2005
DECEMBER
December 26
MOSCOW - A session on the implementation of the national project Affordable and Comfortable Housing and the Housing federal target program in the Far East Federal District.
MOSCOW - Father Frost (Russian Santa Claus) will arrive in Moscow after a tour of Russia and attend New Year celebrations on Tverskaya Square.
BEIJING - Japanese-Chinese deputy foreign minister consultations on UN reform.
December 27
MOSCOW - A special meeting of cochairmen of the Joint Control Commission for the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict resolution on the demilitarization of the conflict zone (until December 28).
MOSCOW - The all-Russia forum on the education and healthy development of schoolchildren and students (until December 28).
MOSCOW - The presentation of the Russian IT-Foresight project.
MOSCOW - The first-ever Christmas performance on the Kremlin's Cathedral Square.
December 28
MOSCOW - The final report of the parliamentary commission investigating the Beslan tragedy.
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.
MOSCOW - The last government session in 2005 on the draft program of Russia's socio-economic development for 2006-2008.
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
MOSCOW - New Year's performances on Red, Tverskaya and Teatralnaya Squares.
LISBON - The 28th Dakar-2006 off-road rally will start.
2006
JANUARY
January 7
MOSCOW - Christmas celebration near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and on Revolution Square.
January 8
NOVOSIBIRSK -The sixth international festival of snow sculptures with Russian, Moldovan, Belarusian, Finnish, Romanian, German, Bulgarian, Italian and French artists.
RIYADH - The beginning of the Hadj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina.
January 9
KIEV - The Kiev Court of Appeals will begin open hearings on the case of journalist Georgy Gongadze's murder.
January 10
MOSCOW - The beginning of the spring session of the State Duma (until July 16).
January 13
BERLIN - A Russian delegation's participation in major international agrarian and food exhibition Green Week (until January 22).
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.
January 15
HELSINKI - The first round of presidential elections in Finland (the second round may be held January 29 if necessary).
January 16
MOSCOW - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's state visit to Russia.
January 17
BEIJING - An international conference on fighting bird flu, organized by China, the European Commission and the World Bank (until January 18).
January 22
LISBON - Presidential elections in Portugal.
January 23
MOSCOW - The Russian independence Triumph awards ceremony in the sphere of arts and culture.
OTTAWA - Parliamentary elections in Canada.
January 25
PALESTINE - Parliamentary elections.
January 26
NOVOSIBIRSK - An inter-regional banking conference on the topic, Private crediting: market infrastructure and development prospects.
