The department for cooperation with Ukraine has been established within the Russian presidential administration, Alexey Chesnakov, a political expert close to the Kremlin and director of the Center for Current Politics, told Sputnik.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2018) The department for cooperation with Ukraine has been established within the Russian presidential administration, Alexey Chesnakov, a political expert close to the Kremlin and director of the Center for Current politics, told Sputnik.
In early October, Russian President Vladimir Putin converted the presidential directorate for socioeconomic cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Abkhazia and South Ossetia into the presidential directorate for cross-border cooperation, appointing Oleg Govorun as its head.
"A reorganization of the presidential directorate, which is supervised by [Kremlin aide] Vladislav Surkov, has taken place. At the initiative of Surkov. The reorganization is to optimize management. The circumstances of work are changing. Tasks are changing ... A new department for cooperation with Ukraine has been established within the directorate for cross-border cooperation," Chesnakov said.
According to the expert, there has been no drastic staff cuts, as only four-five employees of the directorate are expected to leave it.
"Management tasks are changing. At the moment, the economic situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia is stable. The Minsk process proceeds in a routine mode. There is no large-scale military action in Donbas. Humanitarian aid to the Donbas republics is provided regularly. Therefore a transition from activities under extreme conditions to daily routine has taken place," Chesnakov said.
