8/9/2019 CERES News Digest Vol. 6 Week 5; Feb. 9 - 13

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2/9/15 –  2/13/15

 

 

 

 

8/9/2019 CERES News Digest Vol. 6 Week 5; Feb. 9 - 13

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President Vladimir Putin was one of the four main participantsin the talks held in Minsk this week to establish peace in easternUkraine. While Putin allegedly encouraged pro-Russian rebelleaders to sign the agreed-upon ceasefire on Thursday, hecontinued to push for a federalized Ukraine. It also remainsunclear whether Russia will release Nadia Savchenko, aUkrainian pilot being held in Moscow in connection with thedeath of two Russian journalists in Ukraine, as demanded byUkrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

 New York Times RFE/RL 

On Wednesday, the Turkish military announced thatsecurity forces detained 13 foreigners and one Turk seekingto cross the border into Syria to join the Islamic Statemilitants. The 14 suspects were detained on Monday inOguzeli, south of Gaziantep.The foreigners are scheduled to be deported, while the Turk was released by order of a state prosecutor. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu last monthvowed to stem the flow of foreign fighters through Turkeyto Syria.

Reuters Xinhua

On Thursday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreedto grant Ukraine a $17.5 billion bailout to stabilize thecountry as it spirals into default. The new plan replaces an oldemergency bailout that was extended last year after theousting of Viktor Yanukovych. Christine Lagarde, ManagingDirector of the IMF, said the bailout would be a “turning point for Ukraine,” which will now receive $40 billion inrelief from various sources over four years. Theannouncement comes as a peace deal was reached in Minsk toend fi htin  in eastern Ukraine.

 New York Times BBC 

Georgia launched an online visa application for thosewishing to travel to the country either for tourism or for business. The measure was taken five months after thegovernment tightened migration regulations. Georgiamaintains visa free travel for citizens of around 104countries. Previously the maximum length of visa-free staywas 360 days; however it has been cut to 90 days in any 180

Agenda.ge Civil.ge 

On Monday, hundreds of supporters of the ProsperousArmenia party (BHK) staged a protest in Yerevan after political activist Artak Khachatryan was attacked.Khachatryan, who had recently spoken at BHK protestsagainst a controversial tax law, was forced into a car and beaten for five hours last Saturday. BHK leaders say theattack was politically motivated, but Prime Minister HovikAbrahamian denied that the government was involved, sayingthat BHK should be careful not to exploit the attack for

Asbarez Armenia Weekly 

On Thursday, Moldova’s parliament voted down the cabinet proposed by the pro-European Prime Minister Lurie Luanca,once again plunging the country into a state of politicaluncertainty. 42 lawmakers voted in favor, while 51 voteswere necessary for the government to be approved. Thecabinet failed to win the support of the Communist andLiberal Party that opted out of coalition negotiations inJanuary.

WSJ RFE/RL 

BeltaYahoo!

A prominent Azerbaijani activist has been living in the Swissembassy for the past six months, Swiss Public Televisionreported and Swiss authorities confirmed. Huseynov, agovernment critic who previous has been detained and beaten by police approached the embassy asking for asylum. TheSwiss government is in talks with Baku “to find a solution” tothe situation. 

Eurasia Net  RFL/RL 

Political leaders from France, Germany, Ukraine, and Russiamet in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Wednesday toattempt to end the increased violence in eastern Ukraine. Themeeting presented an opportunity for Belarus to recast itself asa sort of “peacemaker,” despite ongoing accusations of politicaauthoritarianism and persistent human rights abuses. Some political analysts have said that the talks will simply provide animage boost for President Lukashenko in advance of electionsin November.

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On Wednesday, February 11, Iran marked the 36th anniversary othe Islamic Revolution with rallies across the country. Whileaddressing a crowd gathered in Tehran, Iranian President HassanRouhani addressed Iran’s role in creating stability in the MiddleEast and discussed prospects for the ongoing nuclearnegotiations. “If you want peace and well-being to be in place inthe Middle East and you want terrorism to be uprooted, thenthere’s no path other than the presence of the Islamic Republic ofIran,” he declared. He also stated that Iran’s goal in the nuclear

talks is a “‘'win-win' outcome.” Reuters Christian Science Monitor  

On Tuesday, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions andHuman Rights opened an election observation mission forTajikistan’s upcoming parliamentary elections on March 1.Thecurrent OSCE chairman, Serbian First Deputy Prime MinisterIvica Dacic, appointed Italian parliamentarian Marietta Tideispecial coordinator of the short-term observer mission. Tideisaid in a statement that Tajiks "deserve the opportunity to holdan open and vibrant dialogue on the future of their countrythrough these elections" and that she hopes to reportimprovements over the 2013 presidential election.

RTT News  RFE/RL 

Representatives of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, andIndia met in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss the TAPI gas pipeline project. The countries signed an agreement to build the1,500 kilometer long pipeline in 2010 but have yet to beginconstruction of the pipeline. The TAPI project has stalled in part because the four nations have not been able to get aninternational firm to head a consortium to lay and operate the pipeline. India’s Minister of  Petroleum called on Turkmenistan toease its rules on foreign investment, which currently do not allow

foreign firms to hold an equity stake in upstream gas fields. World Bulletin  Economic Times 

Mongolian Prime Minister Chimed Saikhanbileg signed afree trade agreement with Japanese Prime Minister ShinzoAbe in Tokyo on Tuesday. The agreement is expected toremove tariffs on 96% of the combined total trade value between Mongolia and Japan. Japan is now assured access toMongolian natural resources, like coal, while Mongolia willnow be able to more cheaply import Japanese automobiles.Japan will also provide financial aid for ongoing Mongolianconstruction projects.

ABC  Japan Times 

Uzbekistan is cracking down on celebrations of Valentine’sDay, especially among Uzbek youth. The government hasturned February 14 into “national poetry day” as it rejectswhat it calls the “pernicious influence” of Western massculture. The new holiday will celebrate the poetry of theMughal conqueror Babur. Uzbek university students arealso now required to sign a declaration, promising they

won’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. 

On February 10, officials in the northern district of Jety-Oguzsaid that four local men have been detained after police founda gun and “extremist” texts at their homes in Ak -Terek.Officials claim that the four men are suspected members ofthe outlawed Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir. The same day,another suspected member of Hizb ut-Tahrir was detained inthe southern Batken province. Kyrgyzstan claims that Hizbut-Tahrir supports the aims of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State

militants to radicalize youth to fight in Syria and Iraq.

RFE/RL  Interfax 

RFE/RL  Jakarta Post 

U.S. government officials reported on Wednesday that theObama administration is considering a request from AfghanPresident Ashraf Ghani to slow the pace of U.S. troop withdrawafrom Afghanistan. General John Campbell told the Senate ArmedServices Committee on Thursday that he had provided optionsthat offer U.S. leaders flexibility in the pace and timing ofwithdrawals. Approximately 10,000 U.S. troops remain inAfghanistan to train Afghan troops and conduct counter-terrorismoperations, with that number expected to drop to 5,500 by the endof the year under the current plan.

Reuters VOA 

The Kazakhstan Central Bank stated on Thursday that it wouldkeep the tenge within a trading band of 170-188 to the dollarso long as the price of Brent crude oil remains at around $50 per barrel. Although the current budget was based onestimations of $80 per barrel of Brent crude, the central bankhas stated that it will introduce target inflation to the currencyflexible. In addition, the S&P Ratings Service downgradedKazakhstan’s credit rating on Monday to two notches above junk status due to the low oil prices.

Wall Street Journal Reuters 

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of-cease-fire-deal?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=world 

Speaking to Polish Radio 1 on Tuesday, Polish Defense MinisterTomasz Siemoniak responded to media speculation that Polandwould offer Ukraine anti-aircraft missiles and tanks, anddeclared that supplying neighboring Ukraine with heavywea ponry was “out of the question.” He noted that Poland hasalready supplied Ukraine with $4.6 million worth of food,clothing, and blankets, and was preparing another shipment ofsuch goods. Siemoniak also expressed skepticism about the prospects for Ukraine peace talks but reiterated the need for aceasefire agreement as a first step.

BBC  Fox 

A referendum to reinforce a constitutional ban on same-sexmarriage and same-sex adoption in Slovakia has failed due tolow turnout. The referendum was organized by the Alliance forthe Family, a conservative group that collected 400,000 votescalling for the popular vote. Only 21.4% of eligible citizensvoted. For the ballot to be valid 50% turnout was required.

BBC  WSJ 

A Romanian diplomat in Paris was recalled to Bucharest andfired after sending out email invitations with an attachedspreadsheet containing rude remarks about the guests. Theinvitation was to a reception in Paris with President KlausIohannis, but the email with the invitation also included aspreadsheet that called some guests “undesirable.” One guestwas even listed as being “ghastly.” Romania’s ambassador toFrance Bogdan Mazuru has called the event “unfortunate” andapologized for the remarks to some of the offended guests.

World Nuclear News  Ceske Noviny Artnet Times of Israel 

At the Munich Security Conference, Latvian Foreign MinisterRinkevics declared that although he agrees that the solution tothe Ukrainian conflict has to be achieved through diplomaticand political means, he does not rule out delivering weapons toKyiv in the future if the negotiations won’t lead to peace. Hefurther noted that Russian implementation of the deal must bethe focus of the talks.

WSJ  DW.de 

ABC News  Reuters 

RT 

Wall Street Journal  Reuters

 Nasdaq

During the visit of Czech President Milos Zeman to Jordan,the two governments have agreed to cooperate in the peaceful development of nuclear power. The Jordan AtomicEnergy Commission and UJV Rez a.s., which providesdesign and engineering services to Czech nuclear power plants, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)outlining their future cooperation. The MoU focuses oncooperation in preparatory logistics, construction, andoperation of nuclear power plants.

On Monday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkeviciussaid that arming Ukraine is a “logical step,” a break with the position of most of his European colleagues. Over theweekend, German, French and other governments came outagainst sending arms to Ukraine, arguing that it could worsenthe conflict and provoke Russia. Mr. Linkevicius said,however, that the West’s actions must be informed by thereality on the ground in eastern Ukraine: “Ukrainians aredefending (against) external aggression.” 

On Monday, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a prominent Jewishrights advocacy group, condemned an Estonian modern artexhibition in Tartu, accusing them of “sickening mockery” ofthe Holocaust. The exhibition, “My Poland: On Recalling andForgetting,” features eight works of modern with the conceptof looking at the trauma of the Holocaust through the prism ofhumor. The exhibition has come under harsh criticism sinceopening.

The Hungarian government has discussed closing its borders toimmigrants, who have been entering the country in recordnumbers this year. In January 2015 alone, Hungary receivedover 10,000 immigration requests, mainly from Kosovarsfleeing to Germany through Hungary. Germany has announcedit would send 20 police officers to patrol the Hungarian-Serbian border. Police have also noted an uptick in arrests of illegalimmigrants at the border; in February, police have beenarresting 1,100 - 1,700 people per day, up from 270 - 680 perday in January.

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On Thursday, Bulgaria and Greece agreed to make a finalinvestment decision by the end of May to build a gas pipelineto reduce reliance on Russian gas. Bulgarian Energy MinisterTemenuzhka Petkova said that the planned gas pipeline between Bulgaria and Greece is expected to becomeoperational by 2018. The Greek Energy Minister, PanagiotisLafazanis, assured Petkova that the Greek government willwork actively for the development of energy projects of

mutual interest to both countries. 

 Novinvite  Reuters 

On Monday, Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement toestablish an ethnically mixed court in the Mitrovica region ofnorthern Kosovo in an effort to grant greater judicialrepresentation to the region’s Serbian minority. The agreementwas reached during EU-brokered reconciliation talks inBrussels. Monday marked the initial resumption ofnormalization talks after a ten-month break, during which time both Kosovo and Serbia held elections.

RFE/RL  Sputnik  

On February 9, the Serbian army announced a sale of militarysurplus, including hundreds of Soviet-era tanks, to raisemoney for its armed forces. The sale includes more than16,000 pistols and 5,000 rocket launchers, along withthousands of rifle grenades and bullets. The Serbian Ministryof Defense said that the arms are not essential for Serbia’sdefense capabilities and they are only selling off surplusweapons “that have already been outdated or have passedtheir use- by date.” Only companies licensed in foreign armssales are allowed to bid.

 NewsAsia  BBC

A Croatian court has banned a dog from barking. Three-year-old Medo has been given a temporary court order to stop barking from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The owner’s neighbor claimsthat Medo’s barking has negatively affected his health and isasking for $3,160 in compensation if the dog does not stop barking. Although disliked by neighbors, Medo now has astrong social media solidarity movement.

Fox News  The Guardian 

In what Prime Minister Edi Rama described as a terrorist act,two bombs exploded in downtown Tirana early Tuesdaymorning. The bombs appear to be intended as a response to agovernment anti-crime drive. The first blast hit a pharmacy belonging to the father of Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri,who has led the anti-crime drive. A second blast damaged a police officer’s apartment. No one was injured in either blast,and a third bomb was found unexploded at a bus station anddefused by police. 

On Wednesday, Slovenian central bank governor Bosjan Jazbecheld a news conference to address allegations of datairregularities during bank bailouts in 2013 and 2014. Jazbecmaintained that all central bank actions were in accordance withlegislation. Allegations of improper management of the crisisalso addressed the central bank’s decision to wipe outsubordinated bonds and shareholders' capital in the rescued banks, causing to some 101,300 shareholders to lose out whenthe banks became state-owned.

Slovenian Press Agency  Reuters 

Deutsche Welle Reuters  Rts.rs BalkanInsight 

Reuters BBC

On Monday, Macedonia’s leading opposition politician ZoranZaev accused Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski of ordering theillegal wiretapping of more than 20,000 people. Zaev said that journalists, religious leaders, and opposition politicians,including leaders of ethnic Albanian political parties, wereamong those illegally recorded. Mr. Zaev himself has beencharged with conspiring with a foreign spy agency tooverthrow the government but denies the charges.

Montenegro has expelled a Serbian priest on the grounds ofrepresenting a “security threat” to the country. Velibor Dzomic,the top Serbian Orthodox Priest in Podgorica, left the countryon Sunday after being denied a residency permit for the fourthtime. The Montenegrin National Security Agency stated thatDzomic’s activities “jeopardized national security, peace andorder ,” refusing to disclose any further details.

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On Wednesday, Bosnia banned arms exports to Ukrainefollowing pressure from the Bosnian Serb community. TheBosnian arms producer Unis Group had a five million eurodeal to supply Ukraine with arms, but Bosnian Serbs spokeout strongly against the deal - a community with strong tiesto Russia. Russia also formally protested the sale of Bosnianarms to Ukraine. In a statement, the presidency said that armssales to Ukraine were not in Bosnian national interests andthreatened the Ukraine peace process. 

Moscow Times  RT