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Country News Digest Y Y Y Issue #1 Vol.2

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Editor: Eugene Imas Contributors: -Joseph Gates -Matthew OBrien -Bree Swineford -Jillian Tetirick -Grace Tran

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01/14/12-01/18/12

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Azerbaijan is facing a tough year ahead with oil production. The countrys oil production is down by 7.35% from the previous year. Azerbaijans Sovereign Wealth Fund will also run a deficit in the billions.

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Azerbaijan

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Russia

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National Interest

Russian Childrens Rights Commissioner Astakhov released a statement that Russia will allow families in the final stages of adoption to take custody and bring the children to America. While fiercely defending the adoption ban, Astakhov acknowledged the confusion surrounding the transition phase. New York Times

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The Georgian Parliament passed legislation this week that freed 190 people who had been jailed by the Saakashvili administration after it was determined that they were political prisoners. By officially classifying these inmates as political prisoners, the Georgian Parliament unwittingly enabled these people to seek reparations from the Georgian government according to pre-existing legislation.

Georgia

Shell and the eastern city of Donetsk are closer to a deal that would allow for the exploration of shale gas in the region. Shells investment in the project is estimated to range from $10 billion to $50 billion. Ukraine is estimated to have the third largest reserve of shale gas in Europe, behind only France and Norway.

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During an official visit to Armenia by Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishivili, the two countries signed agreements regarding the joint-use of border crossing points. Both sides hailed the deal as one that will enable closer commercial ties between Armenia and Georgia.

Armenia

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Trend

The President of Belarus Alyaksandr Lukashenka has directed the governments staff to be reduced by 25 percent, saving an estimated $130 million per year. Maintaining the Belarusian government amounts to 1.2 percent of GDP. Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich stated the planned reductions would affect 13,000 employees or about 40,000 people if their family members are taken into account.

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Articles: PanArmenian Net

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Naviny

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Police conducted raids in Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Ankara, Antalya and Kocaeli and arrested dozens of people related to the banned Marxist group DHKP-C. DHKP-C is considered to be a terrorist group by Turkey, the US, and Europe. Among those arrested were 15 lawyers known for defending left-wing activists.

Turkey

Fallout continues over the Huntgate scandal with the Prosecutor-General Valeriu Zubco temporarily stepping down this week. The scandal is related to the accidental shooting of a 34-year-old businessman during a hunting trip in late December with senior Moldova judicial officials.

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This week the U.S. State Department representative Robert Blake is visiting Kyrgyzstan to negotiate the extension of the lease of the Manas air base. The US base was opened at the Manas international airport in late 2001 and is now a major transit hub for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstans development strategy for 2013-2017 will also be discussed. Articles: Turkish Weekly Kabar

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The United States has announced that it will cease the transfer of most detainees to Afghan prisons after a United Nations report alleged far-reaching abuse of prisoners by Afghan police. However, officials stated that transfers will continue to occur to the largest prison, Bagram.

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WTO Director General Pascal Lamy announced on Thursday that Kazakhstan could conceivably join the organization as early as this year. The Central Asian state applied for membership in 1996 and today is at an advanced stage of negotiations, according to Lamy.

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President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for an overhaul of the countrys economy in a speech during an open session of Parliament this week. He acknowledged that international sanctions on Irans oil exports are crippling its economy and urged diversification away from oil. This could represent a renewed determination to resist international pressure after denying IAEA inspectors access to Irans Parchin nuclear facility this week.

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This past Tuesday Indias government owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) announced that it has successfully completed upgrading the 2x4.75 MW Varjob Hydro Power Plant (HPP) of Barki Tojik in Tajikistan. Dushanbe plans to build 70 more small hydropower plants by 2015. Last Friday, Tajikistan and the OSCE signed a memorandum of cooperation in the energy sector and the modernization of Tajik HPPs.

Tajikistan

Berdymuhamedov signed off on documents resolving to complete the NorthSouth railway, among other infrastructure projects. The resolutions Completion of the Bereket Etrek construction site of the Gyzylgaya-Bereket-Etrek railway and Construction of the locomotive depot at the Bereket station were among those signed. Turkish Weekly

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Russian mobile phone company MTS may be starting bankruptcy proceedings for its Uzbek subsidiary Uzdunrobita. On Tuesday the companys staff was notified of their dismissal, signaling Uzdunrobita may not be able to reach an agreement with the Uzbek government. Last September the Uzbek Prosecutor Generals Office ordered Uzdunrobitas assets seized, but the decision was later reversed in November. Articles: Uznews RIA Novosti

Uzbekistan

A law in Mongolia aimed at discouraging mining by foreign companies has provoked an outcry from the Mongolian business community, which argues that such measures could devastate the economy. Experts view this law as an attempt by politicians to appeal to Mongolians nationalistic resentment of foreign ownership of mineral resources in an effort to gain electoral support.

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Mining.com

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Estonia has been ranked #13 on the Economic Freedom Index for 2013, a collaboration between the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal.The Baltic country rose three places in the rankings since last year. Estonia placed even higher on the personal freedom index at #9.

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Estonia

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Czech voters participated in their first ever direct presidential election this last weekend. No candidate garnered enough votes to avoid a runoff, so the next round will be held January 2526. The runoff election will be between former PM Milos Zeman and Foreign Minister Karl Schwarzenberg. Bloomberg

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On Tuesday, Chevron Corp. submitted the sole bid to the Lithuanian government to explore a deposit of shale oil and gas in the western region of the country. The minimum level of investment would amount to $31 million according to the proposal. Lithuania is seeking to reduce its dependence on Gazprom, the Russian monopoly which supplies all of the Baltic states gas.

Lithuania

Three Slovak nationals were sentenced to a threeyear prison term each on human trafficking charges. The trio smuggled a Slovak couple from Slovakia into Scotland with the intention of forcing them into slavery. They are the second group of people to be convicted under the newly reformed Scottish trafficking laws.

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Officials from the IMF and the European Commission criticized Latvia over policies that reduced social spending and increased income inequality in the Baltic nation. Although austerity measures have enabled Latvia to accomplish an impressive economic rebound from recession last year, leaders from the IMF and the European Commission believe Latvia is once again ready for stimulus policy.

Latvia

Economic data released this week revealed that Hungarys rate of inflation hit a 12 month low in December. Lawmakers have urged policymakers to lower interest rates in an effort to provide monetary stimulus to the Hungarian economy, which is in the grips of a recession.

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Poland is expected to adopt new legislation to regulate exploration and extraction of shale gas in the country this year. Poland has been one of the EUs most enthusiastic members in pursuing domestic shale gas in order to reduce reliance on Russian supplies. However, energy companies have slowed work recently as they wait for the final draft of the law before planning ahead.

Poland

Jailed former Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase could be released early on parole next month after the Jilava Penitentiary Commission gave him a positive recommendation for good behavior. Nastases application for parole will be discussed on February 12. He is currently serving a two year jail sentence for corruption charges related to his 2004 election campaign.

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After conducting a probe into the Burgas bombing, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry stated that the bombing is not linked to Hezbollah and Iran. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has also indicated that they have identified three out of the four people suspected of committing the attack.

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The Prime Ministers of Croatia and Serbia have agreed to meet for the first time in several years in order to ease tensions inflamed by the acquittal of two Croats charged with war crimes against Serbs in the 1990s. The two leaders agreed to establish joint-councils to address issues such as the treatment of refugees and border arrangements. Dalje

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Turkeys steel manufacturer Krm has purchased four hydroelectric power plants from Albania for $146.1 million. Krms communistera steel plant in the town of Elbasan is one of Albanias largest consumers of electricity and has been faced with constant power outages. With the purchase and upgrading of the new plants, Krm hopes to increase their steel production from 500 to 600 tons per year.

Albania

Prime Minister Dukanovic promoted foreign domestic investment on a recent trip to the UAE. Dukanovic encouraged Emirati companies and investors to consider investing in infrastructure, ports, tourism among other industries, saying that Montenegro was a smart place to invest.

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On Wednesday, Serbian PM Ivica Dacic stepped back from his Tuesday comments that hinted at the possibility of a UN seat for Kosovo. The reversal comes after Kosovar PM Hashim Thaci rejected the idea of granting greater autonomy to ethnic Serbs in the North in return for Serbias support in obtaining a seat in the UN.

Serbia

Kosovo and Serbia have reached an understanding on collecting customs duties and other taxes at a meeting in Brussels. While Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as an independent country, it is working towards normalizing relations on border management, telecommunications, and regional cooperation.

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Violent clashes broke out between opposition forces and ruling legislators in front of Parliament over the countrys budget for next year. The opposition began protesting Sunday when Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski approved a revised draft budget.

Macedonia

The state Commission for the Prevention of Corruption publicized an investigation that accuses both Prime Minister Jansa and opposition leader Jankovic of corruption.The Commission cited the failure of both parties to declare or explain how they obtained large quantities of personal income as one of many probable violations. Jansa has since rejected calls from his own government to step down.

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Minister of Environment Bosnia & and Tourism Branka uri Herzegovina met with the Chief the of Tourist Association of Thailand for Europe Supranee Pongpat Tuesday in Sarajevo. Last year over 1,000 people from BiH visited Thailand. Pongpat said she will work on easing the process of obtaining a Thai visa. uri thanked Pongpat for the promotion of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which has resulted in an increase of tourists from Thailand. Sarajevo Times

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

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