Vladimir Arkhipov, the Russian foreign-trade ministry's representative in Primorsky Krai's free economic zone of Nakhodka wonders why Russians should tend to anything but their own development problems, such as those at Vostochny port.

ECONOMIST: It looks good, even with North Korea as a partner

Foreign trade involved haggling with state planners in Russian, not closing deals in English.

ECONOMIST: The world after 1989

While bilateral trade decreased in the first quarter of 2006, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has gone on the record to state that any possible placement of sanctions on Iran will fail to dissuade Moscow from continuing its military cooperation with Tehran.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The nexus of evil