it's eleven thirty here in moscow you're watching our let's take a recap of the headlines the deepening euro crisis and how to solve it does to dominate the g eight summit underway in the u.s. this year's gathering is largely seen as a key test of the group's ability to deliver. and in europe austerity policies are under fire with thousands of protesters expected to rally in the german financial center for fourth day earlier days four hundred demonstrators involved in a campaign to blockade the banks called a blocky plywood detained in frankfurt. last israelis and palestinians who lost their loved ones and come together in the pursuit of peace and a sign of reconciliation that's becoming increasingly rare between the two sides.

coming up a spotlight her novel talks to a senior russian diplomat about whether the russians priorities have shifted after vladimir putin's return to the kremlin statement. welcome to the spotlight and to the shout on the arts and i'll be. glad to report his refusal to attend the g eight summit and david seems to be an

important symbolic step to media started speculating about the new president's foreign policy and as for now it looks like news is concentrating closer neighbors the c.i.s. . countries really become moscow's top foreign policy priority one to harm their relations with others to discuss the thing to try to. consent to charges one of the most competent russian diplomats after living the foreign ministry in the late ninety's he was elected as a member of parliament and to come foreign policy issues a few months ago mr positrons headed russia's federal agency for the c.i.s. and was appointed the president's special envoy to cia ask issues analysts suggest the states will become russia's top priority during his presidency one of the reasons is his recent idea to reintegrate them and create a new regional ally. welcome

to the show thank you very much for being with us once again and first of all. this . his first visit abroad will be. does it mean. moscow's approval of look at those policy. definitely years and definitely not. for the simple reason below russia is has always been in steel is one of the closest partners so for russia not just within the post soviet area but in more general terms and no because the discussions between russia and bill are russia on. domestic policy issues on how to develop political systems are rather intensive and russia has several times expressed its disapproval of certain developments in below russia and i do not see

any signs for. for changing this attitude towards bill or russia we disagree on certain things but we can see there are each other as closest partners and they believe that this is the. only decision which could have been taken by by mr putin to be his first official visit to belorussia not to the united states of america or elsewhere you mentioned the discontent moscow's discontent with some moves by mr shanker but this they do came. often during mr medvedev presidency during the last four years but many people say that as it became obvious that putin will become russia's next president the relations with belarus started to improve is this true. no no i don't believe that you know people hold astroid two to find

a certain difference is crucial differences between mr mir different mr putin between mr putin's foreign policy and mr milledge of foreign policy this is not this is not fair i believe that the foreign policy of russia has kept its continuities during mr medvedev years in presidency and i do not expect any big changes in the foreign policy approaches of mr putin they will definitely take place but not for the reason mr putin is a different mr put in comparison with mr putin ten years ago or all ago or in comparison with mr mineta the changes rule quite naturally take place for the simple reason russia is changing of the they were all this changing one has to go to to adopt the foreign policy of russia according to these changes but i do not see any crucial differences between mr putin and mr midriff in terms of foreign

policy and bill russia has been our strategic partner and will continue to be a strategic partner after a visit to minsk the next foreign visit of the new russian president will be will be to berlin and paris why these capitals do you think that kremlin once again is thinking in terms of the of the moscow berlin paris access that you still be functional in the in the beginning of the century two thousand and three is something that well i like your we offer and the lies in things that i believe that the reasons are both political and practical as far as i am informed the video trip of mr peter putin will be even longer and will include several other countries and capitals and each time people will start looking for certain explanations hidden. hidden science and explanations of the truth i believe that. both france and

germany are equally important for russia as below russia is as kazakhstan is heirs china is and all these countries will be included in the coming gender of mr putin and his foreign reserves and this order which counter to be visited first which country to be visited next is is less important frankly speaking what is important is that mr putin is going to pay official visits to all these countries which has always been our strategic partners in the coming weeks and this is the only news which continue confirms the continued to of russian foreign policy while we were having this little chat before the program on the range of the microphones and stuff the person you made the only person you mentioned was the new french president so do you think that this new that that they're there that the socialist government the socialist president in france will be a better partner for putin than sarkozy it was right you know there is

a big difference between relations russia france relations and let's see russia united states relations and the difference is that in case of the united states of america very much depends on personalities who who are elected president of the united states of america and then give them here mr romney or in case we have heard mr mccain the previous years the state of affairs in the relations between our two countries could could have been and would have be absolutely different france or germany is a completely different or italy for example is a completely different story because each time you have very many of this natural interests interests in economy in science in technology in culture elsewhere we each unite our country. so whoever is in power i know for sure

that mr schroeder resigned madame merkel and thirteen to power certain people asked her to reconsider relations with russia to reconsider foreign policy of germany on the. on this direction and suddenly she discovered it is this is how my friends in germany describe it for me suddenly she discovered that she has a very they're narrow space of maneuver because interests are too big too obvious and they believe that the same goes for for france whatsoever mr all and is intending to do in his foreign policy in his relations with russia he will be very much limited in this maneuver and the relations between russia and france will continue to be as good as the ordinary insisting what you just said what you said actually means that that the european countries have a more stable political some of them no less dependent on personalities means is

more stable than in the united states no it does not depend on the political system or certain countries in most cases it depends on how much the buy a little relations with the russian are are developed let me know in the will depend loosen its relations between russia and the united kingdom for example are in the same category as the relations between russia and the united states of america there are very much across the water problem here on this island but the main reason is there do not have too much cooperation and we are still dependent on personalities which is not the case with france or italy or germany put in has declared last week that i quote the role of the collective security treaty organization the scenes to you know which has just had some it must go will be growing said the russian president however no major decision was taken during this summit i would use the moment. well this summit was to to celebrate the twenty

years of the existence of these three to ten years of the existence of the organisation and i am now i know for sure that the there are no plans of issuing any big decisions but the the importance of these organizations with will definitely grow for the simple reason this organization is the only one we have. in order to to combat the new challenges and threats which come from the cells which come from countries like afghanistan or other countries which reach to the souls of these group of countries and unfortunately we do not have good enough corp reason eat our beaches in afghanistan the beaches in many other cases or other active in certain in certain situations in certain countries we cannot rely on our cooperation of his nato in order to secure our stability and national security or. this is how we seek other partners and to find other partners in kazakhstan.

in kyrgyzstan in armenia so this organization definitely has a very bright future. alone. solor or together with other security organizations like nato where this organization c.s.t. or is willing to to develop where literal multilateral cooperation here agree with it with our president that this organization has a bright sign on but although it was just to celebrate so some will talk just we'll celebrate all mostly most wanted it was important about discussing important things about the result having an intention to sign documents immediately but there was a simultaneously meeting of the c.i.s. countries in moscow many people say they are horrible here after after the creation of the c.s.t. or c.i.s. has become just a club for the former former soviet leaders to meet each other i do not agree for the simple reason that these are two completely different projects c.i.s.

is for while. the custom union is something else of the euro asian economic union is again something else and c.s.t. zero is completely different all still relevant they're all still relevant they are all are to be developed says constantin chant head of the russians federal agency for the sci fi as spotlight will be back shortly after a break so stay with us and. wealthy british style. is not on fire with.

markets why not come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike's concert for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into cars a report on our. minds. would be so much brighter if you knew more about song from the finest impressions so. please for instance on t.v. dot com. well into the future of science technology innovation all the latest developments from around russia we've got the future covered.

welcome back to spotlight i'm algor knob and just a reminder that my guest on the show today is constantin charles head of russia's federal agency for the c.i.s. just a question for we have already mentioned that president putin. has missed the g eight summit in the united states officially because he's too busy setting up this new government and you know yes yes he is busy and he sent his son as prime minister. to sit in for him and there it is it

a deliberate guest chair towards the united states which is hosting the summit no no you wouldn't know i don't believe that you know but you understand that if it has been considered in the west as a gesture we've discussed how important it is to find a proper country for the first official visit and in case this is my personal interpretation is mr putin accepted this invitation to go to camp david either this country or would have become the first country to be visited by the new president newly elected president of russia or he would have to do to be in a hurry to visit some other country like bill or russia beforehand both will turn it into our bed because these are extremely busy each each one man the standard easily for for the new president of russia and the interests of the domestic

policy how to build the new government how to to do to speed up of the the first degrees by by the newly elected president because they have to start to work immediately this is definitely much much more important not just for mr putin but i believe before russia as a state as a country in comparison with any important meeting said wrote to me as a diplomat is visiting an international meeting held in there on the u.s. territory but in the middle of nowhere in the considered to be a visit to the united states is a visiting davos considered to be now a visit to switzerland you know you are. very good experience same here hopefully so for us it makes a difference but for most people watching these developments don't never made any difference you know where it's put mr putin mr putin in the united states so if this is all that public opinion there's eight here and there i don't believe there

cares about the public opinion inside his country why why wouldn't hear definitely years he's elected by the people and he is definitely very much a phantom he wants russians he wants is all the people who voted for him to know that he cares about men's more than hears about washing time not their decision to interpret the terrible thoughts of mr fortune but of this is this because this is the most explanation for me definitely put is this is your not to attend the g. eight summit in the us prompted some analysts to question once again the relevance of the event spotlights. as more. an open microphone incident in march when we produce overheard obama promising his russian counterpart more flexibility on issues such as missile defense and he was elected in november got the us president into trouble at home while obama's opponents used

the episode to slam the two pro russian was a new putin a peace to have been on impressed him on his first decisions as president was to keep the group of eight summit hosted by the us after the collapse of the soviet union lot of effort into getting into this exclusive club of the world's biggest economies and invited nine hundred ninety seven fifteen years later who didn't now feels free to shun the than what putin is not going to miss though is a relatively young g twenty the letter is expected to build influence unites the fastest growing economies which are their interest while the share of the g eight countries. in the global economy that's been wreaking further reducing the relevance of the putin skipping the u.s. hosted summit meanwhile has led to a reciprocal move by the white house it announced burma would not be attending the apec summit i'm going to stop in september. so you already said that the

c.i.s. is still more than relevant is the g eight still as relevant as it used to be when russia wanted so eagerly to join well every sink is relevant and g eight is he's still going strong i believe that the g twenty format is becoming much much more interesting because each summit of the years obvious to the two journalists at least some of those for for anybody i believe so i would not i would not try to to to put it as if it is either serious or a g eight i the g eight or g twenty everything is equally important and if you or if you read attentively the first degree one of the first degrees issued by mr putin on the first day of his presidency i'm devoted to the foreign policy e.c.s. both belorussia which we discussed and serious and the united states of america and

the major european countries are mentioned in these degree as priorities for russian foreign policy either or it is definitely not either or which is which is wise when you might say you're heading the an organization called ross something the rush hour now and here are the. well when will you explain it you're putting it in english you said that this is the body which you see as the main the goal of russia's soft power in the post soviet space and elsewhere is that this is absolutely correct because i believe that the soft power. comments are becoming more and more important in the more than world and russia is unfortunately not that experienced in using this instrument they have underestimated the importance of soft power in many d. kids and the they have to to to to catch up so to say so i hope that our agency

this agency which is not just for serious but reaches for serious compared to its living abroad and international humanitarian corporation will brook play a significant role in this process well this organization wasn't wasn't particularly active since it was created so do you have a certain plan because you were just appointed in the mold and a month ago or something yeah do you have a plan and what are you planning to do with this i are we going to hear more of this organization and the other leaders of this is this is my ambition definitely and they have certain ideas certain plans which are definitely to be discussed first is the president of russia or the head of the russian government with the minister of foreign affairs or for russia but i know for sure that the agency of blake. is definitely needed for russia my ambition is one

to to make it as a very every fish and instrument as possible for a company and it's courting the russian national interests abroad and my second mission is to use this instrument in order to restore the the common human interior space within the post for your area i do not like the definition post soviet because it always reminds about of the former soviet union but they have not found a better definition but in any case i believe that we are all equally interested in restoring the the common human interior space which he says the natural nature. the natural gas you don't like it what would you prepare for a pretty common list. there are different opinions about neighboring countries irrigation country something like that ok listen if you're going to be at a for example such issues as the conditions of local shanker tymoshenko

which is in jail in the ukraine are you going to try to pressurize kiev to somehow improve the condition of the former ukrainian prime minister definitely not because this is a clear political issue to be to be discussed to be settled down by the ministry of foreign affairs by other governmental bodies not by by our agency because this agency is not for foreign policy it is neither for human rights though we definitely are to to protect the rights of russian speaking minorities rights of our competitors abroad it goes without saying saying but otherwise our agency is for promoting cultural educational humanitarian cooperation between countries within the serious area and and elsewhere in the world if you speak about closer cooperation closer humanitarian the time and touch ok the human

a grassroots diplomacy while the president continuing the ukrainian subject the current tension between key us. and europe do you think this is a chance to improve the ties that are being lost during the last couple of decades with the ukraine for me personally ukraine is in a very difficult situation and they do not believe that anybody may be hippie in ukraine the acting president of ukraine included how they will come out. i do not know but i don't seeing that the russia is in a position to use or abuse this situation in order to promote russian interests in in ukraine for the simple reason in that case we would have accepted

this force alternative like ukraine is their opinion union or ukraine is always russia this is a maternity if which is to be forced on ukraine for from the west and which is not accepted by by russia i believe that ukraine ukraine may find their way of being being both of these russia and other european partners result making it a big contradiction or a big dance to problem for for this country but anyway the present political situation in kiev is a chance for moscow you can you can call it. a helping hand or you can call it drag need back to this fear of influence but still isn't it an opportunity we can see there ukraine as a friendly country and we are always ready to assist ukraine in solving its internal and foreign policy thank you very much for being with us and just

a reminder that my guest today was constantin because i charge head of russia's federal agency for the cia and that's it for now come on what mike will be back with more of mr and comment on what's going on in and outside russia until then stay on. and thank you. see an exit. to cable. and the next atrocity going to. they tell chicago seems. to.

bittner. pearls . are little bit early.