Presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran meeting in Sochi Wednesday in an effort to come to common agreement with Assad who is also in Sochi

Erdogan and Putin in Sochi talking about Syria with President of Iran

The presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran are meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Wednesday for talks focused on war-ravaged Syria. The Kremlin has already said that the point of Syrian President Bashar Assad's surprise visit to Sochi on Monday was to get him to agree to possible agreements that the three leaders might reach on Wednesday.

Iran and Russia have been Assad's main backers while Turkey supports the opposition.

Pro-government forces over the weekend defeated the Islamic State group in its last major stronghold in Syria, leaving the militants to defend just strips of desert territory in the country and a besieged pocket outside the capital, Damascus

The Russian defense ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the chief of the General Staff of the three countries have met in Sochi and discussed "concrete steps to complete the elimination of the remaining IS and Nusra Front formations" in Syria. The three officials also agreed to improve coordination in a safety zone in the Idlib province in Syria's northwest.

Russia, Turkey and Iran earlier this year brokered truce between the government and the rebels in four areas in Syria including Idlib.

EU-Digest

Germany and Russia: Chancellor Merkel faces President Putin in tense Sochi press conference

Merkel and Putin: an intelligent exchange of viewpoints

Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was not worried about the possibility of Russian meddling with the upcoming election in Germany.

"I am not the kind of a person that is easily scared," she told reporters at a joint press conference with Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Tuesday.

Berlin would take "decisive action" if fake news were distributed, Merkel added, citing the examples of thefictional rape of a Russian girl or claims against German troops in Latvia.  Merkel expressed confidence that Germans "will be able to campaign amongst themselves, without interference."

In turn, Russia's Putin dismissed the allegations about political meddling in the West as "rumors."

"We never interfere in the political life and the political processes of other countries and we don't want anybody interfering in our political life," he said.

Merkel traveled to Sochi on Tuesday for her first visit in two years, as part of her tour ahead of the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg. Relations between Berlin and Moscow deteriorated following the Crimea crisis which started in 2014, and Germany and Russia are at odds over conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Merkel also urged Putin to "use his influence" to protect gays in the Muslim-dominated Russian republic of Chechnya. Recently, Russian activists reported that state authorities were rounding up gays and torturing them, and several were allegedly killed in the crackdown.

Additionally, the German leader stressed the right of anti-government forces to hold rallies against the Kremlin, after scores of protesters were arrested.

Putin responded by praising the Russian security forces, saying they were "more reserved and liberal" than many of their European colleagues who used "tear gas and batons" to disperse protest.

"Thankfully, we had no need for this so far," he said.

Note EU-Digest: Regardless of the differences there are in  the relationship between many of the EU countries and Russia, there is a mutual respect and civility for each others viewpoints . 

Comparing the Trump Administrations high level meetings, Press conferences, interviews and Presidential Public appearances  these past three months in light of this recent Merkel -Putin Sochhi  Press meeting, one can certainly call it a "night and day difference".

It has been reported that the US  President during his first 100 days in office made 213 false statements.

 Watching and listening to these two Heads of State intelligent composed and articulately answered responses to difficult questions, at least can give us all some hope again that  there still is a chance to solve political problems regardless of Donald Trump. 

Read more: Chancellor Merkel faces President Putin in tense Sochi press conference | News | DW.COM | 02.05.2017

Russia: Sochi concerns coming in overturned by praise going out from USA officials

After heading into the Sochi, with all the concerns about security, preparation and politics, U.S. Olympic Committee officials went to great lengths to praise these much-maligned Games in their closing news conference.

"They've done a phenomenal job," said USOC chairman Larry Probst, mentioning everything from smooth transportation to Vladimir Putin's presence throughout the previous 15 days. "(Putin) has really owned these Games," he said.

Amid #SochiProblems, big and small, the most expensive Games in history at $51 billion, the U.S. delegation will leave Russia with few complaints. "We are very, very impressed," CEO Scott Blackmun said.

Read more: Sochi concerns coming, praise going out from USA officials

Russia - Sochi Winter Olympics 2014:: Russia surprises with Olympic gold in women's figure skating, U.S. pushed out of medals -

Bursting from the shadow of her adored teammate, Adelina Sotnikova gave Russia its first gold medal in women's Olympic figure skating.

While much-heralded Julia Lipnitskaia was stumbling, the 17-year-old Sotnikova soared. When she won the free skate Thursday at the Sochi Games, she denied South Korea's Yuna Kim from defending her title and confirmed Russian command of the sport once more.

"This is the happiest day in my life," Sotnikova said. "I simply stepped on the ice today and realized how much I like what I'm doing and skated really good."

The Russians have won three figure skating gold medals at these Olympics: team, pairs and women's.
Only this latest one was a surprise. A huge surprise.

Sotnikova, 2 years older than Lipnitskaia but far less accomplished, was considered a long shot against the likes of Kim, Italy's Carolina Kostner, who took bronze, Japan's Mao Asada and even Americans Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner.

But Sotnikova, seemingly far more relaxed than nearly every other competitor, won it all, giving Russia or the Soviet Union 27 Olympic gold medals. They own five men's golds, 13 in pairs, seven in ice dance, and took the first team event this year.

 Read more: Winter Olympics 2014: Russia surprises with Olympic gold in women's figure skating, U.S. pushed out of medals - CBS News

Russia: Spectacular Ceremony Kicks Off Sochi Games, Marking Momentous Day for Russia - by Ivan Nechepurenko, Yekaterina Kravtsova and Ezekiel Pfeifer

President Vladimir Putin declared the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics officially open on Friday night after a grandiose 2 1/2-hour show that told the history of modern Russia with dazzling lights, giant installations and hundreds of dancers, in an event that marked the end of more than six years of fevered preparations by the Russian government.

In the midst of an economic downturn and largely negative international media attention on Russia, the Olympics were envisioned by the Kremlin as a demonstration to the world of the country’s transformation into an advanced nation.

The opening ceremony, viewed by tens of thousands of spectators in Fisht Olympic Stadium and millions more around the world, showed that transformation in song and dance numbers that featured enormous inflatable samovars, a ballet scene from Leo Tolstoy’s iconic “War and Peace,” machines illustrating the start of the Soviet era, and cosmonauts and hipster dancers from the hopeful period after the death of Josef Stalin. Classical music by famed Russian composers from Tchaikovsky to Stravinsky provided the soundtrack.

Viewers were on the alert for political symbolism in the proceedings. Social media users noted the fact that World War II, a watershed moment in Russian history, was not depicted in detail, and some saw significance in the playing of a mash-up song by faux-lesbian duo t.A.T.u. and the band Queen, whose lead singer was gay, when the Russian Olympians filed into the stadium, arguing that it could be a pro-gay gesture amid international criticism of Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law.

Read more: Opening Ceremony Kicks Off Sochi Games, Marking Momentous Day for Russia | News | The Moscow Times

Russia: Volgograd blasts: Terrorism threat at Sochi Games nagging at Russia - by Graeme Gill

The Olympic Games is no stranger to political controversy.

The 1972 Munich Games will forever be remembered for the massacre of Israeli athletes, while the 1980 Moscow Games saw significant Western boycotts in protest against the invasion of Afghanistan.

The Sochi Winter Games seem destined to follow in these footsteps, with the widespread reaction against recent anti-gay laws in Russia and, much more tragically, this week's bomb blasts in Volgograd.
The bomb blasts, at the main Volgograd station and on a bus, show how vulnerable society is to such acts of terrorism, but what sort of threat do they pose to the Games?

Russia has invested heavily in security, and at an event such as the Sochi Games where national pride is on the line all efforts will be made to ensure the safety of participants.

Security plans involve an effective exclusion zone around Sochi. There can be no guarantee that any such zone will be 100 per cent effective but it should ensure that the possibility of any threat is greatly reduced.
But the problem is less Sochi and the Games - rather, how people are to get there.

Read more: Volgograd blasts: Terrorism threat at Sochi Games nagging at Russia

Terrorism: Russia train station bombing kills at least 16 as Olympics near

A suicide bomber struck a busy railway station in southern Russia on Sunday, killing herself and at least 15 others and wounding scores more, officials said, in a stark reminder of the threat Russia is facing as it prepares to host February's Olympics in Sochi.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Volgograd, but it came several months after Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov called for new attacks against civilian targets in Russia, including the Sochi Games.

Suicide bombings have rocked Russia for years, but many have been contained to the Caucasus, the centre of an insurgency seeking an Islamist state in the region. Until recently Volgograd was not a typical target, but the city formerly known as Stalingrad has now been struck twice in two months — suggesting militants may be using the transportation hub as a renewed way of showing their reach outside their restive region.

Volgograd, which borders the Caucasus, is 900 kilometres south of Moscow and about 650 kilometres northeast of Sochi, a Black Sea resort flanked by the North Caucasus Mountains.

Read more: Russia train station bombing kills at least 16 as Olympics near - World - CBC News

Security Winter Olympics: Russia braces for Olympic terror - by F. Michael Maloof

Russian security services are increasingly concerned that Islamist militants from the Northern Caucasus will launch attacks in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security from the southern Russian resort city of Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympics are to take place.

Regional analysts say that the Federal Security Service, or FSB, has placed major security assets in Sochi, which is only 250 miles from the predominantly Muslim northern Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and South Ossetia in southern Russia.
The winter Olympics are to take place from Feb. 07-23, 2014. Moscow will also host the Paralympics in Sochi from Mar. 7-21, 2014. This event, too, will require extensive security.
Adding to this concern is the prospect that battled-hardened Chechens, and other north Caucasus Islamist militants who have gained fighting experience in Syria, will descend on Russia to launch attacks.
The indication is that attacks would be launched in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security forces from the Olympic area, which then could be the subject of attack itself, as promised by Dokku Umarov, leader of the militant Caucasus Emirates.
The Olympics are to be a showcase of Russia’s security capabilities. However, it could leave surrounding regions such as the North Caucasus and such major Russian cities as Moscow and St. Petersburg vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
“Militants from the Caucasus striking elsewhere in Russia during the games to avoid the intense security that will be present in Sochi and to capitalize on news coverage of the highly publicized event poses the greatest threat to the games,” according to a report by the open-intelligence group Stratfor.
The FSB is expected to have some 100,000 security personnel helping to ensure security of the athletes and spectators who will be coming from around the world.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/russia-braces-for-olympic-terror/#bL7LAwGw3IIlVbt4.99

Russian security services are increasingly concerned that Islamist militants from the Northern Caucasus will launch attacks in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security from the southern Russian resort city of Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympics are to take place.

Regional analysts say that the Federal Security Service, or FSB, has placed major security assets in Sochi, which is only 250 miles from the predominantly Muslim northern Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and South Ossetia in southern Russia.
The winter Olympics are to take place from Feb. 07-23, 2014. Moscow will also host the Paralympics in Sochi from Mar. 7-21, 2014. This event, too, will require extensive security.
Adding to this concern is the prospect that battled-hardened Chechens, and other north Caucasus Islamist militants who have gained fighting experience in Syria, will descend on Russia to launch attacks.
The indication is that attacks would be launched in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security forces from the Olympic area, which then could be the subject of attack itself, as promised by Dokku Umarov, leader of the militant Caucasus Emirates.
The Olympics are to be a showcase of Russia’s security capabilities. However, it could leave surrounding regions such as the North Caucasus and such major Russian cities as Moscow and St. Petersburg vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
“Militants from the Caucasus striking elsewhere in Russia during the games to avoid the intense security that will be present in Sochi and to capitalize on news coverage of the highly publicized event poses the greatest threat to the games,” according to a report by the open-intelligence group Stratfor.
The FSB is expected to have some 100,000 security personnel helping to ensure security of the athletes and spectators who will be coming from around the world.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/russia-braces-for-olympic-terror/#bL7LAwGw3IIlVbt4.99

Russian security services are increasingly concerned that Islamist militants from the Northern Caucasus will launch attacks in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security from the southern Russian resort city of Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympics are to take place.

Regional analysts say that the Federal Security Service, or FSB, has placed major security assets in Sochi, which is only 250 miles from the predominantly Muslim northern Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and South Ossetia in southern Russia.
The winter Olympics are to take place from Feb. 07-23, 2014. Moscow will also host the Paralympics in Sochi from Mar. 7-21, 2014. This event, too, will require extensive security.
Adding to this concern is the prospect that battled-hardened Chechens, and other north Caucasus Islamist militants who have gained fighting experience in Syria, will descend on Russia to launch attacks.
The indication is that attacks would be launched in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security forces from the Olympic area, which then could be the subject of attack itself, as promised by Dokku Umarov, leader of the militant Caucasus Emirates.
The Olympics are to be a showcase of Russia’s security capabilities. However, it could leave surrounding regions such as the North Caucasus and such major Russian cities as Moscow and St. Petersburg vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
“Militants from the Caucasus striking elsewhere in Russia during the games to avoid the intense security that will be present in Sochi and to capitalize on news coverage of the highly publicized event poses the greatest threat to the games,” according to a report by the open-intelligence group Stratfor.
The FSB is expected to have some 100,000 security personnel helping to ensure security of the athletes and spectators who will be coming from around the world.
“Caucasus militants remain a tactical threat to Russian security, having carried out effective attacks inside the Caucasus – particularly Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, as well as the Russian heartland – that mainly target Russian police and soft targets like mosques, shopping malls and transportation hubs throughout the region,” the Stratfor report said.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/russia-braces-for-olympic-terror/#bL7LAwGw3IIlVbt4.99

Russian security services are increasingly concerned that Islamist militants from the Northern Caucasus will launch attacks in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security from the southern Russian resort city of Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympics are to take place.

Regional analysts say that the Federal Security Service, or FSB, has placed major security assets in Sochi, which is only 250 miles from the predominantly Muslim northern Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and South Ossetia in southern Russia.
The winter Olympics are to take place from Feb. 07-23, 2014. Moscow will also host the Paralympics in Sochi from Mar. 7-21, 2014. This event, too, will require extensive security.
Adding to this concern is the prospect that battled-hardened Chechens, and other north Caucasus Islamist militants who have gained fighting experience in Syria, will descend on Russia to launch attacks.
The indication is that attacks would be launched in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security forces from the Olympic area, which then could be the subject of attack itself, as promised by Dokku Umarov, leader of the militant Caucasus Emirates.
The Olympics are to be a showcase of Russia’s security capabilities. However, it could leave surrounding regions such as the North Caucasus and such major Russian cities as Moscow and St. Petersburg vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
“Militants from the Caucasus striking elsewhere in Russia during the games to avoid the intense security that will be present in Sochi and to capitalize on news coverage of the highly publicized event poses the greatest threat to the games,” according to a report by the open-intelligence group Stratfor.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/russia-braces-for-olympic-terror/#bL7LAwGw3IIlVbt4.99

Russian security services are increasingly concerned that Islamist militants from the Northern Caucasus will launch attacks in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security from the southern Russian resort city of Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympics are to take place.

Regional analysts say that the Federal Security Service, or FSB, has placed major security assets in Sochi, which is only 250 miles from the predominantly Muslim northern Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and South Ossetia in southern Russia.

The winter Olympics are to take place from Feb. 07-23, 2014. Moscow will also host the Paralympics in Sochi from Mar. 7-21, 2014. This event, too, will require extensive security.

Adding to this concern is the prospect that battled-hardened Chechens, and other north Caucasus Islamist militants who have gained fighting experience in Syria, will descend on Russia to launch attacks.

The indication is that attacks would be launched in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security forces from the Olympic area, which then could be the subject of attack itself, as promised by Dokku Umarov, leader of the militant Caucasus Emirates.

The Olympics are to be a showcase of Russia’s security capabilities. However, it could leave surrounding regions such as the North Caucasus and such major Russian cities as Moscow and St. Petersburg vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

“Militants from the Caucasus striking elsewhere in Russia during the games to avoid the intense security that will be present in Sochi and to capitalize on news coverage of the highly publicized event poses the greatest threat to the games,” according to a report by the open-intelligence group Stratfor.

Russian security services are increasingly concerned that Islamist militants from the Northern Caucasus will launch attacks in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security from the southern Russian resort city of Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympics are to take place.

Regional analysts say that the Federal Security Service, or FSB, has placed major security assets in Sochi, which is only 250 miles from the predominantly Muslim northern Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and South Ossetia in southern Russia.
The winter Olympics are to take place from Feb. 07-23, 2014. Moscow will also host the Paralympics in Sochi from Mar. 7-21, 2014. This event, too, will require extensive security.
Adding to this concern is the prospect that battled-hardened Chechens, and other north Caucasus Islamist militants who have gained fighting experience in Syria, will descend on Russia to launch attacks.
The indication is that attacks would be launched in major Russian cities in an effort to draw security forces from the Olympic area, which then could be the subject of attack itself, as promised by Dokku Umarov, leader of the militant Caucasus Emirates.
The Olympics are to be a showcase of Russia’s security capabilities. However, it could leave surrounding regions such as the North Caucasus and such major Russian cities as Moscow and St. Petersburg vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
“Militants from the Caucasus striking elsewhere in Russia during the games to avoid the intense security that will be present in Sochi and to capitalize on news coverage of the highly publicized event poses the greatest threat to the games,” according to a report by the open-intelligence group Stratfor.
The FSB is expected to have some 100,000 security personnel helping to ensure security of the athletes and spectators who will be coming from around the world.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/russia-braces-for-olympic-terror/#bL7LAwGw3IIlVbt4.99

Read More: Russia braces for Olympic terror

Russia - Sochi: 'Like the Florida of Russia, but Cheaper' - by Mark Byrnes

Sochi is 'Like the Florida of Russia, but cheaper,' a Russian lady in the U.S. told us. You have to imagine an old, once glorious bathing and curing town filled with 'Palaces for the Proletariat' where the decline of Communism and the wild 1990s have taken their toll. You have to imagine tourist brochures filled with palm trees and glorious beaches, while in fact you'll be lying down on pebbles against a concrete wall with modern high rises behind you.

It can be a fun city though; it's rowdy and it's loud.

Some $50 billion has been invested in the city (maybe $25 billion if you consider all the corruption involved). A new airport has been built (the original was more like a bus stop), a new freight harbor, an entire skiing area with huge olympic villages have been built, a new area around the stadiums where Formula 1 and the World Cup will take place. These are huge investments for a city this size. But in most parts of Sochi you won't notice it that much beyond the increase in traffic. The Games are quite an isolated event at the edge of the city.

A huge issue for locals has been lack of housing since the 1970s and the sense of anarchy in the city. Many people lived in housing built without residential permits. Houses, hotels and office buildings– all officially non-existing – had to be removed to build the Games, which caused a lot of drama.

Read more: 'Like the Florida of Russia, but Cheaper' - Mark Byrnes - The Atlantic Cities

Guardian Unlimited: Russia - Sochi Olympic site win is making Environmentalists and Ecologists see red

For the complete report from the Guardian Unlimited click on this link

Russia - Sochi Olympic site win is making Environmentalists and Ecologists see red

"Our feelings are complicated and mixed," Andrei Petrov, the World Heritage coordinator at Greenpeace in Russia, told reporters on Thursday. "On the one side for me and all Russian citizens this is great news but on the other hand there is the construction of the Olympic Games in the buffer zone of a World Heritage Park."

Environmentalists fear the bobsleigh track and the Olympic village will eat into a kilometre-wide buffer zone protecting mountains, forests, rivers and wildlife in the Western Caucasus World Nature Heritage Site beyond the resort.Facilities at the Olympic village will dissect the traditional feeding and migration grounds of the brown bear and red deer, he added, as well as ripping up rare flowers and plants.