big database to check passengers amid coronavirus outbreak

HAIKOU , February 3 .
/TASS/ .
The administration of Hainan 's Meilan International Airport introduced sanitary control measures for all arriving passengers and will use big database technology to do so starting Monday , reported www.hinews.cn with reference to the local government .
Particular attention , as before , will be given to arriving citizens who over the past 14 days have visited the areas of China affected by coronavirus .
However , now sanitary measures will apply to everyone with no exceptions , regardless of where a passenger comes from .
In the coming days , the airport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the island residents and those who work in the province , who have gone on New Year 's holidays , will begin to return .
According to Deputy Mayor of Haikou Ju Lei , during this period , the authorities intend to strengthen sanitary control to prevent the spread of the virus .
“ In recent days , our work on prevention and control focused on those who arrived from areas affected by the epidemic.We have improved our standards to check everyone who arrives at the airport , regardless of where they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quoted the official as saying .
At the end of January , due to the spread of the coronavirus , they began to check the body temperature of all passengers entering and leaving Haikou at the Meilan International Airport .
Hainan is one of the regions in China where a new type of coronavirus has been confirmed .
According to the latest official data , 46 cases of coronavirus infection were detected in the province , one of which turned out to be fatal .
The largest number of cases was registered in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14 people were diagnosed with a new type of pneumonia .
On December 31 , 2019 , Chinese authorities notified the WHO about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan , central China .
On January 7 , Chinese experts identified the 2019-nCoV coronavirus as the cause of the disease .

HAIKOU, February 3. /TASS/. The administration of Hainan's Meilan International Airport introduced sanitary control measures for all arriving passengers and will use big database technology to do so starting Monday, reported www.hinews.cn with reference to the local government.
Particular attention, as before, will be given to arriving citizens who over the past 14 days have visited the areas of China affected by coronavirus. However, now sanitary measures will apply to everyone with no exceptions, regardless of where a passenger comes from.
In the coming days, the airport expects an increase in passenger traffic, as the island residents and those who work in the province, who have gone on New Year's holidays, will begin to return. According to Deputy Mayor of Haikou Ju Lei, during this period, the authorities intend to strengthen sanitary control to prevent the spread of the virus.
“In recent days, our work on prevention and control focused on those who arrived from areas affected by the epidemic.We have improved our standards to check everyone who arrives at the airport, regardless of where they come from,” the news outlet quoted the official as saying .
At the end of January, due to the spread of the coronavirus, they began to check the body temperature of all passengers entering and leaving Haikou at the Meilan International Airport.
Hainan is one of the regions in China where a new type of coronavirus has been confirmed. According to the latest official data, 46 cases of coronavirus infection were detected in the province, one of which turned out to be fatal. The largest number of cases was registered in the resort city of Sanya, where 14 people were diagnosed with a new type of pneumonia.
On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities notified the WHO about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. On January 7, Chinese experts identified the 2019-nCoV coronavirus as the cause of the disease.


tass--2020-02-05--Guterres calls for normalizing situation with issuance of US visas to diplomats

THE UNITED NATIONS , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
The situation with issuance of US visas to diplomats attending UN events in New York should be normalized , United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres told a press conference on Tuesday in response to a TASS question .
`` As a matter of fact , I 'm very concerned and very active together with our Office of Legal Affairs and the General Assembly commission that is in charge of the relations with the Host Country and which is presided by the Permanent Representative of Cyprus that have a very important action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said '' It is absolutely essential to have normality in the attribution of visas .
Of course , there are situations that might justify , for matters of national security , any restriction .
That is understandable in any country of the world , '' he added .
`` WUnat we are witnessing is , of course , something that needs to be normalized , and we need to have normal conditions for functioning of the United Nations , which means that visas needs to be attributed in a regular way , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 74 session of the UN General Assembly , the United States has failed to issue visas to 18 Russian delegates .
In December , the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on the US to stop the practice of refusing or delaying visas to diplomats from several countries , including Russia , Iran and Venezuela , who plan to take part in events held under the auspices of the United Nations Organization .
However , the United States failed to issue a visa to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in January @

THE UNITED NATIONS, February 4. /TASS/. The situation with issuance of US visas to diplomats attending UN events in New York should be normalized, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres told a press conference on Tuesday in response to a TASS question.
"As a matter of fact, I'm very concerned and very active together with our Office of Legal Affairs and the General Assembly commission that is in charge of the relations with the Host Country and which is presided by the Permanent Representative of Cyprus that have a very important action also in this regard," Guterres said
"It is absolutely essential to have normality in the attribution of visas. Of course, there are situations that might justify, for matters of national security, any restriction. That is understandable in any country of the world," he added. "WUnat we are witnessing is, of course, something that needs to be normalized, and we need to have normal conditions for functioning of the United Nations, which means that visas needs to be attributed in a regular way," he concluded.
Since the start of the 74 session of the UN General Assembly, the United States has failed to issue visas to 18 Russian delegates.
In December, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on the US to stop the practice of refusing or delaying visas to diplomats from several countries, including Russia, Iran and Venezuela, who plan to take part in events held under the auspices of the United Nations Organization. However, the United States failed to issue a visa to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in January.


tass--2020-02-05--People evacuated to Russia from China do not have symptoms of coronavirus — watchdog

YEKATERINBURG , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Among citizens of Russia , member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union ( EAEU ) and Ukraine evacuated from China 's Wuhan , no one exhibits symptoms of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV , head of the Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova told a briefing on Tuesday .
Two planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces have flown to China to evacuate people to Russia 's Tyumen region .
According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova , 147 people will be evacuated to Russia from China , including 10 Belarusian citizens , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Armenia and one Ukrainian citizen .
`` I want to note that it is impossible at the moment to evacuate people with clinical signs of the virus from Wuhan .
Among those on board the planes headed to Russia are only those people who are clinically healthy as of today , '' Popova said .
She added that among those evacuated from China to Russia 's Tyumen region are several children .
`` There are children on board , families with children of various ages , and it is very important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flight , '' she noted .
Popova said that the territory of the medical center in Tyumen where people evacuated from China will stay for two weeks upon arrival to Russia , will be guarded by the Russian National Guards .
`` Two lines of fences have been set up at the medical center , and the area will be guarded by the Russian National Guards , '' she said .
On December 31 , 2019 , Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization ( WHO ) about an outbreak of an unknown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people .
On January 7 , Chinese experts identified the infecting agent : coronavirus 2019-nCoV .
According to latest reports , over 20,400 people were infected with the new coronavirus in China , and the death toll surpassed 420 .
Cases of the new coronavirus were also confirmed in 24 other countries , including Russia .
The WHO declared the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency .

YEKATERINBURG, February 4. /TASS/. Among citizens of Russia, member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Ukraine evacuated from China's Wuhan, no one exhibits symptoms of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV, head of the Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova told a briefing on Tuesday.
Two planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces have flown to China to evacuate people to Russia's Tyumen region. According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, 147 people will be evacuated to Russia from China, including 10 Belarusian citizens, three citizens of Kazakhstan, one citizen of Armenia and one Ukrainian citizen.
"I want to note that it is impossible at the moment to evacuate people with clinical signs of the virus from Wuhan. Among those on board the planes headed to Russia are only those people who are clinically healthy as of today," Popova said.
She added that among those evacuated from China to Russia's Tyumen region are several children. "There are children on board, families with children of various ages, and it is very important to create comfortable conditions for them during the flight," she noted.
Popova said that the territory of the medical center in Tyumen where people evacuated from China will stay for two weeks upon arrival to Russia, will be guarded by the Russian National Guards. "Two lines of fences have been set up at the medical center, and the area will be guarded by the Russian National Guards," she said.
On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people. On January 7, Chinese experts identified the infecting agent: coronavirus 2019-nCoV.
According to latest reports, over 20,400 people were infected with the new coronavirus in China, and the death toll surpassed 420.
Cases of the new coronavirus were also confirmed in 24 other countries, including Russia. The WHO declared the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency.


tass--2020-02-05--UN chief calls for cessation of hostilities in Syria’s Idlib

THE UNITED NATIONS , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on Turkey and Syria to stop hostilities in Syria ’ s Idlib governorate .
`` We have been very clear expressing our enormous concern with the escalation that we are witnessing in Idlib and asking for a cessation of hostilities , '' Guterres told a news conference on Tuesday .
The UN chief stressed that there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis .
`` We do n't believe there is a military solution for the conflict in Syria , '' he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time and time again that a solution is political and that the process needs to move on through the Geneva talks and then through the different steps related to it . ''
`` We are particularly worried that now the escalation came into a situation in which we had Turkish army and Syrian army bombing each other , and that , of course , is a change in the nature of the conflict that is extremely worrying .
And one reason more for the cessation of hostilities , before the escalation comes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of control , '' he added .

THE UNITED NATIONS, February 4. /TASS/. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on Turkey and Syria to stop hostilities in Syria’s Idlib governorate.
"We have been very clear expressing our enormous concern with the escalation that we are witnessing in Idlib and asking for a cessation of hostilities," Guterres told a news conference on Tuesday.
The UN chief stressed that there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis. "We don't believe there is a military solution for the conflict in Syria," he said. "We have said it time and time again that a solution is political and that the process needs to move on through the Geneva talks and then through the different steps related to it."
"We are particularly worried that now the escalation came into a situation in which we had Turkish army and Syrian army bombing each other, and that, of course, is a change in the nature of the conflict that is extremely worrying. And one reason more for the cessation of hostilities, before the escalation comes to a situation that then becomes totally out of control," he added.


tass--2020-02-05--Erdogan discusses attack on Turkish military in Syria with Putin — media

Turkey doesn ’ t need to come into collision with Russia , Erdogan says MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
/TASS/ .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held a telephone conversation with this Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday , Reuters reported citing Erdogan 's administration .
According to the administration , Erdogan noted that the attack on Turkish military personnel in Syria damages joint peace efforts in the region .
The Turkish leader added that Ankara will use its self-defense rights in case of a similar attack .
On Monday , Turkish aviation and artillery delivered strikes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a result of which 76 Syrian servicemen were `` neutralized , '' according to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar .
This attack came as a response of Syrian army 's shelling of the Turkish positions near Saraqib , in which five Turkish servicemen and three civilian personnel were killed .
The Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria said that Turkish military came under fire by Syrian government forces late Monday because the Turksh side did not notify Russia about its movements .
The Syrian forces opened fire on terrorists @ @ @ @ @ @

Turkey doesn’t need to come into collision with Russia, Erdogan says
MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held a telephone conversation with this Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Reuters reported citing Erdogan's administration.
According to the administration, Erdogan noted that the attack on Turkish military personnel in Syria damages joint peace efforts in the region. The Turkish leader added that Ankara will use its self-defense rights in case of a similar attack.
On Monday, Turkish aviation and artillery delivered strikes at 54 targets in Idlib, as a result of which 76 Syrian servicemen were "neutralized," according to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. This attack came as a response of Syrian army's shelling of the Turkish positions near Saraqib, in which five Turkish servicemen and three civilian personnel were killed.
The Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria said that Turkish military came under fire by Syrian government forces late Monday because the Turksh side did not notify Russia about its movements. The Syrian forces opened fire on terrorists that were retreating to Saraqib.


tass--2020-02-05--Putin, Erdogan stress importance of observing ceasefire in Libya — Kremlin

MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Settlement of the conflict in Libya was among the topics of a telephone conversation between Russian and Turkish Presidents , Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan , the Kremlin press service said on Tuesday .
`` The sides exchanged views on the problems of Libyan settlement and stressed the necessity of observing the ceasefire that has been in place in that country since January 12 , and of implementing the results of the Berlin international conference of January 19 , '' the press service said .
Berlin hosted a high-level international conference on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least ten heads of state and government , including Russian President Vladimir Putin , taking part .
In their final document , participants in the Berlin meeting called for a ceasefire in Libya , reaffirmed their commitment to refrain from interfering into Libya ’ s affairs , suggested a unified government be formed and reforms be launched to restore Libya ’ s state system destroyed by NATO ’ s intervention ten years ago .
The conflicting parties also agreed to set up a commission to monitor the ceasefire .
Libya currently has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ namely the internationally recognized Tripoli-based Government of National Accord ( GNA ) and the interim government , seated in the east of the country , along with the parliament , which is supported by the Libyan National Army ( LNA ) .

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Settlement of the conflict in Libya was among the topics of a telephone conversation between Russian and Turkish Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin press service said on Tuesday.
"The sides exchanged views on the problems of Libyan settlement and stressed the necessity of observing the ceasefire that has been in place in that country since January 12, and of implementing the results of the Berlin international conference of January 19," the press service said.
Berlin hosted a high-level international conference on Libyan settlement on January 19, with at least ten heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, taking part. In their final document, participants in the Berlin meeting called for a ceasefire in Libya, reaffirmed their commitment to refrain from interfering into Libya’s affairs, suggested a unified government be formed and reforms be launched to restore Libya’s state system destroyed by NATO’s intervention ten years ago. The conflicting parties also agreed to set up a commission to monitor the ceasefire.
Libya currently has two parallel bodies of executive power, namely the internationally recognized Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and the interim government, seated in the east of the country, along with the parliament, which is supported by the Libyan National Army (LNA).


tass--2020-02-05--UN to mobilize all necessary resources to respond to coronavirus outbreak — Guterres

THE UNITED NATIONS , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
The United Nations Organization is trying to mobilize all necessary resources to respond to the outbreak of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV , UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told a press conference at the UN headquarters on Tuesday .
`` So , as it is evident this has been an epidemic situation that has been growing in an extremely meaningful way , I believe that China has mobilized enormous resources and enormous capacity to respond .
And we have , of course , full recognition of that effort , '' Guterres said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis is such that all efforts are sometimes insufficient , and China itself was the first to recognize that there were some difficulties and shortcomings in the response , '' he added .
When asked about whether the UN Security Council would consider the situation with the new coronavirus in the same way as the Ebola epidemic was considered in 2014 , Guterres said : `` The Ebola situation was a different situation , because in Ebola , you have a security problem in the same area .
This is different ... this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usually the Security Council that deals with that . ''
`` But [ Director-General of the World Health Organization ] Tedros [ Adhanom Ghebreyesus ] will be entirely at the disposal of the Security Council , the General Assembly or whatever UN body for whatever purpose that is considered necessary , '' he added .
On December 31 , 2019 , Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization ( WHO ) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan , a large trade and industrial center in central China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 7 , Chinese experts identified the infecting agent : coronavirus 2019-nCoV .
According to latest reports , over 20,400 people were infected with the new coronavirus in China , and the death toll surpassed 420 .
Cases of the new coronavirus were also confirmed in 24 other countries , including Russia .
The WHO declared the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency .

THE UNITED NATIONS, February 4. /TASS/. The United Nations Organization is trying to mobilize all necessary resources to respond to the outbreak of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told a press conference at the UN headquarters on Tuesday.
"So, as it is evident this has been an epidemic situation that has been growing in an extremely meaningful way, I believe that China has mobilized enormous resources and enormous capacity to respond. And we have, of course, full recognition of that effort," Guterres said. "But the dimension of the crisis is such that all efforts are sometimes insufficient, and China itself was the first to recognize that there were some difficulties and shortcomings in the response," he added.
When asked about whether the UN Security Council would consider the situation with the new coronavirus in the same way as the Ebola epidemic was considered in 2014, Guterres said: "The Ebola situation was a different situation, because in Ebola, you have a security problem in the same area. This is different... this is an epidemic. It's not usually the Security Council that deals with that." "But [Director-General of the World Health Organization] Tedros [Adhanom Ghebreyesus] will be entirely at the disposal of the Security Council, the General Assembly or whatever UN body for whatever purpose that is considered necessary," he added.
On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people. On January 7, Chinese experts identified the infecting agent: coronavirus 2019-nCoV.
According to latest reports, over 20,400 people were infected with the new coronavirus in China, and the death toll surpassed 420.
Cases of the new coronavirus were also confirmed in 24 other countries, including Russia. The WHO declared the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency.


tass--2020-02-05--Putin, Erdogan hold telephone talks on Syria  — Kremlin

`` The president discussed in detail the situation in Syria .
Mutual concern was expressed over the escalation of the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone , '' the press service said .
MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
The situation in Syria was in focus of Russian President Vladimir Putin ’ s telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan , the Kremlin press service said on Tuesday .
Turkey doesn ’ t need to come into collision with Russia , Erdogan says '' The sides stressed the necessity of staying committed to the Russian-Turkish agreements on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ towards neutralization of extremists , '' the Kremlin added .
`` Vladimir Putin drew attention to the dramatically increased activities of terrorist groups as their attacks have claimed numerous lives among civilians , '' the Kremlin said .
In this context , Putin and Erdogan agreed to take `` urgent measures , first of all between the Russian and Turkish defense ministries , to improve coordination of efforts in Syria . ''
Apart from that , the presidents reiterated their support to the intra-Syrian dialogue in the framework of the Syrian Constitutional Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Russia ’ s Sochi to agree on a ten-provision memorandum on joint operations to control the situation in northeastern Syria .
Under the arrangement , Russian military police and Syrian border guards were deployed to Syrian territories adjacent to Turkey ’ s the 30-kilometer buffer zone from October 23 .
Turkey ’ s national defense ministry said on January 10 that Ankara and Moscow had agreed on a ceasefire in the Idlib de-escalation zone in northern Syria from January 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region that is still controlled by illegal armed groups .
A northern de-escalation zone was set up in Idlib in 2017 to give shelter to militants and their families who were reluctant to voluntarily surrender arms in Eastern Ghouta and in Syria ’ s southern regions .
Twelve Turkish observation stations are operating in the Idlib governorate .

"The president discussed in detail the situation in Syria. Mutual concern was expressed over the escalation of the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone," the press service said.
MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. The situation in Syria was in focus of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin press service said on Tuesday.
Turkey doesn’t need to come into collision with Russia, Erdogan says
"The sides stressed the necessity of staying committed to the Russian-Turkish agreements on Idlib that provide for increased joint efforts towards neutralization of extremists," the Kremlin added.
"Vladimir Putin drew attention to the dramatically increased activities of terrorist groups as their attacks have claimed numerous lives among civilians," the Kremlin said. In this context, Putin and Erdogan agreed to take "urgent measures, first of all between the Russian and Turkish defense ministries, to improve coordination of efforts in Syria."
Apart from that, the presidents reiterated their support to the intra-Syrian dialogue in the framework of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva.
Russian-Turkish agreements
On October 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Russia’s Sochi to agree on a ten-provision memorandum on joint operations to control the situation in northeastern Syria. Under the arrangement, Russian military police and Syrian border guards were deployed to Syrian territories adjacent to Turkey’s the 30-kilometer buffer zone from October 23.
Turkey’s national defense ministry said on January 10 that Ankara and Moscow had agreed on a ceasefire in the Idlib de-escalation zone in northern Syria from January 12.
Idlib is the only large Syrian region that is still controlled by illegal armed groups. A northern de-escalation zone was set up in Idlib in 2017 to give shelter to militants and their families who were reluctant to voluntarily surrender arms in Eastern Ghouta and in Syria’s southern regions. Twelve Turkish observation stations are operating in the Idlib governorate.


tass--2020-02-05--Second plane with 64 tourists departs from Wuhan for Russia — defense ministry

Evacuees from China to be quarantined in Russia 's Tyumen Region MOSCOW , February 5 .
/TASS/ .
The second Russian Aerospace Forces ' plane has departed from the Chinese city of Wuhan to Russia with Russian citizens onboard , the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday .
`` There are 64 people with personal possessions on board the Russian military-transport plane , '' the ministry said .
The Russian Defense Ministry added that citizens are accompanied by military doctors and specialists .
Earlier on Tuesday , the first plane of the Russian Aerospace Forces left Wuhan for Russia with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prime Minister Tatyna Golikova said that military planes will deliver Russian citizens to Tyumen region from the Chinese province of Hubei , which became the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak .
According to Golikova , 147 people will be evacuated to Russia from China , including 10 Belarusian citizens , three citizens of Kazakhstan , one citizen of Armenia and one Ukrainian citizen .
On December 31 , 2019 , Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization ( WHO ) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in central China populated by 11 million people .
On January 7 , Chinese experts identified the infecting agent : coronavirus 2019-nCoV .
According to latest reports , over 20,400 people were infected with the new coronavirus in China , and the death toll surpassed 420 .
Cases of the new coronavirus were also confirmed in 24 other countries , including Russia .
The WHO declared the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency .

Evacuees from China to be quarantined in Russia's Tyumen Region
MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. The second Russian Aerospace Forces' plane has departed from the Chinese city of Wuhan to Russia with Russian citizens onboard, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
"There are 64 people with personal possessions on board the Russian military-transport plane," the ministry said.
The Russian Defense Ministry added that citizens are accompanied by military doctors and specialists.
Earlier on Tuesday, the first plane of the Russian Aerospace Forces left Wuhan for Russia with 80 passengers on board.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyna Golikova said that military planes will deliver Russian citizens to Tyumen region from the Chinese province of Hubei, which became the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak. According to Golikova, 147 people will be evacuated to Russia from China, including 10 Belarusian citizens, three citizens of Kazakhstan, one citizen of Armenia and one Ukrainian citizen.
On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people. On January 7, Chinese experts identified the infecting agent: coronavirus 2019-nCoV.
According to latest reports, over 20,400 people were infected with the new coronavirus in China, and the death toll surpassed 420.
Cases of the new coronavirus were also confirmed in 24 other countries, including Russia. The WHO declared the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency.


tass--2020-02-05--Russian Defense Ministry refutes reports on Russian forces shelled by pro-Turkish groups

MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Reports about a Russian military police post coming under shelling by pro-Turkish groups @ @ @ @ @ governorate are not true , Major General Yury Borenkov , chief of the Russian Center @ @ @ @ @ sides in Syria , said on Tuesday .
`` Reports circulated by a number of @ @ @ @ @ alleging that a Russian military police post north of the city of Tell Rifat in @ @ @ @ @ came under shelling by pro-Turkish groups are not true , '' Borenkov said .
He @ @ @ @ @ and military police officers are safe .
Several media outlets and Telegram channels reported earlier @ @ @ @ @ fire at positions of the Russian taskforce near the city of Tell Rifat in the @ @ @

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Reports about a Russian military police post coming under shelling by pro-Turkish groups in Syria’s Aleppo governorate are not true, Major General Yury Borenkov, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria, said on Tuesday.
"Reports circulated by a number of media outlets on February 4 alleging that a Russian military police post north of the city of Tell Rifat in Syria’s Aleppo governorate came under shelling by pro-Turkish groups are not true," Borenkov said.
He added that Russian military advisers and military police officers are safe.
Several media outlets and Telegram channels reported earlier that the Turkish army opened fire at positions of the Russian taskforce near the city of Tell Rifat in the Aleppo governorate.


tass--2020-02-04--Iran will cooperate in plane crash investigation despite leaked recording — authorities

TEHRAN , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Tehran will continue cooperating with other countries in the investigation of the Ukrainian plane crash despite the fact that a recording of talks between Iranian dispatchers had been leaked , Iran Civil Aviation Organization said in a statement released on Tuesday .
`` The organization will continue investigating different aspects of the crash of the Ukrainian plane in accordance with national legislation and international norms in cooperation with the countries that have any connection to this incident , '' the statement said adding that publication of audio recordings of talks between dispatchers `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations into plane crashes . ''
On Monday , Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told 1+1 TV channel that Kiev has an important recording of Iranian dispatchers which allegedly proves that Tehran knew about downing the Ukrainian plane from the very start .
The translated recording was published by several Ukrainian media outlets .
According to the translated recording , an Iranian pilot noted that a missile hit the plane and reported it to an airport 's dispatcher .
On January 8 , a Boeing-737 of the Ukrainian International Airlines bound for Kiev crashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Imam Khomeini Airport .
The crash killed all 176 people on board — citizens of Afghanistan , Germany , Iran , Canada and Ukraine and also British and Swedish subjects .
On January 11 , Iran ’ s Armed Forces General Staff released a statement admitting the plane had been mistakenly shot down .
According to Iranian Brigadier-General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh , the plane was misidentified as a cruise missile by the air defense force .

TEHRAN, February 4. /TASS/. Tehran will continue cooperating with other countries in the investigation of the Ukrainian plane crash despite the fact that a recording of talks between Iranian dispatchers had been leaked, Iran Civil Aviation Organization said in a statement released on Tuesday.
"The organization will continue investigating different aspects of the crash of the Ukrainian plane in accordance with national legislation and international norms in cooperation with the countries that have any connection to this incident," the statement said adding that publication of audio recordings of talks between dispatchers "runs counter to the norms of conducting investigations into plane crashes."
On Monday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told 1+1 TV channel that Kiev has an important recording of Iranian dispatchers which allegedly proves that Tehran knew about downing the Ukrainian plane from the very start.
The translated recording was published by several Ukrainian media outlets. According to the translated recording, an Iranian pilot noted that a missile hit the plane and reported it to an airport's dispatcher.
On January 8, a Boeing-737 of the Ukrainian International Airlines bound for Kiev crashed minutes after takeoff from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport. The crash killed all 176 people on board — citizens of Afghanistan, Germany, Iran, Canada and Ukraine and also British and Swedish subjects. On January 11, Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff released a statement admitting the plane had been mistakenly shot down. According to Iranian Brigadier-General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, the plane was misidentified as a cruise missile by the air defense force.


tass--2020-02-04--Suppliers’ prices of face masks rallying, no shortage expected —  experts

`` There is no shortage overall but it is difficult to forecast the demand because availability of masks differs across pharmacies , '' Ignatyeva said .
`` Suppliers increased prices ; pharmacies did not raise their markups , even make them smaller , but the price hiked overall .
There should be no shortage .
The number of masks is sufficient , even despite their absence in individual pharmacies , '' the expert said .
MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Prices of medical face masks are growing with suppliers but remain unchanged in pharmacy chains and no shortage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Pharmacy Chains Nelli Ignatyeva told TASS on Tuesday .
The situation is mixed on the market : certain suppliers leveled prices up , while the other ones kept them unchanged , according to Association ’ s data .
36.6 Pharmacy Chain confirmed the increase in procurement prices but noted that the chain has enough face masks .
`` Medical masks continue enjoying high demand in pharmacies of our chain .
Producers were not ready for such situation .
Their inventories are close to end and we see that procurement prices for masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has its own inventories for the short term , '' Commercial Director of the chain Evgeniya Lamina said .
`` There were problems with availability of masks with suppliers but no problems with availability are since February 1 , '' Melodiya Zdorovya chain said in a comment .
`` It is difficult for us to assess whether the masks procurement prices hiked because we repeatedly faced shortages with key suppliers lately .
Nevertheless , the selling price of masks in the Evalar pharmacy chain was not reviewed , despite varying prices of masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a comment .
The Russian regulator Roszdravnadzor earlier opened a hotline on presence of masks and antivirus drugs in connection with the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection .

"There is no shortage overall but it is difficult to forecast the demand because availability of masks differs across pharmacies," Ignatyeva said. "Suppliers increased prices; pharmacies did not raise their markups, even make them smaller, but the price hiked overall. There should be no shortage. The number of masks is sufficient, even despite their absence in individual pharmacies," the expert said.
MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Prices of medical face masks are growing with suppliers but remain unchanged in pharmacy chains and no shortage exists, Director of the Russian Association of Pharmacy Chains Nelli Ignatyeva told TASS on Tuesday.
The situation is mixed on the market: certain suppliers leveled prices up, while the other ones kept them unchanged, according to Association’s data.
36.6 Pharmacy Chain confirmed the increase in procurement prices but noted that the chain has enough face masks. "Medical masks continue enjoying high demand in pharmacies of our chain. Producers were not ready for such situation. Their inventories are close to end and we see that procurement prices for masks started growing. Nevertheless, our chain has its own inventories for the short term," Commercial Director of the chain Evgeniya Lamina said.
"There were problems with availability of masks with suppliers but no problems with availability are since February 1," Melodiya Zdorovya chain said in a comment.
"It is difficult for us to assess whether the masks procurement prices hiked because we repeatedly faced shortages with key suppliers lately. Nevertheless, the selling price of masks in the Evalar pharmacy chain was not reviewed, despite varying prices of masks suppliers," Evalar chain said in a comment.
The Russian regulator Roszdravnadzor earlier opened a hotline on presence of masks and antivirus drugs in connection with the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection.


tass--2020-02-04--First jet with 80 Russians aboard leaves Chinese Wuhan for Russia

`` There are 80 people aboard the Russian military transport plane with their personal belongings , ’ the statement says .
MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
The first Russian Aerospace Forces ’ plane has left the Chinese city of Wuhan and is now on its course to Russia with 80 Russian citizens onboard , the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement issued on Tuesday .
They are travelling along with medics and specialists from the Defense Ministry who are constantly monitoring the passengers ’ condition , the statement adds .
Shortly before the first flight departed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jet arrived to evacuate Russians and other nationals .
Earlier , Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova announced that military jets will deliver Russians to the Tyumen Region from the Chinese Hubei Province , epicenter of the pneumonia outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus .
According to the official , 147 people will be brought to Russia , including 10 Belarusian , three Kazakh , one Armenian and one Ukrainian citizens .
On December 31 , Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization ( WHO ) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people .
On January 7 , Chinese experts identified the infecting agent - coronavirus 2019-nCoV .
The virus spread to 24 more countries , apart from China - Australia , Belgium , Cambodia , Canada , Finland , France , Germany , Japan , India , Italy , Malaysia , Nepal , the Philippines , Russia , Singapore , South Korea , Spain , Sri Lanka , Sweden , Thailand , the United Arab Emirates , the United Kingdom , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declared the coronavirus outbreak in China a global health emergency .
Currently , the total number of infections exceeded 20,400 in China with more than 420 people reported to have died from the disease .
Lethal coronavirus cases were also reported outside of mainland China .

"There are 80 people aboard the Russian military transport plane with their personal belongings,’ the statement says.
MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. The first Russian Aerospace Forces’ plane has left the Chinese city of Wuhan and is now on its course to Russia with 80 Russian citizens onboard, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
They are travelling along with medics and specialists from the Defense Ministry who are constantly monitoring the passengers’ condition, the statement adds.
Shortly before the first flight departed, Wuhan’s airport welcomed the second jet arrived to evacuate Russians and other nationals.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova announced that military jets will deliver Russians to the Tyumen Region from the Chinese Hubei Province, epicenter of the pneumonia outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus. According to the official, 147 people will be brought to Russia, including 10 Belarusian, three Kazakh, one Armenian and one Ukrainian citizens.
On December 31, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan - a large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people. On January 7, Chinese experts identified the infecting agent - coronavirus 2019-nCoV. The virus spread to 24 more countries, apart from China - Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, India, Italy, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. The WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak in China a global health emergency.
Currently, the total number of infections exceeded 20,400 in China with more than 420 people reported to have died from the disease. Lethal coronavirus cases were also reported outside of mainland China.


tass--2020-02-04--WHO chief calls on international community to share coronavirus data

GENEVA , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
World Health Organization ( WHO ) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has addressed health @ @ @ @ @ , requesting that they provide in-depth information about the novel coronavirus ( 2019-nCoV ) .
@ @ @ @ @ in China as treatment for new coronavirus '' I call on all Member States to @ @ @ @ @ - including epidemiological , clinical severity and the results of community studies and investigations , @ @ @ @ @ quoted him as saying on Tuesday .
`` This is the responsibility of all countries @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Risks of further global proliferation of the novel coronavirus is still high , @ @ @ @ @ General as saying .
`` Of course , the risk of it becoming more widespread @ @ @ @ @ is the moment for all countries to be preparing themselves , '' the WHO said @ @ @ @ @ 99 % of all cases were registered in China and 97 % of lethal cases @ @ @ @ @ s Hubei province .

GENEVA, February 4. /TASS/. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has addressed health ministers of WHO member states, requesting that they provide in-depth information about the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
Russian antiviral drug being tested in China as treatment for new coronavirus
"I call on all Member States to share detailed information with WHO - including epidemiological, clinical severity and the results of community studies and investigations," the WHO Twitter account quoted him as saying on Tuesday. "This is the responsibility of all countries under the International Health Regulations."
Risks of further global proliferation of the novel coronavirus is still high, the WHO quoted its Director General as saying.
"Of course, the risk of it becoming more widespread globally remains high. Now is the moment for all countries to be preparing themselves," the WHO said.
According to Ghebreyesus, 99% of all cases were registered in China and 97% of lethal cases were reported from China’s Hubei province.


tass--2020-02-04--Russian antimonopoly watchdog to consider Booking.com case on February 25

MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
The Federal Antimonopoly Service ( FAS ) of Russia will hold the second meeting to consider the case against Booking.com service on February 25 , Vice President of Opora Rossii business association Alexei Kozhevnikov told TASS .
The regulator ’ s press service confirmed this piece of information to TASS .
`` FAS agreed the date of the next meeting on the Booking [ .com ] case ; it will be held on February 25 , '' Kozhevnikov said .
The Russian antimonopoly watchdog opened the probe against Booking.com at the turn of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Opora Rossii , which caught in the service for prompting Russian hotels to maintain the price parity .
Booking.com holds a dominating position on the market , according to the assessment by GAS .
The service ’ s representative said at the last meeting on January 30 that the company ’ s share on the Russian market was not above 12 % , Kozhevnikov noted .
`` This is absolutely not true to facts .
The aggregator ’ s share is definitely dominating , therefore Booking unilaterally dictates their terms for their partner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ booking market , depriving the market of the competitive environment , '' he said .
If the fact of competition violation is ascertained , the service may face a penalty of 1-15 % of the turnover .

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of Russia will hold the second meeting to consider the case against Booking.com service on February 25, Vice President of Opora Rossii business association Alexei Kozhevnikov told TASS. The regulator’s press service confirmed this piece of information to TASS.
"FAS agreed the date of the next meeting on the Booking[.com] case; it will be held on February 25," Kozhevnikov said.
The Russian antimonopoly watchdog opened the probe against Booking.com at the turn of the last year on the complaint of Opora Rossii, which caught in the service for prompting Russian hotels to maintain the price parity.
Booking.com holds a dominating position on the market, according to the assessment by GAS. The service’s representative said at the last meeting on January 30 that the company’s share on the Russian market was not above 12%, Kozhevnikov noted.
"This is absolutely not true to facts. The aggregator’s share is definitely dominating, therefore Booking unilaterally dictates their terms for their partner hotels and other players on the online booking market, depriving the market of the competitive environment," he said.
If the fact of competition violation is ascertained, the service may face a penalty of 1-15% of the turnover.


tass--2020-02-04--Sweden hopes for Russian support of its plans as OSCE chair

MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Russia is playing a key role in international cooperation in the OSCE framework and Sweden is hoping Russia will back its plans when Sweden assumes chairmanship in the organization in 2021 , Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde told reporters Tuesday following talks with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov .
`` Sweden will chair the OSCE in 2021 , this is a role that we attach great importance to , '' she said .
`` I informed Minister Lavrov about our plans for the upcoming chairmanship , we expect Russia to support its implementation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vital task , being a leading forum to debate issues of security policy in Europe .
Evidently , Russia is playing a key role to have this cooperation functioning . ''
The Swedish diplomat also noted that Stockholm welcomes broader contacts between the Swedish and Russian people .
`` Sweden ’ s government wants to foster contacts between the Swedish and Russians .
I know that many Swedes are interested in Russia and would like to learn more about our neighboring nation , we encourage these intentions , '' she stressed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of Russians have a positive view of Sweden .
These are fantastic numbers . ''

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Russia is playing a key role in international cooperation in the OSCE framework and Sweden is hoping Russia will back its plans when Sweden assumes chairmanship in the organization in 2021, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde told reporters Tuesday following talks with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
"Sweden will chair the OSCE in 2021, this is a role that we attach great importance to," she said. "I informed Minister Lavrov about our plans for the upcoming chairmanship, we expect Russia to support its implementation." "The organization is doing a vital task, being a leading forum to debate issues of security policy in Europe. Evidently, Russia is playing a key role to have this cooperation functioning."
The Swedish diplomat also noted that Stockholm welcomes broader contacts between the Swedish and Russian people.
"Sweden’s government wants to foster contacts between the Swedish and Russians. I know that many Swedes are interested in Russia and would like to learn more about our neighboring nation, we encourage these intentions," she stressed. "An opinion poll showed that 74% of Russians have a positive view of Sweden. These are fantastic numbers."


tass--2020-02-04--Ukraine’s top diplomat says ‘very big’ prisoner swap with Donbass is in the works

`` We are indeed preparing a new swap .
We are still believe that it is possible to complete an ‘ all-for-all ’ swap soon , '' Ukrinform news agency quotes him as saying .
At the same time , he voiced hope that an agreement with Russia to swap people who were found guilty of crimes and those who are being investigated now will also be fulfilled .
Pristaiko is hoping that the swap will be `` very big , a mass one , '' which will `` have a place for Crimean Tatars . ''
On Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the specific date for the upcoming swap with Donbass will be revealed shortly .
Moreover , the Ukrainian leader noted that negotiations are also ongoing with the Russian side regarding convicted and investigated Ukrainians in Russia .
`` The work also started there .
I am sure that [ swap ] dates will be released soon and society will see the lists , '' Zelensky concluded , clarifying that Crimean Tatars make up the bulk of the list .

"We are indeed preparing a new swap. We are still believe that it is possible to complete an ‘all-for-all’ swap soon," Ukrinform news agency quotes him as saying.
At the same time, he voiced hope that an agreement with Russia to swap people who were found guilty of crimes and those who are being investigated now will also be fulfilled. Pristaiko is hoping that the swap will be "very big, a mass one," which will "have a place for Crimean Tatars."
On Monday, February 3, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the specific date for the upcoming swap with Donbass will be revealed shortly. Moreover, the Ukrainian leader noted that negotiations are also ongoing with the Russian side regarding convicted and investigated Ukrainians in Russia. "The work also started there. I am sure that [swap] dates will be released soon and society will see the lists," Zelensky concluded, clarifying that Crimean Tatars make up the bulk of the list.


tass--2020-02-04--Voice of America failed to register as legal entity in Russia — Justice Ministry

MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
US Voice of America radio station has not registered as a legal entity @ @ @ @ @ the Russian legislation on media outlets labeled as foreign agents , the Russian Justice Ministry @ @ @ @ @ TASS .
MP says new amendments take aim at political reporters for foreign agent-labelled media @ @ @ @ @ foreign media outlets are found to be violating Russia ’ s legal demands `` the @ @ @ @ @ legal response measures against these entities . ''
TASS contacted Voice of America to ask @ @ @ @ @ comply with the legal requirements in Russia .
The station said that it will continue @ @ @ @ @ in accordance with the highest standards of journalism .

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. US Voice of America radio station has not registered as a legal entity in Russia as required by the Russian legislation on media outlets labeled as foreign agents, the Russian Justice Ministry’s press service told TASS.
MP says new amendments take aim at political reporters for foreign agent-labelled media
The service added that if foreign media outlets are found to be violating Russia’s legal demands "the Russian Justice Ministry will consider legal response measures against these entities."
TASS contacted Voice of America to ask whether the radio station will comply with the legal requirements in Russia. The station said that it will continue providing objective news and information in accordance with the highest standards of journalism.


tass--2020-02-04--Russia's top brass says White Helmets to upload video on fake chemical attack in Idlib

MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Activists of the White Helmets organization made a staged video on the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Idlib de-escalation area , the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Sides in Syria ( part of Russia ’ s Defense Ministry ) reported on Tuesday .
The footage will show off the consequences of an alleged bomb strike by the Syrian Air Force with an unknown chemical agent .
The White Helmets plans to upload the video in social networks for its dissemination by Western and Arab media outlets , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian military received this information from several independent sources in the town of Zerba in the Idlib area .
Residents of the Idlib de-escalation area in Syria called the hotline of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Sides in Syria on Monday .
They said that terrorists and the opposition-controlled While Helmets organization were plotting a provocation with the aim of accusing the Syrian army of using chemical agents against civilians .
As the Center specified , for this purpose , a group of 15 White Helmets activists arrived in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ de-escalation zone on February 1 .
The White Helmets plans to upload its staged video on its information resources in social networks for its subsequent dissemination by leading Western and Arab media outlets , the Center said .

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Activists of the White Helmets organization made a staged video on the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Idlib de-escalation area, the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Sides in Syria (part of Russia’s Defense Ministry) reported on Tuesday.
The footage will show off the consequences of an alleged bomb strike by the Syrian Air Force with an unknown chemical agent. The White Helmets plans to upload the video in social networks for its dissemination by Western and Arab media outlets, the Center said in a statement.
The Russian military received this information from several independent sources in the town of Zerba in the Idlib area.
Residents of the Idlib de-escalation area in Syria called the hotline of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Sides in Syria on Monday. They said that terrorists and the opposition-controlled While Helmets organization were plotting a provocation with the aim of accusing the Syrian army of using chemical agents against civilians.
As the Center specified, for this purpose, a group of 15 White Helmets activists arrived in the settlement of Maaret al-Artik in the Idlib de-escalation zone on February 1.
The White Helmets plans to upload its staged video on its information resources in social networks for its subsequent dissemination by leading Western and Arab media outlets, the Center said.


tass--2020-02-04--Russia to react to US-NATO exercise Defender 2020 in Europe — Lavrov

`` Naturally , we will react , '' Lavrov said .
`` We can not ignore processes that arouse very great concerns .
But we will react in a way that will not create unnecessary risks . ''
MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Russia will react to the US military exercise in Europe Defender 2020 due in March , but it will do so in a way that will rule out unnecessary risks , Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with the staff of the government-run daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta .
A transcript of the conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tuesday .
Those who provoke such utterly unreasonable exercises `` wish to see retaliatory measures that would allow for building up tensions further on , '' he stated .
`` It is noteworthy that everything that we do in response to NATO ’ s threats to our security we do exclusively in our own territory , '' Lavrov added .
The exercise is codenamed Defender , he stressed .
`` Who are they going to defend themselves from ?
They claim that they have to defend themselves not from Russia , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to that of NATO , '' Lavrov said .
`` Here it will be very hard to find the correct target for these efforts , matching the comparability criteria .
One look at the official statistics - not ours but foreign - concerning military spending , military equipment and all types of armaments without any exception will be enough to see that NATO ’ s European members alone , the US component excluded , surpasses our armed forces more than by half .
I have no idea where they have found a comparable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stressed that it was not Russia but NATO that was the dominant military power .
`` Although the entire space there is oversaturated by military facilities and weapons , although NATO ’ s eastward expansion has already created serious problems in the field of strategic stability in Europe , the merger of NATO and the EU is continuing , '' he explained .
`` NATO members have been trying to hold joint exercises and trying to plug in neutral EU members , such as Finland and Sweden .
In the context of NATO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invented a special term - military Schengen - which implies an upgrade of all transport arteries extending towards the alliance ’ s eastern border in such a way that will enable the unhampered delivery of any combat equipment to the east .
I believe that this is enough to realize how dangerous such games are . ''
Also , Lavrov drew attention to the fact that formally the exercise was declared as US one , which NATO partners would be invited to join .
`` One remarkable detail .
I ’ m really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the possible ones is the Americans find it far easier to do all the planning themselves and to carry out everything on their own , with no regard for NATO discipline , '' Lavrov said .
`` Although in NATO the US commander in Europe is also the commander of NATO forces in Europe . ''
Defender 2020 will be the largest US exercise in Europe over the past 25 years .
As a military source in NATO explained to TASS , it would be a US exercise under US command .
NATO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role , responsible for logistics and coordination of contingents delegated by the 17 allied countries that would participate .
All in all , 37,000 troops will be involved .
The center of the exercise will be in Germany , with some events taking place in the territory of NATO ’ s ten member-countries , including areas near Russia ’ s borders with Poland and the Baltic countries .

"Naturally, we will react," Lavrov said. "We cannot ignore processes that arouse very great concerns. But we will react in a way that will not create unnecessary risks."
MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Russia will react to the US military exercise in Europe Defender 2020 due in March, but it will do so in a way that will rule out unnecessary risks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with the staff of the government-run daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta. A transcript of the conversation was published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
Those who provoke such utterly unreasonable exercises "wish to see retaliatory measures that would allow for building up tensions further on," he stated.
"It is noteworthy that everything that we do in response to NATO’s threats to our security we do exclusively in our own territory," Lavrov added.
The exercise is codenamed Defender, he stressed.
"Who are they going to defend themselves from? They claim that they have to defend themselves not from Russia, but from an adversary whose potential is identical to that of NATO," Lavrov said. "Here it will be very hard to find the correct target for these efforts, matching the comparability criteria. One look at the official statistics - not ours but foreign - concerning military spending, military equipment and all types of armaments without any exception will be enough to see that NATO’s European members alone, the US component excluded, surpasses our armed forces more than by half. I have no idea where they have found a comparable opponent."
In this connection Lavrov stressed that it was not Russia but NATO that was the dominant military power.
"Although the entire space there is oversaturated by military facilities and weapons, although NATO’s eastward expansion has already created serious problems in the field of strategic stability in Europe, the merger of NATO and the EU is continuing," he explained. "NATO members have been trying to hold joint exercises and trying to plug in neutral EU members, such as Finland and Sweden. In the context of NATO’s cooperation with the EU they invented a special term - military Schengen - which implies an upgrade of all transport arteries extending towards the alliance’s eastern border in such a way that will enable the unhampered delivery of any combat equipment to the east. I believe that this is enough to realize how dangerous such games are."
Also, Lavrov drew attention to the fact that formally the exercise was declared as US one, which NATO partners would be invited to join.
"One remarkable detail. I’m really curious about the reason. One of the possible ones is the Americans find it far easier to do all the planning themselves and to carry out everything on their own, with no regard for NATO discipline," Lavrov said. "Although in NATO the US commander in Europe is also the commander of NATO forces in Europe."
Defender 2020 will be the largest US exercise in Europe over the past 25 years. As a military source in NATO explained to TASS, it would be a US exercise under US command. NATO’s bodies would play a subordinate role, responsible for logistics and coordination of contingents delegated by the 17 allied countries that would participate. All in all, 37,000 troops will be involved. The center of the exercise will be in Germany, with some events taking place in the territory of NATO’s ten member-countries, including areas near Russia’s borders with Poland and the Baltic countries.


tass--2020-02-04--US to introduce new sanctions against Nord Stream 2 — media

`` If Russia attempts to complete construction of remaining kilometers of the pipeline , then the House of Representatives and the Senate [ of the United States Congress - TASS ] are ready to pass a new sanctions act , '' the source said .
European investors or companies desirous to buy gas flowing over the pipeline can be affected this time , Handelsblatt reports .
BERLIN , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
The US intends to impose new sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Russia attempts to complete its construction , Handelsblatt newspaper says on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sources do not exclude new sanctions can be in force as early as in February or in March .
German companies are concerned of the possible new measures against the project , the newspaper says .
Nord Stream 2 is an international project for the construction of a gas pipeline that will run across the bottom of the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast to Germany bypassing transit states .
The new 1,200 kilometer pipeline , basically following the same route as Nord Stream , will traverse economic zones and territorial water of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sweden , Denmark , and Germany .
The pipeline ’ s capacity will be 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year .

"If Russia attempts to complete construction of remaining kilometers of the pipeline, then the House of Representatives and the Senate [of the United States Congress - TASS] are ready to pass a new sanctions act," the source said. European investors or companies desirous to buy gas flowing over the pipeline can be affected this time, Handelsblatt reports.
BERLIN, February 4. /TASS/. The US intends to impose new sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Russia attempts to complete its construction, Handelsblatt newspaper says on Tuesday, citing US diplomatic sources.
Diplomatic sources do not exclude new sanctions can be in force as early as in February or in March.
German companies are concerned of the possible new measures against the project, the newspaper says.
Nord Stream 2 is an international project for the construction of a gas pipeline that will run across the bottom of the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast to Germany bypassing transit states. The new 1,200 kilometer pipeline, basically following the same route as Nord Stream, will traverse economic zones and territorial water of five countries, namely Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. The pipeline’s capacity will be 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year.


tass--2020-02-04--Russian antiviral drug being tested in China as treatment for new coronavirus

`` The Chinese have taken Triazavirin to test it , '' he said .
MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Russia ’ s new antiviral drug Triazavirin is being tested in China as treatment for the novel coronavirus , Russian Deputy Health Minister Sergei Krayevoi said on Tuesday .
Wuhan coronavirus death rate expected to go down soon , officials say Triazavirin ( TZV ) is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug developed in Russia through a joint effort of the Ural Federal University , the Russian Academy of Sciences ’ Institute of Organic Synthesis , and the Russian Health Ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be used as a treatment for 15 types of flu .
In late December 2019 , Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization ( WHO ) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan , a large trade and industrial metropolis in central China with a population of 11 million .
The infecting agent was identified as coronavirus 2019-nCoV .
Cases of the new coronavirus have also been reported from 24 other countries , including Australia , Vietnam , India , Canada , the United States , Thailand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organization has declared the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency .
By now , the number of confirmed cases of the disease in China has exceeded 20,400 , with more than 420 killed by this coronavirus .
Lethal cases have been also reported outside mainland China .

"The Chinese have taken Triazavirin to test it," he said.
MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Russia’s new antiviral drug Triazavirin is being tested in China as treatment for the novel coronavirus, Russian Deputy Health Minister Sergei Krayevoi said on Tuesday.
Wuhan coronavirus death rate expected to go down soon, officials say
Triazavirin (TZV) is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug developed in Russia through a joint effort of the Ural Federal University, the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Organic Synthesis, and the Russian Health Ministry’s Influenza Research Institute. It can be used as a treatment for 15 types of flu.
In late December 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial metropolis in central China with a population of 11 million. The infecting agent was identified as coronavirus 2019-nCoV.
Cases of the new coronavirus have also been reported from 24 other countries, including Australia, Vietnam, India, Canada, the United States, Thailand, and Russia. The World Health Organization has declared the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency.
By now, the number of confirmed cases of the disease in China has exceeded 20,400, with more than 420 killed by this coronavirus. Lethal cases have been also reported outside mainland China.


tass--2020-02-04--Turkey doesn’t need to come into collision with Russia, Erdogan says

ANKARA , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
There is no need in conflicting or arguing with Russia , Turkish President @ @ @ @ @ onboard his plane heading home after a visit to Ukraine .
Fragment of the interview @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday .
`` At this point , there is no need in being in collision @ @ @ @ @ .
We have very serious strategic initiatives ( projects - TASS ) with Russia , @ @ @ @ @ as examples the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and Turk Stream projects .
`` First , @ @ @ @ @ sector were are determined to develop , '' he said .
`` Secondly , the @ @ @ @ @ very important .
It is very important for us because it implies strategic investments .
@

ANKARA, February 4. /TASS/. There is no need in conflicting or arguing with Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters onboard his plane heading home after a visit to Ukraine. Fragment of the interview were aired by NTV on Tuesday.
"At this point, there is no need in being in collision or seriously arguing with Russia. We have very serious strategic initiatives (projects - TASS) with Russia," he said, citing as examples the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and Turk Stream projects.
"First, it concerns our nuclear energy sector were are determined to develop," he said. "Secondly, the Turk Stream project is also very important. It is very important for us because it implies strategic investments."


tass--2020-02-04--Erdogan rules out backtracking on S-400 deal with Russia

`` The S-400 issue remains an important aspect of our relations with Russia .
There is no talk about our backtracking on the S-400 purchase deal , '' Erdogan said , replying to a question about how the sanctions imposed by some countries might have their impact on the agreement .
The Turkish president made this statement aboard his presidential airliner while returning from his visit to Ukraine .
The fragments of his interview with journalists were cited by the NTV television channel .
MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Ankara has no intention to revise its deal with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite some countries ’ pressure , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday .
The Turkish president also drew attention to bilateral trade with Russia , which `` possibly , is in its lowest point today but still amounts to $ 20-25 billion . ''
Russia announced in September 2017 that it had signed a $ 2.5 billion deal with Turkey on the delivery of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to Ankara .
Under the contract , Ankara will get a regiment set of S-400 air defense missile systems ( two battalions ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of production technology to the Turkish side .
Turkey is the first NATO member state to purchase such air-defense missile systems from Russia .
The deliveries of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey began on July 12 , 2019 .
The United States and NATO have been making attempts to prevent Turkey from purchasing Russia 's S-400 missile systems .
Washington has warned on many occasions that it may impose sanctions on Turkey , if Ankara presses ahead with the S-400 deal .
On July 17 , the press secretary of the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Turkey ’ s decision to acquire Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems rendered Ankara ’ s further participation in the US program of F-35 fighters impossible .
The S-400 ‘ Triumf ’ is the most advanced long-range air defense missile system that went into service in Russia in 2007 .
It is designed to destroy aircraft , cruise and ballistic missiles , including medium-range weapons , and can also be used against ground installations .
The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of 400 km and at an altitude of up @ @ @ @

"The S-400 issue remains an important aspect of our relations with Russia. There is no talk about our backtracking on the S-400 purchase deal," Erdogan said, replying to a question about how the sanctions imposed by some countries might have their impact on the agreement.
The Turkish president made this statement aboard his presidential airliner while returning from his visit to Ukraine. The fragments of his interview with journalists were cited by the NTV television channel.
MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Ankara has no intention to revise its deal with Russia on S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, despite some countries’ pressure, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
The Turkish president also drew attention to bilateral trade with Russia, which "possibly, is in its lowest point today but still amounts to $20-25 billion."
Russia announced in September 2017 that it had signed a $2.5 billion deal with Turkey on the delivery of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to Ankara. Under the contract, Ankara will get a regiment set of S-400 air defense missile systems (two battalions). The deal also envisages partial transfer of production technology to the Turkish side.
Turkey is the first NATO member state to purchase such air-defense missile systems from Russia. The deliveries of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey began on July 12, 2019.
The United States and NATO have been making attempts to prevent Turkey from purchasing Russia's S-400 missile systems. Washington has warned on many occasions that it may impose sanctions on Turkey, if Ankara presses ahead with the S-400 deal. On July 17, the press secretary of the US White House said in a written statement that Turkey’s decision to acquire Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems rendered Ankara’s further participation in the US program of F-35 fighters impossible.
The S-400 ‘Triumf’ is the most advanced long-range air defense missile system that went into service in Russia in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range weapons, and can also be used against ground installations. The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of 400 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km.


tass--2020-02-04--Turkey failed to fulfill ‘a couple of key commitments’ in Idlib, Lavrov says

`` Unfortunately , at this stage , the Turkish side failed to fulfill a couple of key commitments that were supposed to solve the Idlib problem altogether .
First , they failed to separate the armed opposition , which collaborates with the Turks and is ready for dialogue with the government , from the terrorists for the Nusra Front which turned into ‘ Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ’ , '' Lavrov noted .
MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Ankara failed to fulfill several key commitments within the framework of the agreement it reached with Moscow on normalization of situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during his meeting with Rossiyskaya Gazeta editors .
`` The second aspect connected with risks and threats originating from the Idlib de-escalation zone , involves moving hundreds of militants , including Nusra and ‘ Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ’ members , to Libya , for taking part in escalation of fighting in that country , '' the minister disclosed .
`` I would like to underscore again , considering all factors I ’ ve mentioned , Russia can not solve this problem alone , but it can fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Idlib .
This is what we ’ re talking about with our Turkish partners , '' Lavrov added .
The foreign minister underscored that Idlib terrorists continue their provocations .
`` Literally two days ago , there was an attempt to strike our Hmeimim base with a drone .
It was thwarted with the base ’ s air defense .
And shelling of Syrian Army positions and civilian objects beyond Idlib zone are regular , '' he reminded .
According to the top diplomat , one reason for this situation is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We reminded our Turkish partners about that , too .
We will keep fighting for fulfillment of all points of the decisions made by the Presidents of Russia and Turkey , '' he said .
`` We receive information on deployment of the Turkish forces in the Idlib zone , about clashes between them and the Syrian forces .
Our military monitors this situation .
According to our data , already announced by the General Staff , the Turkish servicemen advanced towards certain objects inside Idlib de-escalation zone without warning us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Syrian Army .
The strikes were conducted , the Turkish side threatens retaliation .
This is all very sad .
We call for diligent fulfillment of the 2018 and 2019 Sochi agreements on Idlib , '' the Russian top diplomat said .

"Unfortunately, at this stage, the Turkish side failed to fulfill a couple of key commitments that were supposed to solve the Idlib problem altogether. First, they failed to separate the armed opposition, which collaborates with the Turks and is ready for dialogue with the government, from the terrorists for the Nusra Front which turned into ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’," Lavrov noted.
MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Ankara failed to fulfill several key commitments within the framework of the agreement it reached with Moscow on normalization of situation in Syria’s Idlib province, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during his meeting with Rossiyskaya Gazeta editors.
"The second aspect connected with risks and threats originating from the Idlib de-escalation zone, involves moving hundreds of militants, including Nusra and ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’ members, to Libya, for taking part in escalation of fighting in that country," the minister disclosed.
"I would like to underscore again, considering all factors I’ve mentioned, Russia cannot solve this problem alone, but it can fight for unconditional and meticulous fulfillment of agreements on Idlib. This is what we’re talking about with our Turkish partners," Lavrov added.
The foreign minister underscored that Idlib terrorists continue their provocations.
"Literally two days ago, there was an attempt to strike our Hmeimim base with a drone. It was thwarted with the base’s air defense. And shelling of Syrian Army positions and civilian objects beyond Idlib zone are regular," he reminded.
According to the top diplomat, one reason for this situation is that no demilitarized zone was created in Idlib.
"We reminded our Turkish partners about that, too. We will keep fighting for fulfillment of all points of the decisions made by the Presidents of Russia and Turkey," he said.
"We receive information on deployment of the Turkish forces in the Idlib zone, about clashes between them and the Syrian forces. Our military monitors this situation. According to our data, already announced by the General Staff, the Turkish servicemen advanced towards certain objects inside Idlib de-escalation zone without warning us, so we were unable to warn the Syrian Army. The strikes were conducted, the Turkish side threatens retaliation. This is all very sad. We call for diligent fulfillment of the 2018 and 2019 Sochi agreements on Idlib," the Russian top diplomat said.


tass--2020-02-04--Moscow court to keep US spy suspect Whelan in custody until March 29

`` The defense ’ s appeal over the extension of the arrest as a pre-trial restriction is not accepted , the ruling of the court of first instance remains unchanged , '' the judge declared in the verdict .
The motion was considered behind closed doors , since confidential materials are involved in the case .
MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
An appellate court in Moscow has prolonged the term of arrest for US citizen Paul Whelan until March 29 .
The defendant is in Russian custody on espionage charges , TASS reports .
Whelan ’ s defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ materials of the case within a week , after which it can be turned over to the court , lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov told TASS .
`` Next week , we are planning to finish work on studying the materials of the case , '' he said .
US citizen Paul Whelan , 48 , who also holds British , Canadian and Irish citizenship , is a global security chief at BorgWarner , a Michigan-based automotive components company .
The Russian Federal Security Service ( FSB ) said Whelan was detained on December 28 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged spy mission .
A criminal investigation was launched against him on espionage charges carrying a penalty of anywhere from 10 to 20 years behind bars .

"The defense’s appeal over the extension of the arrest as a pre-trial restriction is not accepted, the ruling of the court of first instance remains unchanged," the judge declared in the verdict. The motion was considered behind closed doors, since confidential materials are involved in the case.
MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. An appellate court in Moscow has prolonged the term of arrest for US citizen Paul Whelan until March 29. The defendant is in Russian custody on espionage charges, TASS reports.
Whelan’s defense team plans to familiarize themselves with the materials of the case within a week, after which it can be turned over to the court, lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov told TASS.
"Next week, we are planning to finish work on studying the materials of the case," he said.
US citizen Paul Whelan, 48, who also holds British, Canadian and Irish citizenship, is a global security chief at BorgWarner, a Michigan-based automotive components company. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Whelan was detained on December 28, 2018 in Moscow while on an alleged spy mission. A criminal investigation was launched against him on espionage charges carrying a penalty of anywhere from 10 to 20 years behind bars.


tass--2020-02-04--Taiga forests shift towards Arctic due to warming climate, scientists say

`` The climate warming on the planet , which , in our opinion , is caused first of all not by the human aspect , but , most probably , by a big temporary warmth stream from the Sun , is most evident in the planet ’ s polar areas , '' the expert said .
`` Presently , we can see a stable growth of temperatures in Northern Eurasia , and a consequent latitudinal shift of landscapes towards the North Pole by 100-150 kilometers over recent 40 years - the taiga shifts towards high latitudes , where the tundra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February 4 .
/TASS/ .
The taiga forests in West Siberia are shifting towards the North Pole , scientists of the Tyumen State University and their Finnish colleagues say .
The project ’ s participant Viktor Gennadinik told TASS similar changed had been reported by experts of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology ( the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences ) .
The joint project with the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Meteorological Institute is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research ( RFBR ) .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system of relations between the atmosphere , the permafrost and plants , due to which productive ecosystems replace near-polar ecosystems .
`` There are two physical subjects making up the microclimates that influence directly the North ’ s landscapes - those are the planetary boundary layer ( PBL ) and the permafrost , '' the scientist said .
`` They both act as screens , regulating flows of substance and energy .
The Finnish partners focus on PBL , and our University studies changes in the permafrost and consequences from the warming - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
According to the Institute ’ s expert Rashit Khantemirov , the tundra area has been shrinking due to attacking forests .
At the same time , scientists do not see trees moving actively northbound on plains , he told TASS .
`` Plants lag behind the climate changes , they move very slowly : roughly one meter a year .
On plains , the shift is not big , though we register more dry trees there .
Where about 100 years ago at least one spruce used to grow amid larches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spruces , '' he said , stressing the spruces had been replacing larches , which are typical for Arctic regions .
The warming in the Arctic zone favors comfortable climate conditions not only for trees , including larch , which density has been growing , but also for pests .
`` The potential threat is that trees move slowly , while pests spread quickly .
Why would larch grow on the Yamal , but you wouldn ’ t see it in the south ?
Because pests would not allow its reproduction .
Quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would also shift further towards the north , '' he told TASS .
Pests can not survive the Arctic winters , he added .
Current processes in the Arctic are unique for recent 7,000 years , he said .
According to the Institute ’ s another representative , Andrei Grigoryev , an expert in dendrology , spruce shifts actively into the mountainous tundra , thus pushing away bushes and herbaceous plants , like , for example , blueberries .
This process is evident in mountains of the South Urals .
`` Our scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Urals , Europe and West Siberia , in areas clear from trees .
The research results show that forest and forest-meadow species of herbaceous plants have been penetrating the tundra community , '' he said .
The Russian institute participates in projects with counterparts from France and Norway , including studies of the climate changes ’ impact on terrestrial vertebrates in the Arctic .
Scientists install photo cameras and registering equipment in fields .
Over recent years , they have reported shrinking populations of small rodents - lemmings .
`` In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and drops of the population .
Presently , those peaks do not happen , and we explain this fact by the warming , '' the Institute ’ s expert Vasiliy Sokolov told TASS .
This transformation has changed the behavior of predators that feed on lemmings .

"The climate warming on the planet, which, in our opinion, is caused first of all not by the human aspect, but, most probably, by a big temporary warmth stream from the Sun, is most evident in the planet’s polar areas," the expert said. "Presently, we can see a stable growth of temperatures in Northern Eurasia, and a consequent latitudinal shift of landscapes towards the North Pole by 100-150 kilometers over recent 40 years - the taiga shifts towards high latitudes, where the tundra used to be."
YEKATERINBURG, February 4. /TASS/. The taiga forests in West Siberia are shifting towards the North Pole, scientists of the Tyumen State University and their Finnish colleagues say. The project’s participant Viktor Gennadinik told TASS similar changed had been reported by experts of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology (the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences).
The joint project with the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Meteorological Institute is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR). The project’s participants will describe the system of relations between the atmosphere, the permafrost and plants, due to which productive ecosystems replace near-polar ecosystems.
"There are two physical subjects making up the microclimates that influence directly the North’s landscapes - those are the planetary boundary layer (PBL) and the permafrost," the scientist said. "They both act as screens, regulating flows of substance and energy. The Finnish partners focus on PBL, and our University studies changes in the permafrost and consequences from the warming - namely, conditions of the nature ecosystems."
Spruce replaces larch and pushes away blueberries
According to the Institute’s expert Rashit Khantemirov, the tundra area has been shrinking due to attacking forests. At the same time, scientists do not see trees moving actively northbound on plains, he told TASS.
"Plants lag behind the climate changes, they move very slowly: roughly one meter a year. On plains, the shift is not big, though we register more dry trees there. Where about 100 years ago at least one spruce used to grow amid larches, nowadays we see a forest of spruces," he said, stressing the spruces had been replacing larches, which are typical for Arctic regions.
The warming in the Arctic zone favors comfortable climate conditions not only for trees, including larch, which density has been growing, but also for pests. "The potential threat is that trees move slowly, while pests spread quickly. Why would larch grow on the Yamal, but you wouldn’t see it in the south? Because pests would not allow its reproduction. Quite possibly, the pests’ northern border would also shift further towards the north," he told TASS. Pests cannot survive the Arctic winters, he added.
Current processes in the Arctic are unique for recent 7,000 years, he said.
According to the Institute’s another representative, Andrei Grigoryev, an expert in dendrology, spruce shifts actively into the mountainous tundra, thus pushing away bushes and herbaceous plants, like, for example, blueberries. This process is evident in mountains of the South Urals. "Our scientists have conducted studies on tops of mountains in the Urals, Europe and West Siberia, in areas clear from trees. The research results show that forest and forest-meadow species of herbaceous plants have been penetrating the tundra community," he said.
Transforming ecosystems
The Russian institute participates in projects with counterparts from France and Norway, including studies of the climate changes’ impact on terrestrial vertebrates in the Arctic. Scientists install photo cameras and registering equipment in fields.
Over recent years, they have reported shrinking populations of small rodents - lemmings. "In the past century, specialists saw peaks and drops of the population. Presently, those peaks do not happen, and we explain this fact by the warming," the Institute’s expert Vasiliy Sokolov told TASS. This transformation has changed the behavior of predators that feed on lemmings.


tass--2020-02-04--Strizhi aerobatics group to hold first aerial show in southern Russia in 2020

MOSCOW , February 4 .
/TASS/ .
Russia ’ s Strizhi ( Swifts ) aerobatic group will hold its first aerial show this year in the southern Krasnodar Region , the Defense Ministry of Russia reported on Tuesday .
`` The Strizhi aerobatic group will take part in the Aerospace Force ’ s action ‘ Service under a Contract Is Your Choice !
’ in the town of Tikhoretsk devoted to the 80th anniversary of the training air base of the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School named after Serov , '' the ministry said in a statement .
The pilots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ training exercise on February 4 and 5 .
The aerobatic show is scheduled for February 8 .
The crews have already relocated to the Krasnodar Region , according to the statement .
`` During the aerial show , the pilots of Russia ’ s Aerospace Force will demonstrate solo , formation , paired and head-on flying , '' the statement says .
Overall , six Strizhi crews will take part in the aerial show .
They will also perform such stunts as the vertical loop , the bell , synchronous barrel rolls and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proceed at altitudes ranging from 200 meters to 2,000 meters .
For the guests of the aerobatic show , the Aerospace Force will also set up a field kitchen , an exhibition of aircraft and recruitment points for enlisting for military service and for campaigning to enroll at its educational establishments .

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Russia’s Strizhi (Swifts) aerobatic group will hold its first aerial show this year in the southern Krasnodar Region, the Defense Ministry of Russia reported on Tuesday.
"The Strizhi aerobatic group will take part in the Aerospace Force’s action ‘Service under a Contract Is Your Choice!’ in the town of Tikhoretsk devoted to the 80th anniversary of the training air base of the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School named after Serov," the ministry said in a statement.
The pilots will hold the flight program’s training exercise on February 4 and 5. The aerobatic show is scheduled for February 8. The crews have already relocated to the Krasnodar Region, according to the statement.
"During the aerial show, the pilots of Russia’s Aerospace Force will demonstrate solo, formation, paired and head-on flying," the statement says.
Overall, six Strizhi crews will take part in the aerial show. They will also perform such stunts as the vertical loop, the bell, synchronous barrel rolls and other aerobatic maneuvers. The flights will proceed at altitudes ranging from 200 meters to 2,000 meters.
For the guests of the aerobatic show, the Aerospace Force will also set up a field kitchen, an exhibition of aircraft and recruitment points for enlisting for military service and for campaigning to enroll at its educational establishments.