Russia

SOCHI, October 24. /TASS/: The end of Vladimir Putin’s presidential term is still far down the road, so no one in the Kremlin is mulling over his possible successor, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The presidential election is still far away. We are at the initial stage of the president’s tenure," he noted. "That’s why no one is thinking about that [a potential successor]. At present, everyone is working diligently."

MOSCOW (Reuters) - An official commission which deals with prisoner pardons in Moscow has recommended that Russian President Vladimir Putin pardon Frode Berg, a Norwegian man jailed for spying, the Interfax news agency reported on Thursday.

Berg, a retired guard on the Norwegian-Russian border, was detained in December 2017 and jailed for 14 years after being convicted of gathering intelligence about nuclear submarines. He pleaded not guilty to charges of espionage on behalf of Norway.

MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/: Russia’s small business involved in manufacturing can step up work with countries on the African continent through entering the projects of big companies, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin said in an interview with TASS.

MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/: The Russian Defense Ministry has published a map showing the patrol zone of the Russian military police, which arrived today in northeastern Syria in accordance with the agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The document notes that the Russian and Turkish military will patrol the 10-km wide area near the Syrian-Turkish border.

MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/: A Russian military police convoy has arrived in Kobani (Ayn al-Arab), a city in northern Syria located close to the Syrian-Turkish border, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.

"The Russian military police convoy has arrived in the Syrian inhabited community of Kobani located close to the Syrian-Turkish border," the ministry said.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian military police officers met with local officials to discuss interaction while performing tasks.

SOCHI, October 23. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin sees the possibility of doubling the trade between Russia and Africa in 4-5 years, he said at a plenary meeting of the Russia-Africa economic forum on Wednesday.

"I believe that it is within our power to at least double the volume of trade in the next 4-5 years," Putin said.

MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/: Angola has received upgraded Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30K fighter jets, Head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev said on Wednesday on the eve of the Russia-Africa summit.

"Our Su-30K fighter jets have been delivered to Angola," Shugayev said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV Channel.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, October 23. /TASS/: Law enforcement authorities have detained a suspected murderer of five people in the Orlovsky District, Rostov Region, where a shootout occurred on Tuesday, the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for the Rostov Region told journalists on Wednesday.

SOCHI, October 23. /TASS/: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed interest in participating in joint projects of Russia and Egypt in the production sector, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday. The Russian leader recalled that Moscow and Cairo are working on a number of projects, including establishing an industrial zone in Egypt.

SOCHI, Russia, Oct 23 (NNN-TASS) – Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, supported a memorandum reached by Russian President, Vladimir Putin and Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following their talks.

Putin informed al-Assad about the provisions of the Russia-Turkey memorandum, on actions in Syria, following talks with Erdogan.

The main task is to restore the territorial integrity of Syria and to continue joint efforts for a political settlement of the situation, including work within the framework of the Constitutional Committee, said Putin.