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Country News Digest Y Y Y Vol.3, Issue #7

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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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10/14/13-10/18/13

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Azerbaijan

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Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that the treatment of Orkhan Zeynalov, the Azerbaijani migrant suspected of the stabbing that prompted Sundays riots in Moscow, has violated every possible judicial procedure. He said that Azerbaijans embassy would provide consular support to Zeynalov, noting also that it was investigating the death of an Azeri man killed in Moscow this week. Articles: ANN RFE/RL Former defense minister Davit Kezerashvili has been detained in France for 40 days while an extradition request from Georgia is processed. Among other accusations, Kezerashvili has been charged with accepting a bribe of $12 million to smuggle ethyl alcohol into the country for illegal alcohol production.

Country News Digest

Russia

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Moscows Biryulyovo district was the scene of a Russian nationalist protestturned-riot on Sunday following the stabbing of an ethnic Russian, allegedly by a migrant worker from Azerbaijan. In the wake of the events, Russian authorities on Monday arrested hundreds of protestors and detained more than 1,000 migrant workers in Moscow. Wall Street Journal

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CBS

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Georgia

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President Yanukovich signaled that former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko could be released from prison for medical treatment in Germany prior to the Vilnius Summit in November. EU leaders have conditioned the proposed association agreement with Ukraine on Tymoshenkos release. Tymoshenkos allies are still pushing the government to pardon her, since under the current proposed law she would not be able to run in the 2015 presidential election.

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An OSCE monitoring exercise along the southern part of the Line of Contact between the Armenian-controlled region of NagornoKarabakh and Azerbaijan was abandoned on Thursday due to reported shots fired near observation points along the line. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan blame each other for the shots fired.

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Russias Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against Uralkali CEO Baumgertner, who is still under house arrest in Belarus on embezzlement charges. Baumgertner, arrested on suspicion of abuse of power, faces 12 years in prison if convicted. The IC is preparing a request to have Baumgertner extradited from Belarus to face charges in Russia, in a move to defuse bilateral tensions and a potential trade war.

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This week, the Turkish army shot at al Qaedalinked militants (ISIL) in Syria after a stray bomb landed in Turkish territory. The attack is seen as a sign of growing tension along the border between the two countries. While Turkey has taken retaliatory action against Syria in the past, this is the first time the country has targeted ISIL militants.

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In a report released Tuesday, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance urged Moldova to take firmer steps to protect minority rights. The report cites the considerable number of members of ethnic minorities without identity documents, as well as a dearth of police investigations into hate crimes, as examples of inadequate progress.

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Kyrgyzstans Supreme Court rejected an official complaint by the lawyer of jailed human rights activist Azimjon Askarov on Wednesday. The complaint alleges Askarov was tortured while in detention. Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek, was charged with murder and inciting mass disorder during the inter-ethnic violence of 2010, and is serving a life sentence. Articles: Ferghana News Azattyk

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The United States has come to general terms with President Karzai regarding a post-2014 bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan. However, the issue of legal jurisdiction over the troops has yet to be resolved. In the draft agreement, the US has insisted they be subject to American jurisdiction, but President Karzai has said this demand will depend on the approval of political and tribal leaders. Articles: Washington Post Reuters

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Kazakhstans Senate voted Wednesday to approve President Nazarbayevs choice of career diplomat Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as the new Senate Chairman. According to the constitution, the Chairman assumes the role of acting president if the president falls ill or dies in office. Tokayevs appointment has prompted speculation that the 73-year-old Nazarbayev, whose health has come under question, may be grooming his successor. Articles: Reuters EurasiaNet

Kazakhstan

Delegations from Iran and the six powers met on October 15-16 in Geneva to discuss Irans nuclear program. While details regarding the meetings were not disclosed, a statement from the meetings described the negotiations as substantive and forward-looking, and further negotiations are expected to occur in the following months.

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On October 16 a Swiss tribunal declared that TalCo, a Tajik aluminum company and the countrys largest enterprise, owed $275 million to the Russian aluminum giant Rusal for breach of agreements with a Rusal subsidiary in 2003. TalCo, which uses approximately 40% of Tajikistans electricity, made a $400 million counterclaim that was dismissed by the tribunal.

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Turkmenistan is hosting an international event focused on energy security entitled Energy Security and sustainable development - the future of OSCE. During the opening stages of the talks, President Berdymukhamedov addressed top UN and OSCE officials as he called for closer energy ties with the two international organizations. Times of Central Asia Articles: Azernews

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EurasiaNet

Articles: Resource Investing

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Uzbekneftegaz released a statement this week repudiating reports that the country was facing gas shortages and that some districts would have to rely heavily on improvised sources of heat for the upcoming winter. Certain foreign internet publications are spreading unfounded rumors, reads the statement, which goes on to say that gas supplies and infrastructure are, in fact, improving.

Uzbekistan

After months of tense negotiations, Mongolias Oyu Tolgoi mine is finally producing at maximum capacity. However, the project has encountered another problem: Chinese customs officials. The project was supposed to export copper concentrate to China as soon as it became operational, but disagreements with Chinese customs officials have forced the mine to stockpile its copper output instead.

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State-owned main grid company Elering board chairman Veskimgi said that Estonia should consider cutting ties to the Latvian and Lithuanian power markets through Nord Pool Spot (NPS). Currently all of Estonias energy trading goes through NPS, while Latvia and Lithuania are only partly connected, driving prices up for domestic consumers.

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On October 16 Czech President Milos Zeman stated that the Czech government is currently negotiating the release of two Czech citizens kidnapped in Pakistan in March. Zeman has indicated that the citizens are currently captive in Afghanistan or Pakistan, and has written Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain about the incident. RFE/RL

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On Thurdsday the UN General Assembly voted Lithuania to a twoyear term to the UN Security Council. Securing the minimum 2/3 vote with 187 votes, Lithuania and four other countries will begin their two-year terms on January 1 of next year.

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Slovakias policy on national minorities is in dispute after a village in southern Slovakia, inhabited mainly by Hungarians, voted to change its name to the original Hungarian name Pered. The government denied the name change, on the grounds that the Slovak name Tesedikovo has been used for 65 years. Since 1991, the number of ethnic Hungarians living in Slovakia has decreased by over 100,000, while numbers of other ethnic minorities have increased.

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Claiming that the fruits and vegetables available to Latvians frequently taste like rubber, Uzbek Foreign Economic Relations, Investment, and Trade Minister Elyor Ganiyev called for the establishment of an Uzbek produce distribution center in the Baltic country during an economic forum this week. Latvian officials characterized the venture as promising.

Latvia

Former high-ranking communist minister Bela Biszku has been charged with war crimes following the anti-Soviet revolution in Hungary in 1956. Among the charges are permitting militias to shoot indiscriminately into crowds during rallies in 1956. Biszku is 92. If convicted, he would be the first former communist official to be held accountable for his actions during the Soviet-backed regime.

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A traditional Muslim ceremonial practice that requires slitting a conscious animals throat has led to conflict in Poland. Animal rights activists protested the practice during the Eid alAdha holiday, saying that the rite violates a Polish law stating that animals must be stunned before being killed. Religious leaders have defended the practice by saying that the right to freely practice religion is guaranteed by the Polish constitution. Articles: Huffington Post Al Arabiya

Poland

Transport Minister Ramona Manescu said October 14 that privatization plans for government rail freight carrier CFR Marfa have fallen through. Romanian company Grup Feroviar Roman was the sole bidder. However, the deal was halted because the government said GFR had failed to pay by the set deadline. The privatization process, which is a condition of an EU aid agreement, will be relaunched at an undisclosed date. Articles: Romania Insider Reuters

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A European Environment Agency report announced that Bulgaria has the worst air pollution in the EU. According to the study, the country has the highest concentrations of particulates from smokestacks and gas, as well as carbon monoxide and sulfer dioxide, causing asthma and cancer. Locals cite the use of wood for home heating and Soviet production facilities as leading factors for the poor air quality. Articles: New York Times Global Post

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Country News Digest

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Talks between Croatia and Serbia have stalled due to disagreements over the withdrawal of genocide-related lawsuits. Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic has made contradictory statements, first saying that the lawsuit should be dropped but later saying that the suit will remain until Serbia has met earlier determined preconditions. Croatia first filed charges in 1999. Serbia countersued in 2009. Articles: Balkan Open Report BSANNA News At a meeting October 14, European Council President Van Rompuy told Montenegrin President Vujanovic that Montenegro was ready to expand EU accession negotiations to include issues related to the judiciary, media freedom, and security. Van Rompuy said recent constitutional reforms had strengthened judicial independence, but more work was needed to improve transparency and efficiency in public administration.

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The European Commission endorsed Albanias EU candidacy in its yearly enlargement report, which was released Wednesday. The Commission praised Albania for conducting smooth and orderly parliamentary elections in May, and for taking steps to establish a more politically independent civil service. The report, however, stressed the continuing need to fight corruption and organized crime.

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Preparation for talks of EU accession have led to notable political progress and stability in Serbia, the EU reports. Enlargement Commissioner tefan Fle has commended the country for its recent strides, especially in regards to improved relations with its neighbor, Kosovo. Accession talks are slated for January 2014.

Serbia

Serbias minister for Kosovo, Aleksandr Vulin, is alleged to have entered Kosovo illegally on Thursday, defying a travel ban issued Monday. A high-ranking Kosovo official said Vulin had been banned after taking part in activities related to the campaign for Kosovos November elections. Vulin defended his actions, saying the EU Rule of Law Mission had not prohibited his entry.

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This week, Macedonias Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, announced that the unemployment rate in the country has dropped from 38% to 28.8%. While the rate is still high, the decrease is an encouraging sign of the countrys overall economic improvement following stagnation in 2012.

Macedonia

Slovenian authorities uncovered and broke up an alleged drug ring this week. As a result of the operation, police arrested twelve suspected drug traffickers, and seized drugs valued at over one million euros. Experts believe that Slovenias geographic position lends itself to being the port of entry for Europe-bound drugs shipped from South America and the Middle East.

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This week the International Bosnia & Commission on Missing Herzegovina Persons forensics teams have exhumed 150 bodies from a mass grave site in the northern town of Tomasica. A team from The Hagues War Crimes Tribunal has called it one of the biggest mass grave sites from the Bosnian civil war of the 1990s, and has said that evidence collected from the grave could be used in high-profile proescutions of war criminals. NBC

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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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