Italian President Napolitano Gives Symbolic Keys of Russian Church in Bari to President Medvedev

President Dmitri Medvedev (1965- ), with his wife Svetlana Medvedeva (1965- )

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano gave the symbolic keys of the Russian Orthodox podvorie in Bari, Italy, to President Dmitri Medvedev at an official ceremony of handing the church to Russia on Sunday at the Hall of St Nikolai on the podvorie grounds. Both Mrs Medvedeva and Signora Napolitano, the wives of the presidents, also participated in the ceremonies. The Italian government decided to transfer the shrine-church of St Nicholas and its related property in Bari to Russian ownership during then-President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Italy in March 2007. The Italian government completed the internal procedures on passing the church to Russia without compensation in April 2008, and the deed of conveyance was signed in Rome on 13 November 2008. Vladimir Kozhin, an assistant to President Medvedev for property matters, signed the document on the Russian side.

The religious centre has an an area of 8,000 square metres (@2 acres), and it was established at the initiative of Grand Princess Yelizaveta Fyodorovna of Russia to accommodate Russian pilgrims coming to Bari to venerate the relics of St Nicholas. It was built to the design of Russian architect Aleksei Shchusev with donations from believers, including Tsar Nikolai II, in 1913-17. Work was not completed because of World War I and the events surrounding the Russian Revolution. Russian émigrés who were members of the Russian Palestinian Society passed all of the church buildings to the municipality of Bari in 1937, because they lacked the funds to maintain the church in a proper and fit condition. Bari municipal authorities gave some of the church buildings back to Russia in late 1990s, including the upper church and some of the living quarters; however, the complex remained in the ownership of the municipality. Archpriest Vladimir Kuchumov, the former rector of the shrine-church dedicated to St Nicholas, said it was a “historic” event, for Italy is handing over property to its original owner. He pointed out the fact that the compound is a UNESCO-registered monument.

2 March 2009

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=29054 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

Most of the material was present in the Interfax translation, but, some was missing. Does it deserve a Big Green Weenie Award? Perhaps not… but, Interfax still is not providing competent and full translations.

Obama “Ready to Drop Missile Shield Plans in Return for Russian Help on Iran”

US President Barack Obama (1961- ) and President Dmitri Medvedev (1965- ). Is the era of neocon sabre-rattling and hubris over? God willing it is… it is in Mr Obama’s hands now… shall he stay the course?

Washington told Moscow that Russian help in resolving Iran’s nuclear programme would make its missile shield plans for Europe unnecessary, a Russian daily said on Monday, citing White House sources. US President Barack Obama made the proposal on Iran in a letter to his Russian counterpart, Dmitri Medvedev, Kommersant said, referring to unidentified US officials. Iran’s controversial nuclear programme was cited by the US as one of the reasons behind its plans to deploy a missile base in Poland and a radar site in the Czech Republic. The missile shield was strongly opposed by Russia, which views it as a threat to its national security. The dispute has strained relations between the former Cold War rivals, already tense over a host of other differences. The leaders exchanged letters and had a telephone conversation since Mr Obama was sworn into office in January, Kommersant said. The first high-level Russia-US meeting will take place later this week, when Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Geneva. Moscow has not yet responded to the proposal by President Obama, the paper said, adding that a decision was unlikely to be made during the meeting of Mr Lavrov and Mrs Clinton.

The issue is likely to be discussed when Presidents Obama and Medvedev meet in London on 2 April on the sidelines of the G20 summit of world leaders to address the financial crisis. Earlier reports said Mr Medvedev had also invited the US leader to visit Russia and the date of Mr Obama’s first visit to the largest country in the world could be announced in the British capital. In an interview on Sunday with Spanish media, Mr Medvedev said he hoped to discuss the issue of missile defence with Mr Obama in London. He also said he hoped the new US administration would display a “more creative approach” to the issue than its predecessors. “We have received signals from our American colleagues”, Mr Medvedev said. “I expect those signals will turn into specific proposals. I hope to discuss the issue, which is extremely important for Europe, with US President Barack Obama”.

The United States and other Western nations suspect Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is purely aimed at generating electricity. However, unlike his predecessor, George W. Bush, Mr Obama has stated a preference for diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute. U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on NBC television on Sunday that the Islamic Republic was not close to building a nuclear bomb. “They’re not close to a stockpile, they’re not close to a weapon at this point, and so there is some time”, Mr Gates said. He also said that the while more sanctions should be imposed against Iran, the door should not be closed to diplomacy.

2 March 2009

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090302/120375219.html (in English)