2005
DECEMBER
December 14
KUALA LUMPUR - President Vladimir Putin's visit to Malaysia.
MOSCOW - A session of the presidium of the presidential council for national projects.
MOSCOW - The sixth session of the council of the heads of the Russian Federation members under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
MOSCOW - The ninth all-Russia exposition of national products (until December 19).
MOSCOW - A seminar on education development problems at the Higher School of Economics.
MOSCOW - A session of the National Economic Council.
MOSCOW - The third Federation Council session on cooperation with the youth parliaments of Russian Federation members and public youth organizations (until December 15).
MOSCOW - Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko's report to the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, on electricity reform.
MOSCOW - An international conference on the formation of the market of electricity products, services and technologies on the basis of the B2B-Energy information, analytical and trade system.
December 15
MOSCOW - A nationwide conference on legislative aspects and problems of cooperation development (until December 16).
BAGHDAD - Parliamentary elections in Iraq.
December 16
MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin's meeting with Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharyan.
December 17
MOSCOW - A congress of the Russian Pensioners' Party.
December 19
MOSCOW - An exhibition dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Emergency Situations Ministry.
December 21
VIENNA - Preliminary talks between the "EU troika" (Britain, France, and Germany) and Iran on the Iranian nuclear issue.
December 23
TYUMEN - The first leg of Kostya Tszyu's international professional boxing cup.
WARSAW - Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski will conclude his term in office.
December 25
KAMBARKA, UDMURTIA - The launch of Russia's second chemical weapons disposal facility.
December 27
MOSCOW - Father Frost (Russian Santa Claus) will arrive in Moscow after a tour of Russia and attend New Year celebrations on Tverskaya Square.
IVANOVO - Mikhail Men's inauguration ceremony as governor of the Ivanovo region.
December 28
LENINGRAD REGION (Ivangorod border checkpoint) - The first meeting between Russian Father Frost and Santa Claus on the Russian-Estonian border (since 1997 such meetings have been held on the Russian-Finnish border).
December 29
MOSCOW - A session of the State Council on the implementation of key national projects.
December 30
MOSCOW - A New Year's reception at the Kremlin.
UKRAINE/IRAQ - The completion of the withdrawal of Ukrainian peacekeepers from Iraq.
December 31
LISBON - The 28th Dakar-2006 off-road rally will start.
2006
JANUARY
January 10
MOSCOW - The beginning of the spring session of the State Duma (until July 16).
January 13
WASHINGTON - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Washington and meeting with President George W. Bush.
January 14
LONDON - The second Russian Winter Festival on Trafalgar Square.