tass--2020-03-05--Playrix Enters Armenian Game Development Market

MOSCOW , March 5 , 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Playrix has acquired a new studio in Yerevan , Armenia .
The team of the local mobile game company Plexonic has become Playrix Armenia , which will join the Playrix Group of companies .
Plexonic 's founder and CEO Gevorg Sargsyan will lead the new studio .
The team has already started developing a new casual mobile game .
`` Joining the Playrix family is a big deal for Plexonic .
We are sure that with Playrix , we will jumpstart our success rate to a whole new level .
Being one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Armenia , we are very excited to open new perspectives for the local game dev industry , this time via Playrix 's enormous scale and capacity , '' said Gevorg Sargsyan , founder of Plexonic .
`` Together with the talented Plexonic team , we will broaden our recruitment efforts , attract the best talent on the market , and create mobile games of the highest quality that we 're very excited about .
Playrix Armenia is already on its way to becoming the largest gaming company in the region , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The team behind games such as Panda Jam , Pet Savers and Stretch , Plexonic was founded in 2008 as the first Armenia based game development studio and developed more than 60 casual titles since then .
Playrix is one of the top 5 mobile game publishers in the world .
The total MAU of their existing titles — Homescapes , Gardenscapes , Township , Fishdom , and Wildscapes — exceeds 100 million .

MOSCOW, March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Playrix has acquired a new studio in Yerevan, Armenia. The team of the local mobile game company Plexonic has become Playrix Armenia, which will join the Playrix Group of companies. Plexonic's founder and CEO Gevorg Sargsyan will lead the new studio. The team has already started developing a new casual mobile game.
"Joining the Playrix family is a big deal for Plexonic. We are sure that with Playrix, we will jumpstart our success rate to a whole new level. Being one of the largest mobile game developers in Armenia, we are very excited to open new perspectives for the local game dev industry, this time via Playrix's enormous scale and capacity," said Gevorg Sargsyan, founder of Plexonic.
"Together with the talented Plexonic team, we will broaden our recruitment efforts, attract the best talent on the market, and create mobile games of the highest quality that we're very excited about. Playrix Armenia is already on its way to becoming the largest gaming company in the region," said Dmitri Bukhman, co-founder of Playrix.
About Plexonic
The team behind games such as Panda Jam, Pet Savers and Stretch, Plexonic was founded in 2008 as the first Armenia based game development studio and developed more than 60 casual titles since then.
About Playrix
Playrix is one of the top 5 mobile game publishers in the world. The total MAU of their existing titles — Homescapes, Gardenscapes, Township, Fishdom, and Wildscapes — exceeds 100 million.
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1099512/Playrix_Logo.jpg
CONTACT: Liza Makhina, press@playrix.com, (+7-905-298-80-09)


tass--2020-03-05--Putin vows to bolster skilled professionals who seek to stay in Russia

`` Some want to leave , others want to return , '' Putin told TASS in an interview for the project entitled `` 20 Questions with Vladimir Putin '' .
MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
The Russian authorities will do their utmost to create opportunities for skilled specialists to develop and display their talent , Russian President Vladimir Putin said , adding that more and more Russians are eager to stay at home and work for the nation .
Job satisfaction : Most Russians pleased with their employment , says poll '' The fact that our specialists find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we provide a good higher education , '' he said .
`` If we want our people to fulfill their ambitions in their own country , the state must boost its efforts to ensure this .
And we will do so . ''
Putin spoke highly of the contests entitled `` Leaders of Russia '' and `` Russia - Land of Opportunity '' .
`` Among the aforementioned projects , we don ’ t have a single contest for a specific job or office , '' he explained .
`` We simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capabilities even more , yet simultaneously , when working with these people , representatives of major corporations or ministries and agencies pick out future employees . ''
Putin stressed that some of the former participants had already occupied posts as government ministers , deputy ministers and governors .
`` This is a good social elevator , '' he stressed .
Episode 9 of the video interview is available at https : //putin.tass.ru/en .

"Some want to leave, others want to return," Putin told TASS in an interview for the project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin".
MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. The Russian authorities will do their utmost to create opportunities for skilled specialists to develop and display their talent, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, adding that more and more Russians are eager to stay at home and work for the nation.
Job satisfaction: Most Russians pleased with their employment, says poll
"The fact that our specialists find employment in the global labor market means that we provide a good higher education," he said. "If we want our people to fulfill their ambitions in their own country, the state must boost its efforts to ensure this. And we will do so."
Putin spoke highly of the contests entitled "Leaders of Russia" and "Russia - Land of Opportunity".
"Among the aforementioned projects, we don’t have a single contest for a specific job or office," he explained. "We simply allow people to expand their knowledge and capabilities even more, yet simultaneously, when working with these people, representatives of major corporations or ministries and agencies pick out future employees."
Putin stressed that some of the former participants had already occupied posts as government ministers, deputy ministers and governors.
"This is a good social elevator," he stressed.
Episode 9 of the video interview is available at https://putin.tass.ru/en.


tass--2020-03-05--Putin proved Sirius skeptics wrong, brushing off predictions project was ‘doomed to fail’

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
The idea of creating the Sirius Educational Center for gifted children in Sochi was at first met with extreme skepticism , and critics said it was doomed to fail quickly , Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled .
`` I came up with this [ idea ] .
And one colleague of mine who was invited there told one of his colleagues : ‘ He 's not going to succeed ’ , '' the Russian leader said , while sharing his recollections in an interview for TASS ’ project entitled `` 20 Questions with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s arguments went as follows : `` To start with , your hockey players will beat up the math whiz kids . ''
Yet , nothing like this has occurred there .
Because kids , even powerful athletic lads , respect their peers who achieve noticeable successes in their fields because they know that this requires great efforts and talent , '' Putin revealed .
He acknowledged that he found it extremely encouraging to see `` athletes communicating with math geniuses while math geniuses may go to see a hockey match or ballet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Thus , they get involved with physical culture .
This is really great .
I like this very much , '' he said .
Putin explained why at a certain point he dropped the idea of moving some facilities originally put up for the Sochi Olympics to Russia ’ s other regions .
He said dismantling and relocating them would cost about the same as constructing something new .
Therefore , it was decided that totally new facilities should be built there where they were needed .
`` But how to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first , a simple , even primitive , thought entered my mind : to use these facilities for children 's sports , '' Putin said .
`` But later I thought : Why just for sports ?
We inherited a system of advanced education and training from the USSR .
I mean physics and mathematics schools , biology schools , then conservatory music colleges , ballet schools .
We are proud of all this . ''
Putin ’ s idea was to use Sirius to pool all these activities with sports , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used a system of spotting young talent that had been created and tested back in the Soviet era .
`` I mean these physics and mathematics schools , biology schools , music schools and so on .
From these schools , every 21 days we pick a group of kids for Sirius and arrange 21-day training courses for them .
Then we pick out those with the best potential , '' Putin said .
The choice of the center ’ s name was also his idea .
`` I was sitting and thinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the brightest star in the sky is Sirius .
It is the gathering place for the brightest kids .
That is why I proposed this name .
And the name stuck , '' Putin recalls .
The Russian leader said there were plans for creating a university based on Sirius .
`` The next step should be to create a modern university .
There , we have already set up a scientific cluster of laboratories specializing in such priority fields .
And then here we intend to create a technology park consisting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a scientific laboratory , where new innovations can materialize .
We 'll integrate the whole process . ''
Episode 9 of the video interview is available at https : //putin.tass.ru/en .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. The idea of creating the Sirius Educational Center for gifted children in Sochi was at first met with extreme skepticism, and critics said it was doomed to fail quickly, Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled.
"I came up with this [idea]. And one colleague of mine who was invited there told one of his colleagues: ‘He's not going to succeed’," the Russian leader said, while sharing his recollections in an interview for TASS’ project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin".
That critic’s arguments went as follows: "To start with, your hockey players will beat up the math whiz kids." Yet, nothing like this has occurred there. Because kids, even powerful athletic lads, respect their peers who achieve noticeable successes in their fields because they know that this requires great efforts and talent," Putin revealed.
He acknowledged that he found it extremely encouraging to see "athletes communicating with math geniuses while math geniuses may go to see a hockey match or ballet performance for the first time." "Thus, they get involved with physical culture. This is really great. I like this very much," he said.
Soviet legacy and the Sochi Olympics
Putin explained why at a certain point he dropped the idea of moving some facilities originally put up for the Sochi Olympics to Russia’s other regions. He said dismantling and relocating them would cost about the same as constructing something new. Therefore, it was decided that totally new facilities should be built there where they were needed.
"But how to make use of what is available? At first, a simple, even primitive, thought entered my mind: to use these facilities for children's sports," Putin said. "But later I thought: Why just for sports? We inherited a system of advanced education and training from the USSR. I mean physics and mathematics schools, biology schools, then conservatory music colleges, ballet schools. We are proud of all this."
Putin’s idea was to use Sirius to pool all these activities with sports, where Russia was also very successful.
Sirius used a system of spotting young talent that had been created and tested back in the Soviet era.
"I mean these physics and mathematics schools, biology schools, music schools and so on. From these schools, every 21 days we pick a group of kids for Sirius and arrange 21-day training courses for them. Then we pick out those with the best potential," Putin said.
The choice of the center’s name was also his idea. "I was sitting and thinking about the name and suddenly I recalled that the brightest star in the sky is Sirius. It is the gathering place for the brightest kids. That is why I proposed this name. And the name stuck," Putin recalls.
The Russian leader said there were plans for creating a university based on Sirius. "The next step should be to create a modern university. There, we have already set up a scientific cluster of laboratories specializing in such priority fields. And then here we intend to create a technology park consisting of a school, a university, and a scientific laboratory, where new innovations can materialize. We'll integrate the whole process."
Episode 9 of the video interview is available at https://putin.tass.ru/en.


tass--2020-03-05--Putin spotlights Kaspersky as Russia’s potential answer to Elon Musk

`` We have Kaspersky .
I believe that he is really good in his line of business , '' Putin said when asked whom Russia might offer up to be on par with Silicon Valley ’ s Elon Musk .
Putin added that Kaspersky was not the only frontrunner .
MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
World-renowned programmer and entrepreneur Yevgeny Kaspersky can certainly serve as an example of Russia ’ s tech pioneers , and is a leader in his field , Russian President Vladimir Putin told TASS in an interview for its project entitled `` 20 Questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out that the head of the Kaspersky Lab was a true leader in his industry and his company might have scored far greater achievements , if it hadn ’ t come up against artificial hindrances in other countries .
`` If the screws hadn ’ t been tightened , if competition hadn ’ t been artificially stifled , it would have been much better , '' Putin pointed out .
When asked whether the name Elon Musk rang a bell , Putin replied that it certainly did .
However , the head of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the popular meme : `` How do you like it , Elon Musk ? ''
Delving into the prospects of building a counterpart to Musk ’ s Tesla electric-powered automobiles , Putin recalled that businessman Mikhail Prokhorov had promised to deliver on that score someday .
`` He promised , he showed it to me .
I even went for a ride in it .
But this hasn ’ t been working out for him so far , '' Putin said .
Putin turned the spotlight on Russia ’ s successes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-tech field and in the nuclear sphere we ’ ve been making great strides .
We ’ ve beaten the competition , outperformed everyone , we 're the world 's largest manufacturer of nuclear units for power plants .
Not weapons , mind you .
This is high-tech , state-of-the-art technology , '' he said .
`` And if we look at military equipment , say military aviation , we are really on top here . ''
Such advanced weapon systems as the missile system Iskander and the laser system Peresvet were created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he recalled .
`` We 'll continue moving forward as well in the civilian sector , '' he promised .
`` We already have our own pharmaceutical products , very good ones .
And so on .
Step by step , it 's gaining momentum . ''
Kaspersky Lab is a Russian IT security company and provider of high-tech solutions for protection against cyber threats .
Kaspersky Antivirus is one of its main products .
In September 2017 , US government offices and agencies were ordered to get rid of Kaspersky software , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put American national security at risk .
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov slammed the US authorities ’ treatment of Kaspersky Lab as a politicized ploy .
The Russian authorities described these steps taken by the US government as a crusade to hamstring a competitor .
Episode 9 of the video interview is available at https : //putin.tass.ru/en .

"We have Kaspersky. I believe that he is really good in his line of business," Putin said when asked whom Russia might offer up to be on par with Silicon Valley’s Elon Musk. Putin added that Kaspersky was not the only frontrunner.
MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. World-renowned programmer and entrepreneur Yevgeny Kaspersky can certainly serve as an example of Russia’s tech pioneers, and is a leader in his field, Russian President Vladimir Putin told TASS in an interview for its project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin".
He pointed out that the head of the Kaspersky Lab was a true leader in his industry and his company might have scored far greater achievements, if it hadn’t come up against artificial hindrances in other countries. "If the screws hadn’t been tightened, if competition hadn’t been artificially stifled, it would have been much better," Putin pointed out.
When asked whether the name Elon Musk rang a bell, Putin replied that it certainly did. However, the head of state noted that he was not familiar with the popular meme: "How do you like it, Elon Musk?" Delving into the prospects of building a counterpart to Musk’s Tesla electric-powered automobiles, Putin recalled that businessman Mikhail Prokhorov had promised to deliver on that score someday.
"He promised, he showed it to me. I even went for a ride in it. But this hasn’t been working out for him so far," Putin said.
Nuclear power, defense industries demonstrate top-notch performance
Putin turned the spotlight on Russia’s successes in the high-tech sector. "In the high-tech field and in the nuclear sphere we’ve been making great strides. We’ve beaten the competition, outperformed everyone, we're the world's largest manufacturer of nuclear units for power plants. Not weapons, mind you. This is high-tech, state-of-the-art technology," he said. "And if we look at military equipment, say military aviation, we are really on top here." Such advanced weapon systems as the missile system Iskander and the laser system Peresvet were created by teams of young Russian scientists, he recalled.
"We'll continue moving forward as well in the civilian sector," he promised. "We already have our own pharmaceutical products, very good ones. And so on. Step by step, it's gaining momentum."
Kaspersky’s US ordeal
Kaspersky Lab is a Russian IT security company and provider of high-tech solutions for protection against cyber threats. Kaspersky Antivirus is one of its main products.
In September 2017, US government offices and agencies were ordered to get rid of Kaspersky software, because, the regulators claimed, it put American national security at risk. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov slammed the US authorities’ treatment of Kaspersky Lab as a politicized ploy. The Russian authorities described these steps taken by the US government as a crusade to hamstring a competitor.
Episode 9 of the video interview is available at https://putin.tass.ru/en.


tass--2020-03-05--Seven Russians from Diamond Princess ship test negative for coronavirus

VLADIVOSTOK , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Seven Russians evacuated to the Far Eastern Primorsky region from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested negative for the novel coronavirus , Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance Department of the Russian consumer watchdog in the Primorsky region Elena Abbasova told TASS on Thursday .
`` The test results of the first seven people evacuated from the cruise ship have come in from the Novosibirsk-based Vector Research Center .
They tested negative for the virus , '' she said , adding that the test results of another two Russians were expected to arrive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Yokohama for a 15-day cruise on January 20 and returned to the port on February 3 .
The cruise ship was put in quarantine after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong on January 25 had tested positive for the novel coronavirus .
Japanese authorities put the ship , which had about 3,700 passengers and crew members from 50 countries aboard , under quarantine .
Three Russians from the Diamond Princess tested positive for the coronavirus and were taken for treatment to a medical facility in the Russian city of Kazan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok .
In late December 2019 , Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization ( WHO ) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan , central China .
Coronavirus cases have also been reported in more than 70 countries , including Russia .
Most cases outside of China have been reported in South Korea , Iran and Italy .
According to the WHO , 93,000 people have been infected with the virus across the world .
The death toll has passed 3,200 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the novel coronavirus a global health emergency and named the virus COVID-19 .

VLADIVOSTOK, March 5. /TASS/. Seven Russians evacuated to the Far Eastern Primorsky region from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance Department of the Russian consumer watchdog in the Primorsky region Elena Abbasova told TASS on Thursday.
"The test results of the first seven people evacuated from the cruise ship have come in from the Novosibirsk-based Vector Research Center. They tested negative for the virus," she said, adding that the test results of another two Russians were expected to arrive later.
The Diamond Princess left Japan’s Yokohama for a 15-day cruise on January 20 and returned to the port on February 3. The cruise ship was put in quarantine after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong on January 25 had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Japanese authorities put the ship, which had about 3,700 passengers and crew members from 50 countries aboard, under quarantine.
Three Russians from the Diamond Princess tested positive for the coronavirus and were taken for treatment to a medical facility in the Russian city of Kazan. Another nine passengers were evacuated to the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.
Coronavirus outbreak
In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. Coronavirus cases have also been reported in more than 70 countries, including Russia. Most cases outside of China have been reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy.
According to the WHO, 93,000 people have been infected with the virus across the world. The death toll has passed 3,200. The WHO declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a global health emergency and named the virus COVID-19.


tass--2020-03-05--The Russian Version of Matrixport Is Already to Make a Heavy Push Into Russian Market

SINGAPORE , March 4 , 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently , the one-stop digital asset financial service platform , Matrixport , has officially launched its Russian version of the official website and mobile app .
Meanwhile , Matrixport hired the first Russian representative to fully explore the Russian digital asset market .
Matrixport was founded in February 2019 , and it is invested by Wu Jihan , the Chairman and CEO of Bitmain .
It headquartered in Singapore with rich industry resources and leading technical strength .
It provides users with safe , professional , compliant and transparent services such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and payment .
It is committed to building a new generation of a one-stop digital financial service platform , to bringing open and inclusive financial opportunities to more people .
Up to now , the digital asset trading service is still one of the most eye-catching businesses of Matrixport , covering B-end users such as project parties and fund institutions , and C-end users such as miners and high net worth people .
It is understood that Matrixport has been online for less than a year , and it has handled over $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it provided about $ 100 million of high-quality loans to users , with the cumulative custody value of digital assets exceeding $ 500 million .
In terms of digital asset custody , Matrixport uses cactus custodial the trusteeship agency , safe and compliant , holds the TCSP license of Hong Kong trust company , and can provide customers of different scales and business scenarios with rich , flexible and configurable functional modules .
Matrixport is a one-stop digital asset financial service platform based on user needs .
With the entry of financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family offices and dealers , it is believed that the demand for this emerging investment will be increasingly strong .
Opening up the Russian market this time is an exploratory attempt of Matrixport business in addition to English and Chinese regions , and also a key step to open up a new situation for Matrixport industry .

SINGAPORE, March 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, the one-stop digital asset financial service platform, Matrixport, has officially launched its Russian version of the official website and mobile app. Meanwhile, Matrixport hired the first Russian representative to fully explore the Russian digital asset market.
Matrixport was founded in February 2019, and it is invested by Wu Jihan, the Chairman and CEO of Bitmain. It headquartered in Singapore with rich industry resources and leading technical strength. It provides users with safe, professional, compliant and transparent services such as digital asset transaction, loan, custody and payment. It is committed to building a new generation of a one-stop digital financial service platform, to bringing open and inclusive financial opportunities to more people.
Up to now, the digital asset trading service is still one of the most eye-catching businesses of Matrixport, covering B-end users such as project parties and fund institutions, and C-end users such as miners and high net worth people.
It is understood that Matrixport has been online for less than a year, and it has handled over $500 million of cryptocurrency spot transactions, and it provided about $100 million of high-quality loans to users, with the cumulative custody value of digital assets exceeding $500 million.
In terms of digital asset custody, Matrixport uses cactus custodial the trusteeship agency, safe and compliant, holds the TCSP license of Hong Kong trust company, and can provide customers of different scales and business scenarios with rich, flexible and configurable functional modules.
Matrixport is a one-stop digital asset financial service platform based on user needs. With the entry of financial institutions such as exchanges, funds, family offices and dealers, it is believed that the demand for this emerging investment will be increasingly strong. Opening up the Russian market this time is an exploratory attempt of Matrixport business in addition to English and Chinese regions, and also a key step to open up a new situation for Matrixport industry.
Company Name: Matrixport Website: https://www.matrixport.com/
Contact: Tracy Chen - marketing@matrixport.com


tass--2020-03-05--Kazakhstan seeks extradition from Russia of suspect in crime committed 27 years ago

NUR-SULTAN , March 5./TASS/ .
The Kazakh General Prosecutor ’ s Office is considering the extradition from Russia of a man suspected of committing a crime 27 years ago , the press service of the Kazakh Interior Ministry reported on Thursday .
`` Police of Karaganda have solved a crime committed 27 years ago , '' it said .
On November 6 , 1993 , the 28-year-old driver of a Kamaz truck drove into the oncoming lane on the Almaty-Yekaterinburg highway , colliding with a car .
`` The driver of a Moskvitch car and two passengers died on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' the press service reported .
It said a criminal case had been opened back then , and the driver was put on the wanted list .
He was detained in Moscow on March 1 , 2020 .
Police have established that the man , who is now 55 , has lived in the capital city on forged documents .
He is now in a pre-trial detention center .
`` The extradition of the detained individual is being decided through the General Prosecutor ’ s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan , @ @ @ @ @ @

NUR-SULTAN, March 5./TASS/. The Kazakh General Prosecutor’s Office is considering the extradition from Russia of a man suspected of committing a crime 27 years ago, the press service of the Kazakh Interior Ministry reported on Thursday.
"Police of Karaganda have solved a crime committed 27 years ago," it said. On November 6, 1993, the 28-year-old driver of a Kamaz truck drove into the oncoming lane on the Almaty-Yekaterinburg highway, colliding with a car. "The driver of a Moskvitch car and two passengers died on the scene. One more passenger was hospitalized," the press service reported.
It said a criminal case had been opened back then, and the driver was put on the wanted list. He was detained in Moscow on March 1, 2020. Police have established that the man, who is now 55, has lived in the capital city on forged documents. He is now in a pre-trial detention center. "The extradition of the detained individual is being decided through the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan," the press service said.


tass--2020-03-05--China ready to provide assistance to countries hit by coronavirus

BEIJING , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
The Chinese authorities are ready to provide effective assistance to the countries that were the hardest hit by the novel coronavirus , Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu told a news conference on Thursday .
`` We are ready to provide all possible assistance to the countries that have faced a difficult situation due to the spread of pneumonia , '' the diplomat pledged .
Ma Zhaoxu said that the Chinese government would bolster partnership with other nations on the track of medicine and pharmaceutics , including in order to develop an efficient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will keep the problem in the focus of its attention , ensuring full transparency in efforts to combat the disease , the senior diplomat emphasized .
The Chinese authorities registered an outbreak of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV in the city of Wuhan .
Cases of new coronavirus were confirmed in more than 70 other countries , including in Russia .
The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern .
Outside of China , most cases of the new coronavirus were reported in South Korea , Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3,000 fatalities have been reported , and more than 52,000 patients have recovered .
The total number of coronavirus cases is about 80,000 .

BEIJING, March 5. /TASS/. The Chinese authorities are ready to provide effective assistance to the countries that were the hardest hit by the novel coronavirus, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu told a news conference on Thursday.
"We are ready to provide all possible assistance to the countries that have faced a difficult situation due to the spread of pneumonia," the diplomat pledged.
Ma Zhaoxu said that the Chinese government would bolster partnership with other nations on the track of medicine and pharmaceutics, including in order to develop an efficient vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Beijing will keep the problem in the focus of its attention, ensuring full transparency in efforts to combat the disease, the senior diplomat emphasized.
The Chinese authorities registered an outbreak of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV in the city of Wuhan. Cases of new coronavirus were confirmed in more than 70 other countries, including in Russia. The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Outside of China, most cases of the new coronavirus were reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy.
In China, about 3,000 fatalities have been reported, and more than 52,000 patients have recovered. The total number of coronavirus cases is about 80,000.


tass--2020-03-05--Former UN chief Javier Perez de Cuellar dies aged 100 - radio

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Peruvian diplomat Javier Perez de Cuellar , who was UN Secretary-General in 1982-1991 @ @ @ @ @ age of 100 , RPP radio station reported referring to a statement from the diplomat @ @ @ @ @ to him , Javier Perez de Cuellar died natural death at home .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Peruvian diplomat Javier Perez de Cuellar, who was UN Secretary-General in 1982-1991, has died at the age of 100, RPP radio station reported referring to a statement from the diplomat’s son.
According to him, Javier Perez de Cuellar died natural death at home.


tass--2020-03-05--Putin, Erdogan meet in Moscow on Thursday to discuss Idlib crisis

MOSCOW , March 4 .
/TASS/ .
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet on Thursday at the Kremlin against the background of escalating tensions in Syria ’ s Idlib province .
`` Plans are in store to discuss the Idlib crisis with Erdogan .
We expect that an understanding on the forerunner of that crisis , the reasons for that crisis , the fallout from that crisis and the package of necessary joint measures aimed at ending it will be reached , '' Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures were meant .
`` Let ’ s wait for tomorrow , '' he said .
Peskov earlier stressed that Moscow was committed to the Sochi agreements , favored Syria ’ s territorial integrity , supported Syria ’ s determination to continue the fight against terrorist groups , including those on the UN Security Council ’ s list and assigned high priority to cooperation with its Turkish partners .
The Turkish president told journalists that he expected a ceasefire would be declared in Idlib following his Thursday ’ s talks with President Putin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the two leaders ’ talks , the delegations of the two countries could meet to once again specify their expectations as to the situation in Idlib .
It is expected that Turkey will seek to ensure that the Syrian troops stop returning territories in Idlib under the control of Damascus .
Ankara believes this condition is important `` to put an end to a humanitarian disaster and prevent new waves of refugees to the border with Turkey '' .
Meanwhile , the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties dismissed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the EU and the US about millions of refugees in that de-escalation zone .
It is not ruled out that Ankara will bring up the issue of the use of airspace over Idlib at the talks .
The Sabah daily close to the Turkish government maintains that the sides at the talks in Moscow may sign a new agreement that could become a revised version of the previous Sochi memorandum .
Erdogan is one of the leaders who the Russian president talks to most frequently .
The upcoming talks will be their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reports on the Kremlin website , last year Putin spoke with Erdogan over the phone 12 times , more than with anybody else among his foreign counterparts .
This year , the Russian and Turkish presidents have had five phone calls , two of which took place at the end of February already against the backdrop of a crisis in Idlib .
The tensions in Syria ’ s Idlib region escalated on February 27 after militants unleashed a large-scale offensive , according to the Russian Defense Ministry .
The Syrian government forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as Ankara claims , killed 36 Turkish soldiers .
In response , Turkey ’ s Air Force conducted strikes on the Syrian troops , later specifying that more than 200 targets had been hit .
On February 27 , Ankara launched a new incursion in Syria dubbed Operation Spring Shield targeting the Syrian government forces and facilities .

MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet on Thursday at the Kremlin against the background of escalating tensions in Syria’s Idlib province.
"Plans are in store to discuss the Idlib crisis with Erdogan. We expect that an understanding on the forerunner of that crisis, the reasons for that crisis, the fallout from that crisis and the package of necessary joint measures aimed at ending it will be reached," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
The Kremlin spokesman refrained from specifying what particular measures were meant. "Let’s wait for tomorrow," he said.
Peskov earlier stressed that Moscow was committed to the Sochi agreements, favored Syria’s territorial integrity, supported Syria’s determination to continue the fight against terrorist groups, including those on the UN Security Council’s list and assigned high priority to cooperation with its Turkish partners.
The Turkish president told journalists that he expected a ceasefire would be declared in Idlib following his Thursday’s talks with President Putin.
The Turkish media say that prior to the two leaders’ talks, the delegations of the two countries could meet to once again specify their expectations as to the situation in Idlib. It is expected that Turkey will seek to ensure that the Syrian troops stop returning territories in Idlib under the control of Damascus. Ankara believes this condition is important "to put an end to a humanitarian disaster and prevent new waves of refugees to the border with Turkey".
Meanwhile, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties dismissed on March 3 allegations from representatives of Turkey, the EU and the US about millions of refugees in that de-escalation zone. It is not ruled out that Ankara will bring up the issue of the use of airspace over Idlib at the talks.
The Sabah daily close to the Turkish government maintains that the sides at the talks in Moscow may sign a new agreement that could become a revised version of the previous Sochi memorandum.
Erdogan is one of the leaders who the Russian president talks to most frequently. The upcoming talks will be their third personal meeting this year. According to reports on the Kremlin website, last year Putin spoke with Erdogan over the phone 12 times, more than with anybody else among his foreign counterparts. This year, the Russian and Turkish presidents have had five phone calls, two of which took place at the end of February already against the backdrop of a crisis in Idlib.
The tensions in Syria’s Idlib region escalated on February 27 after militants unleashed a large-scale offensive, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The Syrian government forces conducted strikes on their positions, which, as Ankara claims, killed 36 Turkish soldiers. In response, Turkey’s Air Force conducted strikes on the Syrian troops, later specifying that more than 200 targets had been hit.
On February 27, Ankara launched a new incursion in Syria dubbed Operation Spring Shield targeting the Syrian government forces and facilities.


tass--2020-03-05--Death toll from new coronavirus in China reaches 3,012, says health authority

BEIJING , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
The death toll from the novel coronavirus in China has reached 3,012 people , while over 52,000 coronavirus patients have recovered , China 's National Health Commission reported on Thursday , saying the number of coronavirus cases in the country has exceeded 80,400 since the outbreak .
On Wednesday , the agency reported about more than 80,200 cases , 2,981 deaths and more than 49,800 recoveries .
The number of daily reported new coronavirus cases has grown by 20 to 139 , and number of deaths has declined by seven in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As many as 2,189 people have been discharged from clinics after being cured .
According to updated reports , the official death rate across the country is 3,74 % instead of 3,71 % a day earlier .
Central Hubei province accounts for the biggest number of coronavirus cases - 67,400 people .
More than 2,900 have died and about 40,400 patients have recovered .
Then goes the southern Guangdong province with 1,300 coronavirus reported .
Henan ( central China ) and Zhejiang ( eastern China ) have reported 1,200 cases each .
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the mainland China ’ s 31 regions over the past 24 hours .
In Beijing , 418 people have contracted the virus , of whom 297 patients have recovered and eight patients died .
In Heilongjiang province bordering on Russia , 13 people have died of the novel coronavirus and 379 of 481 infected people have recovered .
Under the updated official data , medics are monitoring the health of over 32,800 people who had a close contact with the infected .
As many as 522 patients with suspected coronavirus have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 5,900 patients across the country are in grave condition .
The Chinese authorities registered an outbreak of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV in the city of Wuhan .
Cases of new coronavirus were confirmed in more than 70 other countries , including in Russia .
The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern .
Outside of China , most cases of the new coronavirus were reported in South Korea , Iran and Italy .
According to the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost 12,700 , and over 210 people have died .

BEIJING, March 5. /TASS/. The death toll from the novel coronavirus in China has reached 3,012 people, while over 52,000 coronavirus patients have recovered, China's National Health Commission reported on Thursday, saying the number of coronavirus cases in the country has exceeded 80,400 since the outbreak.
On Wednesday, the agency reported about more than 80,200 cases, 2,981 deaths and more than 49,800 recoveries. The number of daily reported new coronavirus cases has grown by 20 to 139, and number of deaths has declined by seven in the past day, to make up 31. As many as 2,189 people have been discharged from clinics after being cured.
According to updated reports, the official death rate across the country is 3,74% instead of 3,71% a day earlier.
Central Hubei province accounts for the biggest number of coronavirus cases - 67,400 people. More than 2,900 have died and about 40,400 patients have recovered. Then goes the southern Guangdong province with 1,300 coronavirus reported. Henan (central China) and Zhejiang (eastern China) have reported 1,200 cases each. No new cases have been reported in most of the mainland China’s 31 regions over the past 24 hours.
In Beijing, 418 people have contracted the virus, of whom 297 patients have recovered and eight patients died. In Heilongjiang province bordering on Russia, 13 people have died of the novel coronavirus and 379 of 481 infected people have recovered.
Under the updated official data, medics are monitoring the health of over 32,800 people who had a close contact with the infected. As many as 522 patients with suspected coronavirus have been quarantined. According to medics, more than 5,900 patients across the country are in grave condition.
The Chinese authorities registered an outbreak of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV in the city of Wuhan. Cases of new coronavirus were confirmed in more than 70 other countries, including in Russia. The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Outside of China, most cases of the new coronavirus were reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of coronavirus cases outside China has reached almost 12,700, and over 210 people have died.


tass--2020-03-05--US House passes coronavirus response bill

WASHINGTON , March 4 .
/TASS/ .
The United States House of Representatives practically unanimously approved on Wednesday $ 8.3 billion in emergency aid to combat the novel coronavirus .
The bill was supported by 415 congressmen with only two Republicans voting against .
Under the legislation , over $ 3 billion will be allocated to finance the development of vaccines , diagnostic study , as well as therapeutics and other treatments .
Another $ 2.2 will be spent on measures of prevention , of which $ 950 million will be used to support public health agencies .
The Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of the week .
Earlier , the White House requested from the legislators $ 2.5 billion to fight the spread of the disease .
President Donald Trump said , however , that he was ready to sign off on bigger amounts .
Meanwhile , the US has reported 11 deaths from the novel coronavirus - 10 in Washington State and one in California .
On December 31 , 2019 , Chinese health officials reported a cluster of cases of acute respiratory illness to the World Health Organization in Wuhan , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 11 million .
The virus - now named COVID-19 ( 2019-nCoV ) , otherwise known as the novel coronavirus - was identified on January 7 , 2020 .
Apart from China , over 70 other countries , including Russia , have reported confirmed coronavirus cases .
According to updated reports from the World Health Organization , 93,090 coronavirus cases have been confirmed globally , including 80,422 in China and 12,668 in other countries .

WASHINGTON, March 4. /TASS/. The United States House of Representatives practically unanimously approved on Wednesday $8.3 billion in emergency aid to combat the novel coronavirus. The bill was supported by 415 congressmen with only two Republicans voting against.
Under the legislation, over $3 billion will be allocated to finance the development of vaccines, diagnostic study, as well as therapeutics and other treatments. Another $2.2 will be spent on measures of prevention, of which $950 million will be used to support public health agencies.
The Senate is expected to approve the initiative before the end of the week. Earlier, the White House requested from the legislators $2.5 billion to fight the spread of the disease. President Donald Trump said, however, that he was ready to sign off on bigger amounts.
Meanwhile, the US has reported 11 deaths from the novel coronavirus - 10 in Washington State and one in California.
On December 31, 2019, Chinese health officials reported a cluster of cases of acute respiratory illness to the World Health Organization in Wuhan, an economic and industrial metropolis with a population of 11 million. The virus - now named COVID-19 (2019-nCoV), otherwise known as the novel coronavirus - was identified on January 7, 2020. Apart from China, over 70 other countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases. According to updated reports from the World Health Organization, 93,090 coronavirus cases have been confirmed globally, including 80,422 in China and 12,668 in other countries.


tass--2020-03-05--Syrian air defense units repel two missile attacks, media reports say

TASS , March 5 .
Syrian air defense units have repelled missile attacks in the provinces of Homs and Quneitra @ @ @ @ @ .
According to Sham FM radio station broadcasting from Damascus , Syrian air defenses shot @ @ @ @ @ Homs province .
SANA news agency , for its part , said a missile attack @ @ @ @ @ in the southwest of the country .
According to its information obtained from a military @ @ @ @ @ Israeli warplanes flying towards the Lebanese city of Sidon at 00:30 local time ( 01:30 @ @ @ @ @ enabled Syrian defense units to successfully intercept and destroy the missiles launched on Syrian facilities @

TASS, March 5. Syrian air defense units have repelled missile attacks in the provinces of Homs and Quneitra, local media reports say.
According to Sham FM radio station broadcasting from Damascus, Syrian air defenses shot down 12 missiles fired towards Homs province.
SANA news agency, for its part, said a missile attack was repelled in Quneitra province in the southwest of the country. According to its information obtained from a military source, Syrian military spotted Israeli warplanes flying towards the Lebanese city of Sidon at 00:30 local time (01:30 Moscow time). This enabled Syrian defense units to successfully intercept and destroy the missiles launched on Syrian facilities.


tass--2020-03-05--Roscosmos space agency mission’s work in China not affected by coronavirus: press service

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has not affected the work of the mission of Russia ’ s Roscosmos State Corporation in Beijing , its press service told TASS .
`` The state corporation is not planning [ to close the mission in China ] .
The activity [ of the mission ] continues in a routine mode with due regard for all existing recommendations and measures , '' the press service said .
Roscosmos specified that its mission in China is carrying out its activities `` with taking into account all recommendations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government taken as part of general efforts by the People ’ s Republic of China to prevent the spread of the coronavirus COVID-2019 '' .
On December 31 , 2019 , Chinese health officials reported a cluster of cases of acute respiratory illness to the World Health Organization in Wuhan , an economic and industrial metropolis with a population of 11 million .
The virus - now named COVID-19 ( 2019-nCoV ) , otherwise known as the novel coronavirus - was identified on January 7 , 2020 .
Apart from China , over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have reported confirmed coronavirus cases .
South Korea , Iran and Italy are the hardest hit outside China , where most of the coronavirus cases are reported .
According to the WHO ’ s updated report , 93,090 coronavirus cases have been confirmed globally , including 80,422 in China .
Overall , 2,984 people have died in China .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has not affected the work of the mission of Russia’s Roscosmos State Corporation in Beijing, its press service told TASS.
"The state corporation is not planning [to close the mission in China]. The activity [of the mission] continues in a routine mode with due regard for all existing recommendations and measures," the press service said.
Roscosmos specified that its mission in China is carrying out its activities "with taking into account all recommendations and actions from Beijing People’s Government taken as part of general efforts by the People’s Republic of China to prevent the spread of the coronavirus COVID-2019".
On December 31, 2019, Chinese health officials reported a cluster of cases of acute respiratory illness to the World Health Organization in Wuhan, an economic and industrial metropolis with a population of 11 million. The virus - now named COVID-19 (2019-nCoV), otherwise known as the novel coronavirus - was identified on January 7, 2020. Apart from China, over 70 other countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases. South Korea, Iran and Italy are the hardest hit outside China, where most of the coronavirus cases are reported.
According to the WHO’s updated report, 93,090 coronavirus cases have been confirmed globally, including 80,422 in China. Overall, 2,984 people have died in China.


tass--2020-03-05--Over 93,000 coronavirus cases confirmed globally, growing by 2,223 in past day

TASS , March 4 .
The World Health Organization has reported 2,223 new coronavirus cases globally over the past 24 @ @ @ @ @ for 120 of them , the updated coronavirus situation report says .
According to the @ @ @ @ @ have been confirmed globally , including 80,422 in China and 12,668 in other countries .
@ @ @ @ @ died in China ( 38 in the last 24 hours ) and 214 people have @ @ @ @ @ 48 new deaths in the last 24 hours ) .
On December 31 , 2019 @ @ @ @ @ a cluster of cases of acute respiratory illness to the World Health Organization in Wuhan @ @ @ @ @ metropolis with a population of 11 million .
The virus - now named COVID-19 ( @ @ @ @ @ as the novel coronavirus - was identified on January 7 , 2020 .
Apart from @ @ @ @ @ countries , including Russia , have reported confirmed coronavirus cases .
South Korea , Iran @ @ @ @ @ hit outside China , where most of the coronavirus cases are reported .

TASS, March 4. The World Health Organization has reported 2,223 new coronavirus cases globally over the past 24 hours, with China accounting for 120 of them, the updated coronavirus situation report says.
According to the WHO, 93,090 coronavirus cases have been confirmed globally, including 80,422 in China and 12,668 in other countries. Overall, 2,984 people have died in China (38 in the last 24 hours) and 214 people have died in other countries (48 new deaths in the last 24 hours).
On December 31, 2019, Chinese health officials reported a cluster of cases of acute respiratory illness to the World Health Organization in Wuhan, an economic and industrial metropolis with a population of 11 million. The virus - now named COVID-19 (2019-nCoV), otherwise known as the novel coronavirus - was identified on January 7, 2020. Apart from China, over 70 other countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases. South Korea, Iran and Italy are the hardest hit outside China, where most of the coronavirus cases are reported.


tass--2020-03-06--Russia’s military base in Syria aims to create balance in the region — Assad

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
The presence of Russia ’ s military base in Syria is aimed at fighting terrorism and creating a military balance in the region , Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel .
`` The presence of the Russian military base in Syria is not only aimed at fighting terrorism but also at creating an international political balance in the Security Council , as well as a military balance in different areas with a view of restoring the Russian role , '' he said .
`` Restoring this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states , including Syria and other small and medium-sized countries , '' the Syrian leader noted .
`` Therefore , we view this relationship from two perspectives : a partnership on the bilateral level and a relationship based on this international role , which we hope will continue to increase , '' al-Assad added .
He stressed that the relations between Russia and Syria had always been based on mutual respect .
`` Through the different circumstances , including the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union , our relations with Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a peer-to-peer relationship .
We have never felt at any time , even during this war , that Russia is trying to impose its views on us .
They have always treated us with respect ; even when we differed , they respected the views of the Syrian government , '' al-Assad noted .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. The presence of Russia’s military base in Syria is aimed at fighting terrorism and creating a military balance in the region, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
"The presence of the Russian military base in Syria is not only aimed at fighting terrorism but also at creating an international political balance in the Security Council, as well as a military balance in different areas with a view of restoring the Russian role," he said.
"Restoring this role is in the interest of all states, including Syria and other small and medium-sized countries," the Syrian leader noted. "Therefore, we view this relationship from two perspectives: a partnership on the bilateral level and a relationship based on this international role, which we hope will continue to increase," al-Assad added.
He stressed that the relations between Russia and Syria had always been based on mutual respect. "Through the different circumstances, including the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, our relations with Russia have always been based on mutual respect, a peer-to-peer relationship. We have never felt at any time, even during this war, that Russia is trying to impose its views on us. They have always treated us with respect; even when we differed, they respected the views of the Syrian government," al-Assad noted.


tass--2020-03-06--Foreign companies find ways to invest in Syria despite Western sanctions — Assad

`` Most recently , a number of large international companies have started to come to Syria using different methods which enable them to evade the sanctions .
So , there is a possibility now for these companies to work in Syria without facing sanctions , '' he said .
`` Of course , I can not discuss these methods , but we have started to see a return of foreign investment . ''
MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Several foreign companies have found ways to invest in Syria despite Western sanctions , Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It is true that the movement is slow , but I believe it is a good start — a promising start , to support the reconstruction process which we have started .
We did not wait ; we have begun in some areas and in order to expand there must be a larger number of companies and investments , '' al-Assad noted .
`` Since 2018 , there has been a great interest from big companies outside of Syria — Arab and non-Arab , to participate in the reconstruction .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Americans are applying huge pressure and threatening individuals and companies alike ; this has no doubt frightened some of these companies , '' the Syrian leader pointed out .
`` There are several Russian companies which want to invest in Syria but fear taking any step .
Chinese companies have the same problem . ''
The Syrian president pointed out that foreign companies are most interested in rebuilding the republic ’ s destroyed suburbs .
`` Another sector is oil and gas , which is also profitable , '' he noted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian companies that have started operating in Syria during the past few years and are now planning to increase production . ''
`` The biggest obstacle preventing expansion in this sector is the terrorist and American occupation of the most important sites of oil wells in Syria , '' al-Assad stressed .
`` The Americans know this of course , and that ’ s why they continue to occupy the oil wells and obstruct the reconstruction process . ''
`` If the war stopped completely , Syrian society is capable of rising in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be stronger economically than we were before the war .
This is why they [ the USA ] have resorted to threatening Syrian and foreign companies , '' the Syrian leader said .
`` In other words , if a Syrian citizen wants to invest in Syria , they will likely be sanctioned , or oil revenues are prevented from returning to Syria .
The more important factor is the ongoing war , which discourages companies and prevents them from coming to Syria .
If these three factors are eliminated , we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' `` We have strong human and material resources in Syria and we also have faithful friends like Russia and Iran who will help us , '' al-Assad concluded .

"Most recently, a number of large international companies have started to come to Syria using different methods which enable them to evade the sanctions. So, there is a possibility now for these companies to work in Syria without facing sanctions," he said. "Of course, I cannot discuss these methods, but we have started to see a return of foreign investment."
MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Several foreign companies have found ways to invest in Syria despite Western sanctions, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
"It is true that the movement is slow, but I believe it is a good start — a promising start, to support the reconstruction process which we have started. We did not wait; we have begun in some areas and in order to expand there must be a larger number of companies and investments," al-Assad noted.
"Since 2018, there has been a great interest from big companies outside of Syria — Arab and non-Arab, to participate in the reconstruction. However, what’s happening is that the Americans are applying huge pressure and threatening individuals and companies alike; this has no doubt frightened some of these companies," the Syrian leader pointed out. "There are several Russian companies which want to invest in Syria but fear taking any step. Chinese companies have the same problem."
The Syrian president pointed out that foreign companies are most interested in rebuilding the republic’s destroyed suburbs. "Another sector is oil and gas, which is also profitable," he noted. "There are already a number of Russian companies that have started operating in Syria during the past few years and are now planning to increase production."
"The biggest obstacle preventing expansion in this sector is the terrorist and American occupation of the most important sites of oil wells in Syria," al-Assad stressed. "The Americans know this of course, and that’s why they continue to occupy the oil wells and obstruct the reconstruction process."
"If the war stopped completely, Syrian society is capable of rising in a strong manner and that we will be stronger economically than we were before the war. This is why they [the USA] have resorted to threatening Syrian and foreign companies," the Syrian leader said. "In other words, if a Syrian citizen wants to invest in Syria, they will likely be sanctioned, or oil revenues are prevented from returning to Syria. The more important factor is the ongoing war, which discourages companies and prevents them from coming to Syria. If these three factors are eliminated, we have no problem in rebuilding the country."
"We have strong human and material resources in Syria and we also have faithful friends like Russia and Iran who will help us," al-Assad concluded.


tass--2020-03-06--Russia's security ensured for decades to come, US knows that — diplomat

`` We have repeatedly stated , and the president have said this , that the security of the Russian Federation is ensured for decades to come .
Americans know this .
Their NATO allies know this as well , '' Ryabkov said in response to a question on what Moscow could lose if the New Strategic Arms Reducation Treaty ( New START ) is not extended .
MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Moscow has repeatedly statated that Russia 's security is ensured for decades to come , and the United States along with their NATO allies know this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the Kommersant daily in an interview .
Ryabkov noted that the effectiveness of ensuring national security is increasing when there are efficiently operating mechanisms in the sphere of arms control .
`` In the political-diplomatic sense , the predictability and understanding for the future of what we can expect from our opponents , let 's call them this , will significantly decrease in the absence of a treaty .
Of course , what American experts say are benefits of the New START — transparency and predictability — are important for us as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treaty built on the principles of parity and balance of interests , provides the same things for us , '' he stressed .
`` In fact , Moscow and Washington face similar choices when it comes to how we will proceed with the issue of arms control , '' Ryabkov said .
Russia has already made its choice regarding the New START , he added .
`` We are ready to extend the treaty without any preconditions and think that this would be the right decision for everyone , including the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that Russia is concerned over many aspects of US military policy and planning .
`` In particular , we could deal with the issues that concern us .
And Russia is concerned by many things in US military policy and planning , '' he stated .
`` This , of course , includes their global missile defense system that continues to develop , their plans to deploy offensive weapons in space , and many other things , '' he added .
`` It is clear that Americans have their own questions to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a substantive conversation on every issue instead of exchanging mutual reproaches and accusations or trying to force unilateral decisions on others , as it often happens from the US side , '' he noted .

"We have repeatedly stated, and the president have said this, that the security of the Russian Federation is ensured for decades to come. Americans know this. Their NATO allies know this as well," Ryabkov said in response to a question on what Moscow could lose if the New Strategic Arms Reducation Treaty (New START) is not extended.
MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Moscow has repeatedly statated that Russia's security is ensured for decades to come, and the United States along with their NATO allies know this, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the Kommersant daily in an interview.
Ryabkov noted that the effectiveness of ensuring national security is increasing when there are efficiently operating mechanisms in the sphere of arms control.
"In the political-diplomatic sense, the predictability and understanding for the future of what we can expect from our opponents, let's call them this, will significantly decrease in the absence of a treaty. Of course, what American experts say are benefits of the New START — transparency and predictability — are important for us as well. We will admit that the treaty built on the principles of parity and balance of interests, provides the same things for us," he stressed.
"In fact, Moscow and Washington face similar choices when it comes to how we will proceed with the issue of arms control," Ryabkov said.
Russia has already made its choice regarding the New START, he added. "We are ready to extend the treaty without any preconditions and think that this would be the right decision for everyone, including the United States," he concluded.
Rybakov also said that Russia is concerned over many aspects of US military policy and planning. "In particular, we could deal with the issues that concern us. And Russia is concerned by many things in US military policy and planning," he stated. "This, of course, includes their global missile defense system that continues to develop, their plans to deploy offensive weapons in space, and many other things," he added.
"It is clear that Americans have their own questions to what we do. We are ready to have a substantive conversation on every issue instead of exchanging mutual reproaches and accusations or trying to force unilateral decisions on others, as it often happens from the US side," he noted.


tass--2020-03-06--S7 airline extends flight ban to China until April 26 amid coronavirus spread

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
S7 Airlines extended the suspension of flights to China and Hong Kong for another month — until April 26 , 2020 , the carrier said .
Due to an outbreak of the novel coronavirus , the company announced on February 3 that it had completely stopped flights in this direction from February 4 to March 28 .
`` S7 Airlines from February 4 to April 26 , 2020 completely stops flights to the cities of China and Hong Kong ( China ) , '' the carrier said .
Airline passengers are offered the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the full price of the ticket , or exchanging them for flights departing from Beijing , Urumqi , Guangzhou , Shanghai , Hong Kong for flights departing from Tokyo , Osaka , Bangkok , Phuket , Kamrani , subject to availability .
S7 makes also offers a possibility to its passengers to change tickets for Aeroflot flights from Beijing , Shanghai , Guangzhou , and Hong Kong airports to a destination with a transfer in Moscow with available seats .
On December 31 , 2019 , Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan , a large trade and industrial center in central China .
On January 7 , 2020 , Chinese experts identified the infecting agent as coronavirus 2019-nCoV .
The World Health Organization recognized the pneumonia outbreak in China as an international emergency .
To date , this new strain of coronavirus has already been identified in 70 countries , including Russia .
Currently , the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China has remained at 80,000 with more than 3000 deaths reported .
According to WHO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases exceeded 12,700 , more than 210 people died .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. S7 Airlines extended the suspension of flights to China and Hong Kong for another month — until April 26, 2020, the carrier said.
Due to an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the company announced on February 3 that it had completely stopped flights in this direction from February 4 to March 28.
"S7 Airlines from February 4 to April 26, 2020 completely stops flights to the cities of China and Hong Kong (China)," the carrier said.
Airline passengers are offered the choice of either receiving a refund of the full price of the ticket, or exchanging them for flights departing from Beijing, Urumqi, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong for flights departing from Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok, Phuket, Kamrani, subject to availability.
S7 makes also offers a possibility to its passengers to change tickets for Aeroflot flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong airports to a destination with a transfer in Moscow with available seats.
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. On January 7, 2020, Chinese experts identified the infecting agent as coronavirus 2019-nCoV. The World Health Organization recognized the pneumonia outbreak in China as an international emergency.
To date, this new strain of coronavirus has already been identified in 70 countries, including Russia. Currently, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China has remained at 80,000 with more than 3000 deaths reported. According to WHO, outside China, the number of cases exceeded 12,700, more than 210 people died.


tass--2020-03-05--Russia is ready for possible decline in oil prices — finance minister

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Russia is ready for a possible decline in oil prices and will finance @ @ @ @ @ that case , Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Thursday .
The minister recalled that @ @ @ @ @ committee discussed further development of a policy regarding sales volumes on the world oil market @ @ @ @ @ been reached so far .
`` Now , oil is also one of the risks @ @ @ @ @ reserves , the National Wealth Fund , which was replenished from oil revenues in the @ @ @ @ @ Many criticized us , saying that it was a 'thrift box ' , that the @ @ @ @ @ gold .
But now the situation may change and we will finance all the expenses @ @ @ @ @ for which we have obligations from this 'thrift box ' , '' Siluanov told a @ @ @ @ @ Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Russia is ready for a possible decline in oil prices and will finance budget spending from reserves in that case, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Thursday.
The minister recalled that on Wednesday the OPEC+ monitoring committee discussed further development of a policy regarding sales volumes on the world oil market, and no agreements have been reached so far.
"Now, oil is also one of the risks. We have created our reserves, the National Wealth Fund, which was replenished from oil revenues in the so-called 'fat' years. Many criticized us, saying that it was a 'thrift box', that the Finance Ministry was sitting on gold. But now the situation may change and we will finance all the expenses that we have accepted and for which we have obligations from this 'thrift box'," Siluanov told a lecture for students of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.


tass--2020-03-05--15 attacks on Russia’s Khmeimim air base documented so far in 2020, says Putin

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 15 attacks on Russia ’ s Khmeimim @ @ @ @ @ been documented so far in 2020 .
`` Attacks by radicals on Russia ’ s @ @ @ @ @ .
On March 1 , there was another attempt to attack it from multiple rocket @ @ @ @ @ leader said on the outcomes of the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan .
@ @ @ @ @ the year , we have documented 15 attacks on Khmeimim . ''
Putin stated that @ @ @ @ @ year , the Idlib militant formations have increased their activity , repeatedly shelling the positions @ @ @ @ @ and the civilian population .
He added that Russia has informed the Turkish military about @ @ @ @ @ base .
`` Essentially , the militants have managed to provoke the renewal of hostilities @ @ @ @ @ stated , reminding that the Turkish military had suffered significant losses .
Putin has expressed @ @ @ @ @ to the families of those killed and to the Turkish nation .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 15 attacks on Russia’s Khmeimim air base in Syria had been documented so far in 2020.
"Attacks by radicals on Russia’s Khmeimim air base have persisted. On March 1, there was another attempt to attack it from multiple rocket launchers," the Russian leader said on the outcomes of the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Since the start of the year, we have documented 15 attacks on Khmeimim."
Putin stated that since the start of the year, the Idlib militant formations have increased their activity, repeatedly shelling the positions of the Syrian government army and the civilian population. He added that Russia has informed the Turkish military about every attack on its air base.
"Essentially, the militants have managed to provoke the renewal of hostilities," the Russian leader stated, reminding that the Turkish military had suffered significant losses. Putin has expressed his condolences to Erdogan, to the families of those killed and to the Turkish nation.


tass--2020-03-05--Ruble speeds up decline against dollar, euro after reports about SPIEF-2020 cancellation

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
The dollar and the euro accelerated growth against the ruble at the Moscow @ @ @ @ @ of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum decided not to hold the event in 2020 @ @ @ @ @ of the committee , the euro rate was 75.27 rubles , and the dollar rate @ @ @ @ @ As of 8:46 pm Moscow time after the announcement of the cancellation of the forum @ @ @ @ @ to 75.9 rubles , and the dollar rate rose to 67.78 rubles .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. The dollar and the euro accelerated growth against the ruble at the Moscow Exchange after the Organizing Committee of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum decided not to hold the event in 2020.
Prior to the decision of the committee, the euro rate was 75.27 rubles, and the dollar rate amounted to 67.24 rubles.
As of 8:46 pm Moscow time after the announcement of the cancellation of the forum, the euro rate rose to 75.9 rubles, and the dollar rate rose to 67.78 rubles.


tass--2020-03-05--Moscow placed on high alert due to threat of coronavirus outbreak

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has signed an order placing Moscow on high alert @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus outbreak in the Russian capital .
The document was published on the official @ @ @ @ @ Due to the threat of the novel coronavirus infection ( 2019-nCoV ) spreading in Moscow @ @ @ @ @ a state of high alert on the territory of Moscow , '' the document informs @

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has signed an order placing Moscow on high alert due to the threat of novel coronavirus outbreak in the Russian capital. The document was published on the official Moscow government website.
"Due to the threat of the novel coronavirus infection (2019-nCoV) spreading in Moscow <…> to introduce a state of high alert on the territory of Moscow," the document informs.


tass--2020-03-05--Coronavirus still can be contained, UN makes every effort for this, says Secretary General

`` The World Health Organization ( WHO ) has been extremely active since the beginning [ of the virus outbreak ] .
It has been cooperating with governments of countries , in particular with China but it is moving on to several other countries too .
It is still possible to contain the coronavirus , to avoid epidemic but it requires a very strong commitment of each and government international solidarity , '' Gutteres said .
UN , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
The coronavirus pandemic can still be averted but this requires coordinated work of all governments , UN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exclusive interview with Mikhail Gusman , First Deputy Director General of TASS news agency .
`` At the same time we have been trying to make people understand that it is not good to stigmatize .
We need to respect each other that the human rights of the people impacted [ by the disease ] need also to be respected , '' he stressed .
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 .
On January 7 , 2020 , Chinese experts identified the infecting agent as coronavirus 2019-nCoV .
The World Health Organization recognized the pneumonia outbreak in China as an international emergency .
To date , this new strain of coronavirus has already been identified in 70 countries , including Russia .
Currently , the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China has remained at 80,000 with more than 3000 deaths reported .
According to WHO , outside China , the number of cases exceeded 12,700 , more than 210 people @ @

"The World Health Organization (WHO) has been extremely active since the beginning [of the virus outbreak]. It has been cooperating with governments of countries, in particular with China but it is moving on to several other countries too. It is still possible to contain the coronavirus, to avoid epidemic but it requires a very strong commitment of each and government international solidarity," Gutteres said.
UN, March 5. /TASS/. The coronavirus pandemic can still be averted but this requires coordinated work of all governments, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in an exclusive interview with Mikhail Gusman, First Deputy Director General of TASS news agency.
"At the same time we have been trying to make people understand that it is not good to stigmatize. We need to respect each other that the human rights of the people impacted [by the disease] need also to be respected," he stressed.
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. On January 7, 2020, Chinese experts identified the infecting agent as coronavirus 2019-nCoV. The World Health Organization recognized the pneumonia outbreak in China as an international emergency.
To date, this new strain of coronavirus has already been identified in 70 countries, including Russia. Currently, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China has remained at 80,000 with more than 3000 deaths reported. According to WHO, outside China, the number of cases exceeded 12,700, more than 210 people died.


tass--2020-03-05--Close ties between Russian,Turkish leaders help find solutions to world issues, says Putin

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Close personal ties between Russian and Turkish leaders help find common solutions to @ @ @ @ @ Vladimir Putin said on the outcomes of the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan @ @ @ @ @ close personal ties help to resolve various issues of bilateral cooperation and develop common approaches @ @ @ @ @ issues , '' Putin said .
The Russian leader reminded that this was the third @ @ @ @ @ so far this year .
According to him , the talks focused on `` the @ @ @ @ @ Syrian province of Idlib .
`` .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Close personal ties between Russian and Turkish leaders help find common solutions to international issues, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the outcomes of the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.
"Our close personal ties help to resolve various issues of bilateral cooperation and develop common approaches to regulation of key international issues," Putin said.
The Russian leader reminded that this was the third meeting with the Turkish leader so far this year. According to him, the talks focused on "the very tense situation in the Syrian province of Idlib.".


tass--2020-03-05--SPIEF Organizing Committee cancels 2020 forum

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/ TASS / .
The organizing committee of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum decided @ @ @ @ @ in 2020 , the chairperson of the SPIEF organizing committee , Andrei Belousov told reporters @ @ @ @ @ order to protect the health of Russian citizens , guests and forum participants , this @ @ @ @ @ decided not to hold the forum , Belousov said .
According to Belousov , the @ @ @ @ @ with the announcement by the World Health Organization of an emergency of international importance due @ @ @ @ @ and information about its spread in the countries participating in the forum .

MOSCOW, March 5. / TASS /. The organizing committee of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum decided not to hold the forum in 2020, the chairperson of the SPIEF organizing committee, Andrei Belousov told reporters on Thursday.
"In order to protect the health of Russian citizens, guests and forum participants, this year it’s been decided not to hold the forum, Belousov said. According to Belousov, the decision was made in connection with the announcement by the World Health Organization of an emergency of international importance due to the outbreak of coronavirus and information about its spread in the countries participating in the forum.


tass--2020-03-05--UN secretary general commends Putin’s initiative on holding UNSC summit

UNITED NATIONS , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
The talks between Russian , US , Chinese , French and UK leaders are necessary to overcome the differences within the UN Security Council on many issues , UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in an interview with TASS Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman .
`` Very recently , President [ of Russia Vladimir ] Putin made the suggestion of a summit of the five permanent members [ of the UN Security Council ] , '' he reminded .
`` And I think it is very important that the permanent members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibility in relation to the main objective of the UN - peace and security . ''
`` And so , I am a true believer that the engagement of the Russian Federation is extremely important in order for the UN to be able to deliver , and I strongly encourage the Russian Federation to be a committed country in relation to peace , in relation to security , in relation to development , sustainable and inclusive development , the fight against climate change , the promotion of human rights - all the aspects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he said .
`` The relationship between the biggest powers , and the biggest powers today in the world are the United States , Russian Federation and China , < … > has been very dysfunctional recently , '' Guterres noted .
`` And we see in the Security Council the impact of that , the Security Council is sometimes paralyzed on different areas because the three are not able to come together .
So [ we must do ] whatever can be done to have a meaningful dialogue among the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , other permanent members , the UK and France . ''
On January 23 , Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested holding a summit of the leaders of Russia , China , the US , France and Britain in 2020 to discuss world affairs .
The Russian leader suggested `` holding a meeting of the heads of state from the permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia , China , the United States , France and Britain - in any country and at any point on the globe the counterparts find convenient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a meeting would be symbolic in 2020 , the year of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the establishment of the United Nations .
China and France have expressed support for the initiative .
On March 3 , Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that US President Donald Trump had confirmed his participation in the summit .
In response to a question by TASS at a press briefing held in the White House , Trump said that the summit might be held in New York to discuss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Russian Foreign Ministry ’ s Department of International Organizations Pyotr Ilyichev told reporters earlier that such a meeting might be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in September , however , no agreements have been reached yet .

UNITED NATIONS, March 5. /TASS/. The talks between Russian, US, Chinese, French and UK leaders are necessary to overcome the differences within the UN Security Council on many issues, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in an interview with TASS Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.
"Very recently, President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin made the suggestion of a summit of the five permanent members [of the UN Security Council]," he reminded. "And I think it is very important that the permanent members of the Security Council assume together a larger responsibility in relation to the main objective of the UN - peace and security."
"And so, I am a true believer that the engagement of the Russian Federation is extremely important in order for the UN to be able to deliver, and I strongly encourage the Russian Federation to be a committed country in relation to peace, in relation to security, in relation to development, sustainable and inclusive development, the fight against climate change, the promotion of human rights - all the aspects related to the work of the organization," he said.
"The relationship between the biggest powers, and the biggest powers today in the world are the United States, Russian Federation and China, <…> has been very dysfunctional recently," Guterres noted. "And we see in the Security Council the impact of that, the Security Council is sometimes paralyzed on different areas because the three are not able to come together. So [we must do] whatever can be done to have a meaningful dialogue among the leaders of these and, of course, other permanent members, the UK and France."
On January 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested holding a summit of the leaders of Russia, China, the US, France and Britain in 2020 to discuss world affairs. The Russian leader suggested "holding a meeting of the heads of state from the permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain - in any country and at any point on the globe the counterparts find convenient." He noted that holding such a meeting would be symbolic in 2020, the year of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the establishment of the United Nations.
China and France have expressed support for the initiative. On March 3, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that US President Donald Trump had confirmed his participation in the summit. In response to a question by TASS at a press briefing held in the White House, Trump said that the summit might be held in New York to discuss the issues of arms control. Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of International Organizations Pyotr Ilyichev told reporters earlier that such a meeting might be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in September, however, no agreements have been reached yet.


tass--2020-03-05--Erdogan invites Putin to Turkey to mark 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin to @ @ @ @ @ 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both states .
`` This year marks the 100th @ @ @ @ @ .
On this occasion , we have invited Putin to visit our country this year @ @ @ @ @ Thursday during the joint press conference with Putin at the Kremlin .
`` Turkey is @ @ @ @ @ expanding its working relations with Russia , namely regarding the situation to the east of @ @ @ @ @ Syria , Erdogan noted .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin to visit Turkey to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both states.
"This year marks the 100th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. On this occasion, we have invited Putin to visit our country this year," Erdogan said on Thursday during the joint press conference with Putin at the Kremlin.
"Turkey is in favor of continuing and expanding its working relations with Russia, namely regarding the situation to the east of the Euphrates River" in Syria, Erdogan noted.


tass--2020-03-05--Putin to brief Assad on talks with Erdogan, says Kremlin

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Russian President Vladimir Putin will brief his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on the @ @ @ @ @ Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan , Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS .
`` Yes @ @ @ @ @ asked whether Putin will brief Assad on the outcome of his negotiations with Erdogan .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will brief his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on the outcome of his negotiations with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.
"Yes," he said when asked whether Putin will brief Assad on the outcome of his negotiations with Erdogan.


tass--2020-03-05--Talks with Erdogan were difficult but ended positively, says Putin

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep @ @ @ @ @ difficult but noted that they had yielded positive results .
`` I want to thank @ @ @ @ @ Moscow today to reaffirm the level of our relations .
I want to thank all @ @ @ @ @ , difficult but constructive work , which I believe has yielded positive results , '' @ @ @ @ @ meeting in the Kremlin .

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Syria as difficult but noted that they had yielded positive results.
"I want to thank Mr. President for coming to Moscow today to reaffirm the level of our relations. I want to thank all Turkish counterparts for the hard, difficult but constructive work, which I believe has yielded positive results," he told reporters after the meeting in the Kremlin.


tass--2020-03-05--Putin-Erdogan negotiations are over

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tass--2020-03-05--Aeroflot to suspend flights from Moscow to Hong Kong on March 7

MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ .
Aeroflot Airlines will suspend flights from Moscow to Hong Kong on March 7 @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong will be made on March 8 , the airline said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ explain the reasons behind this decision .
`` Aeroflot temporarily suspends flights on the route @ @ @ @ @ Moscow .
Flights from Moscow will be operated until March 7 , from Hong Kong @ @ @ @ @ inclusively ) , '' the statement said . ''
According to the statement , passengers @ @ @ @ @ than March 5 , can arrange a forced change in the date of departure or @ @ @ @

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Aeroflot Airlines will suspend flights from Moscow to Hong Kong on March 7, the last flight from Hong Kong will be made on March 8, the airline said in a statement. The company does not explain the reasons behind this decision.
"Aeroflot temporarily suspends flights on the route Moscow - Hong Kong - Moscow. Flights from Moscow will be operated until March 7, from Hong Kong - until March 8 (inclusively)," the statement said."
According to the statement, passengers who bought tickets no later than March 5, can arrange a forced change in the date of departure or a forced return.


tass--2020-03-05--Russian passenger planes become new target of bomb threats

These anonymous messages may be related to the wave of bomb threats that began in Moscow , St. Petersburg and other Russian regions in late November 2019 .
Unknown persons repeatedly call in bomb threats at various facilities : courts , schools , hospitals , airports , train stations .
All the previous threats resulted to be false .
Earlier , Russia ’ s Federal Security Service ( FSB ) informed that it had blocked access to five foreign mail services used to send out bomb threats at various facilities in the country .
MOSCOW , March 5 .
/TASS/ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian passenger planes with bomb threats .
In the past week , Russian airports received six messages containing bomb threats , with four planes targeted on Thursday .
All threats were confirmed false .
TASS sources in the law enforcement and emergency services informed that a search for the perpetrators is underway .
On Tuesday , an Airbus 330 plane en route from Vladivostok to Moscow made an unscheduled landing in Khabarovsk due to an anonymous bomb threat .
Specialists have searched the plane , finding no suspicious items .
A passenger aircraft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Perm due to a similar message .
Both threats were confirmed false .
On Thursday , four planes received bomb threats : an Airbus A320 plane en route from Vladivostok to Novosibirsk , an Airbus A320 en route from Moscow to Omsk , an Airbus A319 traveling from St. Petersburg to Simferopol , and a Sukhoi Superjet en route from Moscow to Syktyvkar .
In all cases , the crew chose not to request emergency landings , completing the trip at the stipulated destination , where the planes underwent a security sweep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A source informed TASS that police units have to search the passengers , their luggage and the plane itself .
`` Obviously , air carriers suffer damages in such cases , '' the source noted .
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that Russian security services are conducting a search for the authors of false bomb threats .
`` The intelligence services work on these people , and this work can not be disclosed to public , '' he said .
`` Let ’ s hope that sooner or later [ the perpetrators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` .

These anonymous messages may be related to the wave of bomb threats that began in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian regions in late November 2019. Unknown persons repeatedly call in bomb threats at various facilities: courts, schools, hospitals, airports, train stations. All the previous threats resulted to be false. Earlier, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) informed that it had blocked access to five foreign mail services used to send out bomb threats at various facilities in the country.
MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Unknown perpetrators have begun to target Russian passenger planes with bomb threats. In the past week, Russian airports received six messages containing bomb threats, with four planes targeted on Thursday. All threats were confirmed false. TASS sources in the law enforcement and emergency services informed that a search for the perpetrators is underway.
On Tuesday, an Airbus 330 plane en route from Vladivostok to Moscow made an unscheduled landing in Khabarovsk due to an anonymous bomb threat. Specialists have searched the plane, finding no suspicious items. A passenger aircraft en route from Novosibirsk to Moscow landed in Perm due to a similar message. Both threats were confirmed false.
On Thursday, four planes received bomb threats: an Airbus A320 plane en route from Vladivostok to Novosibirsk, an Airbus A320 en route from Moscow to Omsk, an Airbus A319 traveling from St. Petersburg to Simferopol, and a Sukhoi Superjet en route from Moscow to Syktyvkar. In all cases, the crew chose not to request emergency landings, completing the trip at the stipulated destination, where the planes underwent a security sweep. All bomb threats were confirmed false.
A source informed TASS that police units have to search the passengers, their luggage and the plane itself. "Obviously, air carriers suffer damages in such cases," the source noted.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that Russian security services are conducting a search for the authors of false bomb threats. "The intelligence services work on these people, and this work cannot be disclosed to public," he said. "Let’s hope that sooner or later [the perpetrators] would be found and punished.".