Rosneft oil giant chief Igor Sechin on Times Most Influential listApril 18, 2013 - 19:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian President Vladimir Putin failed on Thursday, April 18 to make Time's 2013 list of the world’s top 100 most influential people, but the magazine found a place for his close ally, the head of the Rosneft oil company, Igor Sechin, RIA Novosti said. "Informally, Sechin leads the Kremlin faction known as the siloviki, or 'people of force,' made up of former security agents,” wrote opposition politician Vladimir Milov for Time. “So far, no one can match their influence – and Sechin’s appetite for control makes him the group’s inevitable leader.” Sechin, 52, was placed in the list’s “Titans” section, topped by US rapper Jay Z. “In March, Rosneft, the state energy behemoth where Sechin serves as president, completed the largest acquisition in Russian history, purchasing a controlling share of the British-Russian venture TNK-BP and becoming the world’s largest publicly traded oil producer,” Milov added. Alleged former KGB spy Sechin was the only Russian on the list, which consisted of what Time called people whose “ideas spark dialogue and dissent and sometimes even revolution.” Putin was also left off the list last year, which saw the inclusion of opposition figurehead Alexei Navalny. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. Pashinyan: Armenia’s desired goal is “on the horizon” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia is moving forward “without interruption”. Opposition leader, supporters spend night at Sardarapat memorial Police made nearly 300 arrests the day before as Galstanyan and his supporters continued to demonstrate in Yerevan. |