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Country News Digest Y Y Y Vol.4, Issue #3

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Editor: Eugene Imas

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Contributors: -Risa Chubinsky -Glyn Cozart -Joseph Gates -Thomas Hyde -Katharine Quinn-Judge

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01/25/14-01/31/14

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Azerbaijan

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This week tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed NagornoKarabakh territory escalated after Azerbaijani Lieutenant Sabuhi Azizov was killed on Monday along the line of contact. In a press statement the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accused Armenian snipers for Azizovs death. RFE/RL

Country News Digest

Russia

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AzerNews

At a press conference in Brussels, President Putin said that Russia will maintain its $15 billion loan to Ukraine, offered late last year, regardless of the countrys political leadership. Putin made this statement during a summit between Russia and the EU. The summit was considerably shortened by the EU leaders, highlighting the increasing tension between the two powers. Articles: New York Times Russia Today

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On Monday Georgias minister for reconciliation and civic equality announced it would pay financial compensation to religious minority groups for material and moral damage caused by the Soviet regime. A one-time payment of $2.53 million will be granted collectively to the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and

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Muslim and Jewish groups this year. How the sum will be divided remains undetermined.
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Prime Minister Mykola Azarov announced his resignation on Tuesday, hours before a planned vote of no confidence by Parliament. President Yanukovich dismissed his cabinet later that day. The government also repealed a series of anti-protest laws whose hasty passage last week provoked the latest round of opposition protests. Together, the resignations and repeal of the laws are seen as concessions to the increasingly powerful opposition.

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The American power company CountourGlobal has signed a $180 million deal with the Armenian government to acquire three hydroelectric plants on the Vorotan River. An additional $70 million will be spent over the next six years to refurbish and modernize the plants. Known as the Vorotan Hydro Cascade, the three plants provide about 15% of Armenias energy. The deal is also the largest single private American investment in Armenia.

Armenia

Belaruss deputy minister of foreign affairs met with EU officials in Brussels this week to discuss simplifying the EUs stringent visa requirements for Belarusians. Belarus and the EU agreed to hold a follow-up meeting in Minsk in March. EU representatives have continued to stress that further cooperation with Belarus will depend on its release of what they say are political prisoners.

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HydroWorld

Delovaya Gazeta

Articles: Democratic Belarus

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French President Hollande visited Turkey this week, the first trip from a French head of state in 22 years. Hollande and President Gul discussed Turkeys ongoing EU membership negotiations. Hollande hesitantly supported the bid, but did not lift any of the four vetoes France has against Turkey in the negotiations. Neither leader mentioned Turkeys recent political turmoil in press conferences.

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Al Jazeera

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Ukraine announced this week that it would begin enforcing new travel restrictions, which will require persons entering the country from Moldova to demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources for their stay. Those entering for a day will be required to possess at least 400 euros, while those entering for a month will require roughly 2000. Moldovas foreign minister has called the restrictions unacceptable, and has threatened to respond in kind.

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EU Observer

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All Moldova

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The EBRD, EU Investment Facility for Central Asia, and World Bank are allocating a capital grant worth five million euros to modernize the city of Talas wastewater services. The city will also get technical support and funding from the Czech Republic, Finland, and the EU to help provide clean drinking water and develop sustainable wastewater management for the citys 45,000 residents. Articles: AzerNews EBRD

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This week, the Afghan government issued formal release orders for 37 prisoners at Bagram prison. The moves come against American military wishes; American officials say there is enough evidence to prosecute the prisoners as dangerous insurgents who have killed Americans and Afghans. These orders were not a surprise, but has driven a wedge between Afghan President Karzai and American troops. Articles: New York Times Al Jazeera

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Kazakhstans parliament approved amendments to the criminal code this week which officials say will result in a new level of protection for rights and personal freedoms. One amendment establishes a misdemeanor category, intended to reduce the prison population and increase the use of fines and community service sentences. At the same time, the amendments promise harsher sentencing for the provocation of labor disputes and promoting radical ideologies.

Kazakhstan

On Wednesday IAEA nuclear inspectors visited the Gachin uranium mine near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. Inspectors were allowed managed access to the mine, which produces yellowcake uranium for conversion to nuclear fuel, as part of a temporary accord signed between Iran and the 5+1 in November.

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Azattyq

Articles: News - Kazakhstan

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At a press conference on Thursday, Tajikistans minister of energy announced that the price citizens pay for electricity would rise by an asyet-undetermined amount in the course of the year. He noted that Tajikistans national energy company owed its creditors roughly $570 million, and that it had been unable to pay its workers for the past three months. Critics have called the decision to raise prices dubious and non-transparent.

Tajikistan

Turkmenistans Ministry for Textile Industry plans to commission three new cotton-spinning factories by February 2014. Three new factories are expected to yield a combined 16,000 of cotton yarn annually to support Turkmenistans growing textile industry and exports.

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Avesta

Articles: Times of Central Asia

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The Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers signed a decree banning non-governmental organizations and individuals from engaging in security activities and providing security services for others as of February 1.They say the decision to terminate the activities of private securities was made to ensure public safety and regularize the engagement of security activities and shift these functions back to the Protection Republican Association of the Interior Ministry. Articles: Cihan AzerNews

Uzbekistan

Mongolian courts have sentenced a prominant environmental activist to a 21-year jail term on charges of terrorism. Tsetsegee Munkhbayar and four co-defendants faced prosecution after they brought weapons to a protest against pending legislation that would have reversed a ban on mineral exploration near river heads. One firearm was discharged during the incident, with no injuries.

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Business Week

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On Thursday, Estonia and Finland agreed to collaborate in the development of cloud-based digital services for education programs. Citing Estonias success in developing and utilizing digital platforms, as well as recent gains in education quality and student performance outcomes, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding pledging technological cooperation. Finnish Government Articles: Baltic Times

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Estonia

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President Milos Zeman appointed a new centerleft government this week, installing Bohuslav Sobotka as Prime Minister. Sobotka has promised to help the country move forward from the corruption scandal that forced former Prime Minister Necas to resign. Sobotka, a Social Democrat, also pledged to fight currently installed austerity measures. New York Times

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Shareholders of Lithuanian utility company Lietuvos Dujos voted this week to begin arbitration against Russian company Gazprom with the goal of reducing the price that it pays for Gazproms gas. An official statement from Lietvuvos Dujos complained that the price that it pays for gas is higher than that paid by Germany, Estonia, and Latvia.

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Reuters

In a meeting between Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic this week, Fico congratulated Serbia on the opening of EU accession talks by presenting Vucic with a giant key symbolizing Serbias future entry into the EU. Fico also expressed Slovakias willingness to share the lessons it learned during its EU accession in order to facilitate Serbias entry into the union.

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Several public officials including Latvias new Prime Minister, Laimdota Straujuma, have vocally rejected Russias plans to establish and run Russian-language schools on the territory of the Baltic states. The officials have characterized Russias plans as superfluous, citing the existence of nearly 100 schools in Latvia that offer instruction in minority languages.

Latvia

Randolph L. Braham, a well known scholar of the Holocaust and a Holocaust survivor himself, has returned a state award that he received from the Hungarian government in 2011 honoring his scholarship on the issue. Dr. Braham has cited recent efforts by the Hungarian government to whitewash the countrys collusion in the Holocaust as his motivation to return the Order of Merit.

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On Thursday US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel travelled to Poland for meetings with top Polish government officials, including President Bronislaw Komorowski, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and Polish Defense and Foreign Ministers. In a joint press conference Hagel highlighted US-Polish military cooperation.

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This week the Romanias National Administration of Meterorology has issued Code Red warnings in six southern counties for the first time in the nations history due to severe winter storms beginning on Monday. As part of these warnings over 5,000 troops have been deployed since Monday for snow removal and emergency assistance.

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Defense News

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The Constitutional Court has overturned a ban on selling arable land to EU investors, a policy originally passed in 2007 and extended to 2020 by the parliament in November. The courts decision was supported by the nationalist and socialist parties domestically. The EU threatened to review Bulgarias EU accession treaty if the ban continued to block member states from investing in the country. Articles: Sofia Globe Yahoo News

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Country News Digest

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In an interview Wednesday, Croatias labor minister defended controversial draft amendments to the labor code, which he says will keep Croatias economy competitive. Trade unions have decried provisions in the draft that make it easier to fire workers and that reduce the required number of rest hours between shifts. They have threatened to strike if the legislation goes through. Slobodna Dalmacija Articles: Dalje Montenegrin journalists staged a silent protest in Podgorica last week against the governments perceived apathy towards attacks on journalists. The journalists, many of whom taped their mouths shut for the protest, called for investigations into past attacks, including an assault on a correspondent from an independent news outlet three weeks ago. The European Parliament has expressed grave concern over the status of journalists in Montenegro, an EU hopeful.

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to recruit Albanian fighters for the Syrian war effort.

Koha Jone

A US security delegation including members of the Departments of State, Justice, Homeland Security, and the US National Counterterrorism Center, visted Albania this week. Observers suggest the visit is linked to reports that emerged earlier this month, which suggest the Al Qaeda affiliate ISIS and the Al Nusra front are both using the internet

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On Wednesday Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic announced Belgrades plan for early elections to be held on March 16, which will be the second set of election in less than two years. Nikolics pro-EU coalition government is seeking snap elections in order to gain support for EU accession.

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Oliver Ivanovic, a leading Kosovo Serb politician, was arrested on suspicion of war crimes. While the crimes have not been published, local newspapers say that Ivanovic is suspecting of having tortured and murdered ethnic Albanians and organized the former vigilante group Bridgewatchers. The European Union Rule of Law Mission is leading the investigation, transferring him to Pristina prison to be detained for one month while they pursue charges.

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Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski on Wednesday announced the kickoff of a $137 million gasification project covering 17 municipalities in the Skopje region. The project, which is expected to be completed by 2020, is planned to be linked to Russias South Steam pipeline project, according to initial agreements signed by Macedonia and Russian gas company Gazprom.

Macedonia

Yahoo News

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MINA

On Thursday, five former executives of the Finnish company Patria were acquitted in a Finnish court of bribing Slovenian officials in order to secure sales of armored vehicles for the Slovenian army. Since 2006, when the bribery allegedly took place, Slovenian officials and Austrian consultants involved in the deal have been convicted of corruption for accepting bribes. The court stated that there was insufficient evidence to convict the Finnish executives. Articles: YLE Dalje

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Country News Digest

A dispute has come between Bosnia & the two constituent entities Herzegovina of Bosnia and Herzegovina over who will carry the national flag at the Sochi Olympics. The countrys Olympic committee initially selected skier Zana Novakovic, from the Republika Srpska, based on her qualifying times. However, critics from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina claim that skier Igor Lajkert had better times and should be the one to carry the flag. As of now, the committee has said they will not revise their decision. Articles: World Bulletin RFE/RL

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The Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies is a U.S. Department of Education Title VI-funded National Resource Center (NRC) that strives to increase understanding and appreciation of the cultures and challenges of the region stretching from Central Europe to the Pacific and from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas

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2013 by Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies; School of Foreign Service; Georgetown University * CERES is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

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Box 571031, ICC 111, Washington, DC 20057-1031 Email: ceres@georgetown.edu Tel.: (202) 687-6080 Fax: (202) 687-5829

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