Current+Event+Russia+&+Neighboring+Countries

= = =Home= =** Current Events **=  **Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan **

=Russia = ** Russia allows U.S. weapons shipments to Afghanistan MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russia will allow the United States to ship weapons across its territory to Afghanistan, Kremlin spokesman Alex Pavlov said Friday. [] ** A Moscow court has convicted a Serb national of collecting Russian military secrets for U.S. intelligence and sentenced him to eight years in prison, Interfax reported Friday. [] As the Industry and Trade Ministry puts the last touches on a cash-for-clunkers program, skepticism is high among companies that recycle cars that the plan will work. []
 * Serb Jailed For Spying For U.S. **
 * Cash-for-Clunkers Plan Under Fire **

= = =**Armenia  **= Ruben Meloyan - Hrant Bagratian, a prominent opposition politician and economist, insisted on Monday that the sharp contraction of the Armenian economy this year is the result of what he called failed government policies, rather than the global economic crisis.   []
 * Oppositionist Blames Armenian Government For Economic Slump **

  **EU Envoy Hopes Turkey-Armenia Protocols Approved Soon ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <span style="color: #002b5f; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**ArmTech 2009 – opportunity to show the world Armenia’s achievements in Hi Tech sphere** <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"> ArmTech 2009 conference scheduled in San Jose, California, for November 5-8 is a good platform for showing the world Armenia’s achievements in Hi tech sphere, **Armen Grigoryan**, Executive Secretary of IT Development Support Council under RA Government, told journalists in Yerevan. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">[]
 * The European Union's special representative to the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, said he hopes the rapprochement protocols signed by Armenia and Turkey will be ratified soon, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. **
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=<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Azerbaijan = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #c0c0c0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Azerbaijan's oil 'keeps critics quiet' ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The government of oil-rich Azerbaijan is worried that its oilfields could be targetted by Islamist extremists but, as Tom Esslemont finds out, some people think the authorities are over-reacting. []

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan considers the incident with national flag insulting in Turkey’s city Busra before soccer match between Turkish and Armenian teams as settled. [] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> The organization of state insurance commissioners welcomed 13 interns from Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Zambia to the U.S. this week, NAIC reports. []
 * Incident with Azerbaijani flags in Turkey settled **
 * <span style="color: #c0c0c0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">AZERI INTERNS JOIN INSURANCE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IN THE UNITED STATES **

=<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Belarus = <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">MINSK, 30 October (BelTA) – President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is considering the possibility of personnel changes in the government. [] ** MOSCOW, 30 October (BelTA) – The Belarusian nuclear power plant will be constructed and operated according to the proven technology. [] **
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Belarus President considering government personnel changes[[image:00000442073.jpg width="210" height="133" align="right"]]
 * Belarus’ nuclear power plant to be constructed according to proven technology

**Belarus President: back to rapid economic growth in 2010**
[] ** <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> =**<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Georgia **= Sixteen Georgian citizens, held by the authorities in breakaway South Ossetia, were released on October 30 and will soon be handed over to the Georgian side, Shota Utiashvili, head of interior ministry’s information and analytical department, told Civil __[]__
 * MINSK, 30 October (BelTA) – 2010 should be the year to recover the rapid economic growth.
 * Tskhinvali Releases 16 Georgians**

Foreign direct investments (FDI) in Georgia fell to USD 226.1 million in the first half of 2009, down from USD 1.143 billion in the same period of 2008, according to the Georgian Statistics Department. __[]__
 * Georgia’s FDI Down by 80.2% in H1**

TBILISI, Georgia — Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the streets of this capital city on Thursday bearing signs and chanting slogans against President Mikheil Sakkashvili, who took office five years ago with promises of a progressive, pro-Western government. __[]__ =<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 27px;"> =
 * Thousands Demonstrate Against Georgian President**

=<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Kazakhstan = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">On Oct. 30, the chairman of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament, Kasim-Zhomart Tokayev met with Ramil Hasanov, the Secretary General of the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking states, the Senate reported. [] <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'Lucida Grande',Verdana,sans-serif;"> (SRI) - Karachaganak Petroleum Operating (KPO), a joint venture led by British BG Group and Italian Eni, suspended legal proceedings against the Kazakh government to recover more than $1 billion in export duties it had paid to Kazakhstan, Reuters reported. [] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'Lucida Grande',Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> **Kazakhstan prepares for return of good old commercial banking** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'Lucida Grande',Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Now that Kazakhstan’s economy is starting to revive, the country’s major banks are preparing for a resumption of growth in the sector - but a period of more cautious and conservative growth. []
 * Kazakh parliament to fully support TurkPA **
 * Karachaganak consortium to suspend Kazakhstan legal action **

=<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;"> = <span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> =**<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Kyrgyzstan **= **Kyrgyzstan to strengthen ties with Russia within intergovernmental commission** Kyrgyzstan plans to strengthen its ties with Russian within the intergovernmental commission, Valentin Vlasov, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russia to Kyrgyzstan told mass media on Monday, <span class="wiki_link_ext">news agency "24.kg" reported. [] <span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">Kurmanbek Bakiev the President of Kyrgyzstan takes part in the Bishkek Council’s session devoted to Bishkek development program 2009-2012. []
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kyrgyz leader attends Bishkek council’s session **

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Kyrgyzstan To Pay Gas Debt To Uzbekistan** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan plans to pay its debt for Uzbek natural gas by December 1, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. [] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">

=**<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Moldova **= **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">First attempt to elect Moldova's president likely to take place on 10 November ** <span class="wiki_link">Chisinau, 3 November /MOLDPRES/ - The parliament will attempt to elect the president on 10 November, Speaker Mihai Ghimpu has said. [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> **Rebel Moldovan region seeks more Russian peacekeepers** ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CHISINAU (Reuters) - Transdniestria, a strip of land that fought a brief war to break away from Moldova nearly 20 years ago, wants Russia to boost its peacekeeping troops after pro-Western parties formed a government in the ex-Soviet state. ====

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> [] <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"> A new pro-Western government has taken office in Moldova after winning the approval of parliament. [| http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8275641.stm]<span style="font-family: verdana,helvetica,sans;">
 * Moldova gets new pro-Western PM **

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=**<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Tajikistan <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px;"> **= **Tajikistan set to free 10,000 prisoners** <span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**<span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">Tajikistan's parliament has approved a presidential-backed move to amnesty around 10,000 prisoners. ** <span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"> [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Dushanbe, November 2, Interfax - Tajik security services seized 28 persons suspected of membership in international terrorist organizations this year, National Security Committee deputy head Abdullo Nazarov said on Monday. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"> [|http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6605 =] **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ethnic hostility is a big, maybe the biggest, part of the Afghan war **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">28 suspected Islamic terrorists caught in Tajikistan in 2009 **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Tajik ethnic minority is using its U.S.-backed power in Kabul to lord it over their historic Pashtun rivals
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=<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Turkmenistan = **EU should focus more on Turkmenistan in Nabucco: U.S. analyst** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The European Union (EU) will pay more attention to the Turkmen gas in the Nabucco gas pipeline project. [] **Iran, Turkmenistan Discuss Gas Transit To Europe - Report** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> LONDON (Dow Jones)--Iran and Turkmenistan started a new round of talks Saturday to discuss the transit of Turkmen gas to Europe via Iran, an Iranian news agency said Sunday. []

**<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> TURKMENISTAN: ASHGABAT SET TO SILENCE CIVIC ACTIVIST ** <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Human rights groups are calling for top-level Western and Russian diplomatic intervention to halt the politically motivated prosecution of an environmental activist in Turkmenistan. Political and economic considerations make it unlikely that such outreach will be forthcoming, however. [] = =

=**<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 27px;">Ukraine **= = Ukraine presidential campaign undermined by mud-slinging = HOPES FOR a clean presidential election campaign in Ukraine have been dashed in its opening days, as allies of the two main contenders trade accusations of rape and child abuse. [|http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/1026/1224257457689.html] <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #2529af; font-family: Arial,Helvetica; line-height: normal;"> Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn has admitted that if President Viktor Yuschenko does not sign the law on the increase of social standards, the parliament is likely to endorse this law once again, the press service of the parliament said. ** [] <span style="color: #686868; font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
 * Lytvyn: Rada Likely To Again Back Law On Increase Of Social Standards If Yuschenko Refuses To Sign Already Endorsed On

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">According to press release given by Gorshenin Institute to UNIAN, before adopting any mandatory vaccination laws, Government should restore people’s trust in this procedure. This view was expressed by several experts interviewed by Gorshenin Institute for its survey regarding first vaccination law passed by Verkhovna Rada. ** [|http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-343623.html]
 * Implementation of mandatory vaccination in Ukraine might have hidden agenda

=<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 27px;">Uzbekistan<span style="color: #808000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"> **Lifting Uzbekistan arms embargo 'unconscionable' ALMATY: Activists expressed horror on Wednesday over the lifting of an EU arms embargo on Uzbekistan, saying Tashkent had been rewarded despite making virtually no progress on its dismal rights record. ** = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">ISLAMABAD — Far from home and with nowhere else to go, desperate Uzbeks known for their fighting skill and brutality have fled a major offensive in Pakistan's tribal region, officials and residents say. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]
 * Pakistan's 'desperate' Uzbek fighters far from home

The European Union is preparing to lift sanctions against Uzbekistan, introduced after Andijan killings, trying to improve ties with Central Asian states to help secure and diversify future energy supplies, Reuters report with the reference to anonymous EU diplomats. []
 * EU preparing end sanctions on Uzbekistan **