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Country News Digest Y Y Y Vol.3, Issue #8

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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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10/21/13-10/25/13

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Azerbaijan

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Ilham Aliyev, elected to a third term as president October 9, announced his new cabinet Monday. Changes include the dismissal of Safar Abiyev, who had served as Defense Minister since 2005. Observers say a dispute with the US embassy, as well as allegations of rampant hazing-related violence in the military, may be behind Abiyevs dismissal. He is replaced by Zahir Hasanov, former head of internal troops. Articles: RFE/RL EurasiaNet A renewed call for Georgia to boycott the Sochi Olympics has arisen after a Russian military pilot shot down in the 2008 RussianGeorgian conflict was chosen as an Olympic torchbearer. While President Saakashvili called for a Georgian boycott of the games as early as 2010, the idea fell out of favor when current Prime Minister Ivanishvilis political party gained prominence. Ivanishvili has urged caution when deciding whether or not to boycott.

Country News Digest

Russia

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On Monday six people were killed and 31 hospitalized after a suicide bomber attacked a bus in the southern city of Volgograd. The suspect has been identified as 30 year-old Naida Asiyalova from Dagetstan. Russian authorities are currently searching for her husband, Dmitri Sokolov, who is a suspected accomplice in the attack. Guardian

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Georgia

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NBC

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Heavyweight boxer Vitali Klitschko announced October 24 that he will run for president of Ukraine in 2015. Klitschko, elected to parliament in 2012 as head of the pro-Western Udar party, says his decision to run is in response to a parliamentary bill barring candidates who have lived outside Ukraine in the past 10 years from running. Klitschko, who has lived in Germany, says he is not intimidated and wants Ukraine to modernize.

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Armenia Public Radio Articles:

On October 22 the 14th Armenia-EU Cooperation Committee convened in Yerevan. Despite EU concerns over Armenias recent decsion to join the Russia-led Customs Union, EU Director for Countries of Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and Central Asia stressed the EUs committment to continue and expand cooperation with Armenia, namely in the areas of political reform and economic growth.

Armenia

The Telegraph reported that Belarus is misappropriating EuropeAid funds by using them to train and equip the countrys police force and border guards. The EU has confirmed the purchase of police equipment with the funds, but say the goal was to curb human and drug trafficking. Dissidents claim the equipment prevents the regimes opponents from leaving Belarus. UK leaders are calling on the EU to reconsider aid to Belarus in light of its human rights record.

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Two Turkish pilots who were kidnapped in August were released on Saturday by their Lebanese captors in exchange for the release of nine Lebanese hostages being held in Syria. The pilots were captured in a retaliatory act, after Syrian opposition forces took nine Lebanese religious pilgrims hostage and accused them of having ties to Hezbollah. Also under negotiation is the release of women currently being held in Syrian prisons. Articles: Reuters USA Today

Turkey

Moldovas ruling Liberal party survived a noconfidence motion put forth by the Socialist and Communist parties Monday. The opposition claimed the regime had committed treason by establishing checkpoints at the boundary of Transnitria. Prime Minister Leanca says the checkpoints will not restrict the movements of Transnistrians, but

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are intended to prevent foreigners from entering Moldova illegally via the breakaway region.
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percent share in the mine, a goal the PM says is naive.
Kloop.kg Kyrgyzstans parliament voted October 23 to reject a deal with Canadian company Centerra Gold regarding shares in the Kumtor mine. The deal, drafted by Centerra and Prime Minister Satybaldiyev in September, would have increased Kyrgyzstans share from roughly 33 to 50 percent. Parliament says the government should press for a 67

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Two Afghans were killed and four injured in a suicide bombing in Kabul this week. The bombers targeted a compound known as Green Village, where many international contractors and officials reside. Insurgents attempted to breach the walls of the compound immediately following the detonation, but failed.

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A YouTube video depicting a multi-generational Kazakh commune of selfdescribed jihadists in Syria, caused a stir in Kazakhstans online community this week. Government spokespersons say they are investigating the videos authenticity, in order to determine its implications for the regimes fight against radical Islam in Kazakhstan. Several of those shown in the video have been identified by the press as natives of the central industrial province of Karagandy.

Kazakhstan

On Wednesday Ahmed Shaheed, the UN special human rights monitor for Iran, published a report condemning Iran for rampant human rights abuses. Abuses cited include limits on free speech and the media, and a large number of executions. Iran has rejected the allegations in the report as false and politically motivated.

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A delegation led by Afghan president Hamid Karzai visited Tajikistans president Emomali Rahmon on October 21. The presidents discussed shared security concerns, including mine clearance, the insurance sector, and transportation, within the context of next years scheduled NATO troop drawdown.

Tajikistan

This week marks the peak of cotton harvesting season in Turkmenistan. Official reports indicate a harvest of 971,492 thousand tons of cotton as of Thursday. Turkmenistans cotton industry practices have come under fire from international critics, who have accused Turkmenistan of the wide-scale use of child labor in the harvest.

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Articles: Times of Central Asia

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Eight have now died in Uzbekistans cotton fields since start of the annual harvest in September. A 16-year old with a pre-existing heart condition died October 21 after picking the required daily quota of 20 kg. Causes of the previous deaths include stabbing, suicide, and suffocation under a pile of cotton. Despite calls for an international boycott, last week authorities reported signing cotton contracts

Uzbekistan

totaling $1 billion with various trade partners.

Uznews.net

Rio Tinto has resolved a long-standing customs dispute with China, meaning that it will finally be allowed to export copper from its Oyu Tolgoi mining project to China. Although this marks the successful completion of the mines first phase, the largely Canadian-owned Rio Tinto has halted work on the massive second phase as it negotiates with the Mongolian government.

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Estonia is accusing Russia of interfering with Tallins mayoral elections. Russia charged mayoral candidate Eerik-Niiles Kross with organized piracy and placed him on Interpols wanted list on the eve of elections. Preliminary voting showed that Kross lost the election. Interpol claims that the timing was coincidental.

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Due to extensive worker strikes in Germany, internet company Amazon announced on Tuesday that it will open two distribution centers in the Czech Republic by the end of 2014. The opening of these centers is expected to create 4,000 jobs and an additional 6,000 temporary jobs around Christmas. Economic Times

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Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskait hosted Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Vilnius on Sunday. Following the meeting Grybauskait called for an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which have risen by 70% year-on-year in the first half of 2013,

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Maan News Agency Articles:

By March 2014, the seeds of cannabis sativa are slated to be dropped from Slovenias list of narcotics. This week the Health Ministry drew up a proposal to this effect, which still needs to be confirmed by the parliament and the president. The proposal states that the seeds of cannabis sativa do not contain cannabinoids, but that the plants will remain on the list of forbidden substances. The possession or cultivation of the plant will still be illegal.

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Articles: Cannabis Culture

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A petition to remove a monument to Soviet troops in World War II in Riga has garnered over 10,000 signatures, while a counter-petition has collected over 5,000. Russia, and Russian-speaking Latvians, have criticized the petition as a move intended to rehabilitate the Nazis, while others have characterized the petition as an attempt to drumup populist support before 2014 Parliamentary elections.

Latvia

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Rallies in Budapest this week commemorated the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising, but also united opposition forces ahead of the spring parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Victor Orbans speech at the rally condemned the socialist party by connecting them to the damage done to the country in 1956. Orban, however, is widely viewed as the driving force behind the recent scaling back of political checks and balances.

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Russkiy Mir

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The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia should not have refused requests to declassify documents pertaining to the Katyn massacre, but that the court did not have jurisdiction to judge whether the Russian investigation into the massacre was adequate. Many Polish relatives of victims have claimed the Russian government has been cavalier in its treatment of their requests for information about the killings. Articles: New York Times RIA Novosti

Poland

Three Romanians have pleaded guilty to stealing seven paintings from the Kunsthal museum in 2012. The works have not been found, and Olga Dogaru, the mother of one of the defendants, told investigators she burned the paintings. The accused ringleader, Radu Dogaru, is suing the Kunsthal for negligence, claiming it was too easy to steal the pieces. If they are found guilty, they will have to cover part of the cost of the insurance claims. Articles: Bloomberg Atlantic

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Bulgarian parliament extended a moratorium on land purchases by foreigners through 2020, despite EU threats to review its accession treaty as a result. The ban was set to expire January 1. Bulgarian farmland sells for ten times lower than the EU average; leaders of the Ataka party say the legislation is to prevent the plundering of Bulgarias most valuable resource. Articles: Washington Post Novinite

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Country News Digest

Croatia

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Croatia, Hungary, and Ukraine have agreed to extend existing natural gas pipelines in order to connect them to the planned TransAdriatic pipeline. Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Josko Klisovic has said the pipeline will allow new access to Eastern European markets, and has said prime ministers from the three countries are ready to sign a pact on the deal soon. Articles: Bloomberg BBJ At the first ever Pride Parade in Podgorica October 20, police arrested 60 anti-gay rights protesters trying to disrupt the march. The police fired tear gas at the protesters, who were throwing stones and firebombs at officers protecting the marchers. The attackers did not manage to break through police lines to reach the participants, and the gay rights demonstrators were evacuated to a safe location after the march.

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Albanias parliament voted Thursday to approve an emergency revision to the state budget, which cuts spending by 275 million euros. Finance Minister Shkelqim Cani said the cut was necessary in light of a 6.2% budget deficit and a public debt projected to grow to 71% of GDP by the end of the year. Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama, who replaced veteran Conservative Sali Berisha in June, accuses his predecessor of initiating unfunded public works projects.

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This week the Democratic Party of Serbia submitted a draft amendment to the parliament to prevent the production and trade of GMOs in the country. According to the party, 70% of Serbians oppose GMOs in the country, and the bill is meant to reflect this. However, the EU has ordered Serbia to drop the ban, as it requires all members to freely trade GMOs.

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return to France.
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Members of a Roma family deported to Kosovo from France in early October were beaten this week in the city of Mitrovica. The attack did not appear to be related to the deportation. However, it attracted additional media attention to a family whose expulsion from France prompted a public outcry over that countrys increasingly harsh treatment of its Roma population. The family have told press they hope to

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Macedonian journalist Tomislav Kezarovski was sentenced to 4.5 years in jail on Monday for releasing the name of a murder witness in an article he wrote in 2008. In February, the witness revealed that he had given false testimony after being threatened by the police. Several journalistic freedom and human rights groups have decried the sentence, calling it excessive and a serious blow to freedom of speech and the media. Articles: Eurasia Review Guardian

Macedonia

A group of Eurozone financial ministers has signalled that they are prepared to provide emergency funds to Slovenia should the country require an international bailout. The decision will ultimately rest on the results of stress tests that will be released in November and December. In the meantime, officials have urged Slovenia to continue with fiscal reforms.

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Reuters

Articles: Hurriyet Daily News

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Country News Digest

On Thursday the head of Bosnia & the International Monetary Herzegovina Fund mission in Bosnia, Ruben Atoya, stated that it will consider Bosnias request to expand its standby loan agreement in November. Bosnias 2013 economic growth is forecasted at around 1%, and GDP growth is forecasted at 2% for 2014 and 3.5% for 2015.

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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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