* Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov:
- denied media reports that Russia was carrying out work at Syrian ports with the aim of transferring its Black Sea Fleet to the Middle Eastern country
- proposed setting up ship- and submarine-building holdings as part of a drive to make the industry more competitive on global markets
- said Russia would begin operating two Panther deep-sea rescue vehicles by September 2006 and would soon start building dozens of ships for the navy
- said occupational deferments from conscription in the Russian army would be abolished in 2008
* EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the Iran-6 countries seeking to negotiate a solution to the Iran nuclear crisis wanted a relationship with the Islamic Republic that would be based on mutual trust and respect
* Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's National Security Council, said proposals advanced by the six countries seeking to negotiate a solution to the Iran nuclear crisis contained positive aspects but needed clarification
* President Vladimir Putin said joint Russian-U.S. efforts to resolve a long-running conflict around Iran's nuclear program demonstrated Moscow and Washington's ability to find a compromise
* Russia's Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said:
- Russia would repay $12 billion of its Soviet-era debt to the Paris Club of Creditor Nations in 2006
- G8 finance ministers would discuss access for the world's poorest countries to energy infrastructure at a meeting starting June 9
- Russia would cancel $700 million worth of debt owed by Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
* TNK-BP Holding, a Russian-British oil joint venture, said it could pay out up to $4.9 billion in dividends for 2005
* Alexei Miller, chief executive of Russian energy giant Gazprom, said projects with liquefied natural gas involved high risks in terms of technological and technical implementation
* Giorgi Khaindrava, Georgia's state minister for conflict resolution, said that a meeting between the Russian and Georgian presidents slated for June 13 would be crucial for solving "frozen" conflicts in the South Caucasus country
* Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said the most difficult issues to be resolved before a parliamentary coalition could be formed were distribution of posts and spheres of responsibility among future Cabinet members
* Pavel Krasheninnikov, a senior member of Russia's lower chamber of parliament, said Russia would continue to seek the extradition of controversial tycoon Boris Berezovsky from the U.K.
* Russia's Information Technologies Minister Leonid Reiman said parliament could pass a bill essential for the privatization of telecommunications giant Svyazinvest in the next six weeks
* The Georgian Defense Ministry said a third train with Russian military hardware from a Soviet-era military base in Georgia had departed from the former Soviet republic
* Russia's Foreign Ministry said a Ukrainian decision to deny Konstantin Zatulin, a prominent member of Russia's lower chamber of parliament, entry into the country was an unfriendly act
* Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said a decision by regional lawmakers to declare the Black Sea autonomous republic of Crimea a "NATO-free zone" was nothing but political speculation
* The Russian Foreign Ministry said Russia and Ukraine failed to reach an agreement on a long-running border dispute after Moscow refused to accept a proposal to change the status of disputed waters
