Washington ProFile - International News & Information Agency - Issue ESD_31

Report: Armenian Economy to Reach European Standards by 2023

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:57:55 -0400

On July 26, the Armenian-European Policy and Legal Advice Center (AEPLAC) presented its annual report, "Armenian Economic Trends: 2006".

ARMENIA: Turkish Premier Bans Terming Genocide 'So-Called'

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:56:56 -0400

Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a confidential decree banning the use of the term “sozde”, (“alleged” or “so-called" in Turkish) when referring to the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian Military Heading to Iraq, Skipping Afghanistan

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:51:51 -0400

The sixth rotation of Armenian peacekeepers performing their humanitarian mission in Iraq began on July 18.

Azerbaijan to Be Part of Joint Regional Energy System

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:50:15 -0400

Azerbaijan is conducting negotiations with Georgia, Russia and Turkey to establish a joint energy system.

AZERBAIJAN: Iran May Consider Providing Military Assistance to Baku

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:48:54 -0400

If Baku asks Tehran for military assistance should hostilities resume between Azerbaijan and Armenia, “Iran may think about it,” the Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Afshar Soleymani, told Baku Sun.

Azeri Exports Highly Dependent on Energy Industry

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:46:46 -0400

According to economic data of the first quarter of 2007, oil products constituted 27.24 percent of Azerbaijan’s exports.

BELARUS: Caracas and Minsk to Pursue Military Cooperation

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:45:12 -0400

Venezuela and Belarus will be signing military contracts worth over a billion U.S. dollars by early August, announced Victor Sheiman, the secretary of the Belorussian Security Council, who also heads the bilateral economic cooperation committee.

Belorussian Security Services Allege Uncovering a Spy Ring

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:06:39 -0400

On July 15, the Federal Security Committee of Belarus (FSC) announced that it had uncovered a clandestine Polish military intelligence network, which included four servicemen of the Belorussian Army and an officer of Russian armed forces.

Report: Georgia Joins Ranks with Countries Practicing Internet Censorship

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:36:04 -0400

A new “Governing the Internet” report released by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in July has placed Georgia among countries imposing excessive restrictions on how people use the Internet.

Going Once, Twice, Sold! Georgian Power Plant Goes to the Highest Bidder

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:33:29 -0400

The Georgian Ministry of Economy has auctioned off its oldest hydropower plant, Zahesi, on the outskirts of Tbilisi for $41 million.

‘Stable’ Economic Outlook for Georgian Economy

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:31:02 -0400

The global credit rating agency Fitch said on July 18 it had assigned a ‘BB-’ rating to Georgia, and “a stable outlook” for its economy.

South Kazakhstan to Get 24/7 Clean Running Water

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:28:20 -0400

The head of the South Kazakhstan region Umirzak Shukeyev, in implementing the “Clean Water” program, has instructed the regional heads to ensure that all the regional centers and major towns are provided with a 24-hour supply of drinking water by October.

Opposition Party Banned From Showing Campaign Videos on TV

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:26:38 -0400

Four channels of Kazakh television have refused to broadcast the election campaign videos of the opposition National Social-Democratic Party (NSDP).

KYRGYZSTAN: Authorities Investigate Suspicious HIV/AIDS Exposure Cases

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:20:04 -0400

the Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan Tuygunali Abdraimov, the country’s chief sanitary physician and the head of the Osh regional HIV/AIDS Center have all arrived to the Nookat District of the Osh region where they have been tasked by the president of Kyrgyzstan to set up a special commission to investigate the cases of 10 local residents exposed to the HIV/AIDS virus “under suspicious circumstances”.

Kyrgyz Authorities Crack Down on Hizb ut Tahrir

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:02:27 -0400

In the first ever special operation called “Extremist,” conducted in the northern Issyk-Kul region of the country, Kyrgyz law-enforcement forces apprehended several members of the “Hizb ut Tahrir” global Islamic political party, which is banned in Kyrgyzstan and several other Central Asian countries, among others.