(13 Nov 2011) SHOTLIST :
1. Wide of Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President, on stage
2. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President :
"As for this Trans-Pacific Partnership, I don't understand what will be the result of this club. When it starts to operate, then we could view what is it like. So far it's a project, it's a kind of interesting project, undoubtedly. Well, we will wait and see what it will be like."
3. Wide of Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President, on stage
4. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President :
"We're still waiting for Japanese investments. Today I had meeting with the newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister, Mister Noda, who spoke about investments. And it's a perfectly normal process. Indeed there is one problem that burdens our relations, lack of a so called peaceful treaty, and the territorial issue. Opposition is very simple and it goes as follows. We shouldn't make a drama over the matter, continue calmly discussing it. Our positions do diverge on the matter, we believe that the existing situation reflects the existing status quo, and the outcomes of World War II. Naturally, the Russian Federation believe those territories are Russian territories. This is why Russian authorities, and Russian leaders, president and others, visit the territories. We don't mind Japanese investments, we welcome them. We would welcome Japanese experts to come and work there so they can work and manage those islands together. This would be a normal process. I believe the that economy should go first and politics should follow suit. This is the correct approach in general in life because its economics that define our life, and politics, you know, often makes it worse."
5. Medvedev on stage
STORYLINE :
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was not in a hurry to change any political positions as he spoke at a forum on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders meeting in Hawaii on Saturday.
Medvedev said that he thought Russia could just "wait and see" what the outcome of a trade bloc rapidly being put together by other APEC members would be like.
US President Barack Obama, flanked by leaders of eight other nations involved in negotiations on setting up the bloc, said he was optimistic the trade pact dubbed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could draft a legal framework by next year.
The so-called TPP is billed as a building block for eventually forging a free trade zone that encompasses all of Asia and the Pacific.
It now includes only four smaller economies - Chile, New Zealand, Brunei and Singapore - but the US, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Peru are negotiating to join, and Japan said it hopes to as well.
The Russian president however felt no such urgency for his country to move quickly on the issue.
When asked whether a resolution to the territorial dispute over islands bordering Japan could be resolved, Medvedev reaffirmed Russia's sovereignty claims and said that progress could only be made if economic development in the area precipitated the political process.
This runs completely opposite to Japan's stance which is that investment in the islands, known as the "Northern Territories" in Japan and as the Kuril islands in Russia, and normalisation of relations between the two countries, can only follow a political solution.
Medvedev acknowledged that he had discussed Iran with Obama in an earlier meeting, but did not provide any comment to suggest that he backed any common stance with the US.
Russia is expected to join the WTO next year, a step that would require Congress to approve permanent normal trade relations.
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