April 24, 2007

Russia, Risks and Politics

In Russia almost everything is political and almost everything potentially carries political risk.

This warning pretty much sums up the situation in Putin's Russia. The Kremlin's Hand in The Conference Sector quote comes from a Financial Times article, published in the The Moscow Times. For foreign investors these are rich but dangerous waters. Even large groups are not immune from arbitrary actions, as Royal Dutch Shell found when it was pressed to sell control of the Sakhalin-2 scheme to Gazprom. Even companies not involved in strategic sectors may be hurt in the crossfire. Investors who think they can avoid political risk are fooling themselves. In Russia almost everything is political and almost everything potentially carries political risk.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

GERARD BATTEN MEP
‘MATTERS OF POLITICAL IMPORTANCE’
60 SECOND SPEECH TO EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
25th April 2007

Joint Debate - Human Rights in the World in 2006 and the EU’s policy on the matter.

On the subject of Human Rights I would like to draw attention to the plight of a political prisoner in the European Union.

He has been imprisoned in Rome for the last four months.

He is now in poor health both physically and mentally.

He is being held without prospect of release or trial to try and break his will in an attempt to force him to sign false confessions against himself and others.

His name is Mario Scaramella, and his alleged offences are contrived accusations without foundation.

Mr Scaramella was of course the man who went to London in November 2006 to warn Alexander Litvinenko that he was about to be murdered.

Mr Scaramella and Mr Litvinenko had both been associated with the Mitrokhin Commission investigating links between Italian politicians and the KGB.

Mr Scaramella should be released and returned to his family immediately pending any trial.

END