09/22/14 9/26/14

On Saturday, Turkey secured the release of 49 Turkish

hostages held by ISIS for three months in Iraq after the
militant group overran the Turkish consulate in Mosul.
Turkey announced that its intelligence agency led a covert
operation to bring back the hostages without paying
ransoms. Speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations on
Monday, President Erdogan hinted at a possible prisoner
exchange but refused to detail the operation.
The Guardian New York Times
The Russian ruble has fallen to historic lows this week in
the wake of the most recent round of Western-imposed
sanctions and the house arrest of Russian billionaire
Vladimir Evtushenkov. On Monday, the ruble was trading
at 38.96 to the dollar and 49.62 to the euro. By Friday
morning, those rates had risen slightly, to 38.86 and 49.52,
respectively. Additionally, the price of Russian oil, one of
Russias chief exports, has fallen below $100 per barrel.
RFE/RL Moscow Times
At the EU-brokered conference in Berlin on Friday, Russia
and Ukraine attempted to negotiate a deal to restore gas
exports from Russia to Ukraine in advance of the coming
winter months. Gas supplies to Ukraine have been cut off
since July, when the two countries failed to negotiate the
repayment of Ukrainian gas debts. More recently, reverse
gas supplies from neighboring countries like Poland and
Hungary to Ukraine have been reduced or cut entirely.
Reuters ABC News
Georgian officials this week have denied offering to host a
base for U.S. military to train Syrian rebels fighting the
Assad regime and the Islamic State. The offer was
reportedly made during U.S. Secretary of Defense Hagels
visit to Tbilisi in recent weeks, according to Foreign Policy
Magazine. The offer was later confirmed by Reuters. The
Georgian Ministry of Defense refuted claims that they
would supply troops to the war zone.

Foreign Policy DFWatch
On September 21, the 23rd anniversary of Armenian
independence, Islamic State terrorists blew up the Armenian
Holy Martyrs Church in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. The church was
built in 1989-1990 as a memorial to victims of the
Armenian genocide who died in the surrounding area and
also housed a museum containing the remains of victims.
The 100th anniversary of the genocide is next year.
PanArmenian Asbarez
Despite the opening of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline in late
August, gas exports to Moldova from Romania have not yet
commenced due to contractual issues with MoldovaGaz, the
countrys gas monopoly. The Romanian government has
struggled to come to terms with MoldovaGaz, which is 50%
owned by Russian-owned Gazprom, 35.33% owned by the
Moldovan state, and 13.44% owned by the government of
the Transnistria region. Gas accounts for 65% of total
energy consumption in Moldova.
ITAR-TASS EurasiaNet

Azerbaijani authorities on Tuesday detained 26 citizens
alleged of joining militants in Syria and Pakistan. They
are accused of participating in combat units of the Islamic
State and other illegal armed groups. The Department of
Homeland Security of Azerbaijan declared that those
arrested are suspected of involvement in the illegal
transfer of weapons, military equipment and explosives as
well as of recruiting underage individuals.

RFE/RL Trend.az
On a trip to Moldova on Wednesday, President Lukashenko
signed a trade agreement with Moldovan officials worth
approximately 50 million dollars. Among the trading terms,
Belarus has agreed to increase imports of Moldovan apples
in light of a Russian embargo on the fruit. Lukashenko also
noted during the visit that Belarus does not oppose
Moldovas desire to increase ties with the European Union.

Moscow Times Belarus in Focus

British Prime Minister David Cameron and Iranian
President Hasan Rouhani met in New York on Wednesday,
marking the first time that leaders of the two countries have
met since the Islamic Revolution in Iran 35 years ago. The
meeting signals a thaw in relations between the two
countries, after several years of increased tensions resulting
from a mob attack on the British embassy in Tehran in
2011.
Bloomberg CNN
Russia has allocated $5 million to Tajikistan through the
United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the WFP
office in Tajikistan announced on Monday. The money will
go to support agricultural production, provide meals for
schoolchildren, and combat tuberculosis. In total, Russia has
allocated $60 million to support WFP activities in Tajikistan
over the last decade.
AKI Press Azernews
In his address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday,
Turkmenistans Foreign Minister, Rashid Meredov, called
on the UN to become more involved in supporting
development projects, preserving stability, and
strengthening faith in institutions in Afghanistan and
Central Asia. Meredov also presented Turkmenistans offer
to facilitate an inter-Afghan national dialogue under the
auspices of the UN.
UN News Centre Trend
Singapore and Mongolia agreed to begin providing twice-
weekly air service between the two countries, starting this
week. The carrier MIAT Mongolian Airlines will service
the new route to Changi Airport. Mongolias Minister of
Road and Transportation and the President of Mongolian
Airlines boarded the inaugural flight this week to be
welcomed in Singapore.
NewsAsia AsiaOne
The Russian mobile phone operator MTS announced that it
will return to Uzbekistan beginning on December 1, 2014.
MTS intends to create a joint venture with the Uzbek state-
controlled Center for Radio Communication, Broadcasting
and Television, where MTS will have 50.01% of shares.
MTS previously provided service to Uzbekistan through its
subsidiary, Uzdunrobita, from 2004 to 2012 until authorities
accused MTS managers of theft and tax evasion.
The Turkish and Kyrgyz Defense Ministers signed a range
of bilateral agreements on military cooperation on
Wednesday. Turkey further announced that it will provide
the Kyrgyz armed forces with an annual $1 million aid
package, meanwhile considering the construction of a new
military institute in Bishkek. The Kyrgyz Defense Minister
Abibilla Kudaiberdiev thanked Turkey and said that the
assistance will be provided firstly for the border guard
service.
Vestnik Kavkaza AzerNews
RBK ITAR-TASS
Ashraf Ghani was named as a President on Sunday, agreeing
to share power with his political opponent Abdullah
Abdullah, who will become the Chief Executive. The
agreement comes after months of dispute over election
results, which Abdullah initially called fraudulent. Ghani and
Abdullah will now need to define the roles and duties of the
two executive positions, as well as sign a bilateral agreement
with the U.S. to determine the extent of continued U.S.
military presence in Afghanistan.
New York Times Washington Post
A Kazakh advertisement company was fined after creating
an online banner for a gay club in Almaty. The poster
depicted Kazakh composer and folk singer Qurmanghazy
Saghyrbaiuly and Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin kissing,
based on the clubs location at the intersection of
Qurmanghazy and Pushkin Streets. The director of the
company has been ordered to pay $700 and the company,
itself, has been fined $1,000.

Guardian RFE/RL
of-cease-fire-deal?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=world
On Monday, the US State Department announced a $500
million arms deal with Poland, to include the sale of 40
medium-range missiles. The AGM-158A Joint Air-to-
Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) have a 250-mile range
and would give Poland the capacity to launch air strikes on
Russia from within its own borders. The arms deal also
includes upgrades to Polands fleet of jet fighters.
Congressional approval is still required before the deal can be
finalized.
Romania Insider Business Review
A Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation visited Slovakia this
week in an effort to boost bilateral relations. Officials from
the two countries discussed increasing cooperation,
particularly in the areas of investment, trade, and health.
The Slovak Foreign Ministry also announced support for
Kuwaits bid for a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations
Security Council.
Alkuwaityah Kuwait News Agency
Romanias head of intelligence, Teodor Melescanu,
announced his resignation on Monday and filed for
candidacy in the countrys upcoming presidential elections.
A total of fourteen candidates officially entered the race
before the filing deadline on Tuesday, including the current
prime minister and frontrunner Victor Ponta. The election
will determine who will replace the incumbent president,
Traian Basescu, who is finishing his second term.
Ceske Noviny Wall Street Journal
FIFA ABC.au
On Wednesday, the Latvian Security Police expressed their
concern at the high numbers of Russians applying for
Latvian residency permits. While the police stated that the
individuals, themselves, do not pose a threat to Latvian
security, the Russian rhetoric to defend [its] citizens
abroad means that the presence of a large Russian
population could pose a security issue. More than 90% of
applicants seeking residency permits in Latvia come from
countries of the former Soviet Union.
Baltic Course Global Post
Telegraph Washington Times
Lithuania has filed an international claim against Russian gas
giant Gazprom, stating that the company overcharged
Lithuania for gas supplies from 2004 2012. Vilnius is
seeking $1.66 billion in compensation from the company.
The case is being heard at Stockholms International
Arbitration Court. At the moment, Gazprom is the only
natural gas supplier to Lithuania.

Delfi
Due to allegations of match manipulation, FIFA has banned
thirteen Estonian players. Russian player Yaroslav Dmitriev
is subject to a worldwide life ban, while the other twelve
players have been banned for up to six months. According
to FIFA, "The Estonian FA has been cooperating with
national judicial authorities after the state prosecutor office
opened fraud investigations in 2011 and has subsequently
opened its own proceedings against several players.

A letter addressed to President Zeman and delivered to
Prague Castle that was found to contain white powder, has
been determined not poisonous. The letter was written on
behalf of the Islamic State (IS) and protested Czech military
support to Iraqi Kurds who have been fighting the IS
coalition. Czech authorities are currently investigating the
case further.

In his address at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York
on Tuesday, President Obama criticized the Hungarian
government for its current crackdown on civil society. From
Hungary to Egypt, endless regulations and overt intimidation
increasingly target civil society, - Obama declared. The
Hungarian Foreign Minister replied to the statement by
saying that Obamas remarks lacked any factual basis.

Politics.hu Standart
Moscow Times

On Thursday, the European Commission announced that it
is opening infringement procedures against Bulgaria over
the countrys response to its banking crisis. The proceedings
are in response to the freezing operations of Corpbank
(KTB) in June, which has left the banks clients unable to
access their money for three months; this comes as a
violation of the ECs Deposit Guarantee Scheme (DGS)
Directive.
Reuters Novinite
Kosovo continues to struggle to stem the tide of ISIS
recruits from the country. Current estimates place the
number of Kosovars fighting for ISIS at 100 to 200.
President Atifete Jahjaga of Kosovo announced that as part
of the effort to combat the threat of ISIS and reduce the
number of recruits from Kosovo, her government will be
pushing for increasing punishment for association with
terrorist organizations like ISIS to up to 15 years
imprisonment.
FOX News Al Jazeera
Monday marked the beginning of Pride week in Belgrade,
ending with a planned Pride Parade on the 28th. The parade
has received harsh criticism from Serbian Orthodox Church
leaders, with Patriarch Irinej commenting that shameless
event casts a moral shadow over Serbia. In 2010, right-wing
groups attacked a pride march in Belgrade, ending in clashes
with police and over 100 people injured. Authorities banned
Pride marches every year since then, citing the violence.
News & Observer Huffington Post
The chief of the Croatian State Asset Management Bureau,
Mladen Pejnovic, announced that in 2015 the country will
relaunch the sale of its last major state-owened bank
Hrvatska Postanska Banka (HPB. Last year, Croatia rejected
a bid from Austrias Erste Bank for being too low. Since
joining the European Union in 2013, Croatia has only
privatized one major company, the top insurer Croatia
Osiguranje.
Dalje
Reuters
Pope Francis made his first trip as pope to a European
country outside Italy by a visit to Albania over the weekend.
During the trip, the Pope condemned Islamist militants,
saying that no religious group which uses violence and
oppression can claim to be the armor of God. Pope Francis
later addressed a crowd in Rome with reference to his trip,
hailing Albania as a model of inter-faith harmony with its
majority Muslim and minority Christian population.
On Tuesday, the Bank of Slovenia forecasted the countrys
growth to be 1.6 percent for 2014. The Bank of Slovenia
said in a separate statement that local banks made a net
profit of 113.8 million euros in the first half of this year
compared to a net loss of 263.6 million euros for the same
period in 2013. Slovenia is eager to reemerge from a years-
long recession into which it fell a year after adopting the
Euro.
Reuters Global Post
Reuters
Catholic News Service
Gov. of Montenegro
IBNA
BalkanInsight RIA Novosti
The government of Macedonia will send a protest note to
the U.S. after newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador to
Macedonia, Jess Bailey, referred to the Macedonian
population as Slavs in front of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. Although, in the speech Bailey also
referred to the same ethnic population as Macedonian, his
use of the term Slav was perceived as derogatory in light
of the longstanding dispute with Greece over the nations
formal name.
Chinas Exim Bank has approved a 687 million euro loan to
Montenegro for construction of the priority section of the
Bar-Boljare highway. Construction is planned to start at the
end of 2014 and is expected to last four years. The project
has been in the works since 2008. Since then, Podgorica has
struggled to find financial backers and reliable contractors.
Montenegro is the only country in the region lacking any sort
of highway infrastructure.


The head of USAID in Bosnia, David Barth, as well as
Defense Attache Scott Miller, accused the Bosnian
government of failing to aid its citizens after the devastating
floods in May this year. They claimed that local leaders have
instead used the flood tragedy for cronyism, party
advantage, backroom deals and blame shifting. In Barth
words flood recovery would not have been possible without
aid from the EU, USAID, and Norway.
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