25 July 2007 News Digest
Kyrgyzstan to tighten laws on religious groups
12 July
Kyrgyzstan will tighten regulation and surveillance of religious groups in largely Muslim Central Asian nation, a government official said Thursday, citing concerns about extremist groups. More than 2,100 religious organizations are currently registered with authorities, said Toigonbek Kalmatov, director of the State Agency for Religious Matters. Another 400 are believed to be operating illegally in the country and are causing "great difficulties," Kalmatov said, naming a few including Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, the Falun Gong spiritual movement, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation movement and Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a banned group that advocates the establishment of a worldwide Islamic state. Kyrgyz laws required that all religious groups be officially registered and present an operating charter, Kalmatov told reporters. Authorities are obligated to monitor the groups to ensure they do not violate laws, and new legislative proposals would help tighten oversight, he said. "These measures have become necessary in connection with the great number of religious movements operating in Kyrgyzstan, illegally and without registration," he said. He gave no details regarding the new legislation. The poor, largely rural ex-Soviet state has been buffeted by political turmoil for nearly two years now and there are growing fears of Islamic extremism, particularly in the poor, densely populated Fergana Valley. (AP)
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH KARABAKH MEDIATORS
12 July
Vartan Oskanian met in Paris on July 10 with the French and Russian co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group that seeks to mediate a solution to the Karabakh conflict, and with a senior U.S. State Department official. According to a statement released by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the discussions focused on the results of the June 9 meeting in St. Petersburg between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, the "possibilities of bringing the positions of the two sides closer to each other," and "further steps in the negotiating process." U.S. co-Chairman Matthew Bryza was quoted on July 9 as saying that the talks have reached the stage where the Armenian and Azerbaijan foreign ministers have "shown political will and taken the negotiations about as far as they can go," and that the two presidents now "need to make some serious decisions." Bryza said the mediators favor a "compromise" between the internationally recognized principles of the territorial integrity of states and the right to self-determination, but that there is "no universal formula" for achieving such a compromise. It is not clear whether and when the co-chairs will hold a similar meeting with Oskanian's Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov, day.az noted on July 10. (RFE/RL)
GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT GIVES GREEN LIGHT FOR REPATRIATION OF MESKHETIANS
12 July
Deputies approved on July 11 in the third and final reading by a vote of 117 in favor and 19 against a bill that would pave the way for the return to Georgia of the Meskhetians who were deported to Central Asia on Soviet leader Josef Stalin's orders in November 1944, together with their descendants. Those Meskhetians who want to return to Georgia will have to provide documentary evidence that they (or their parents) were indeed deported, and lodge a formal application with the Georgian government by December 31, 2008. The Georgian authorities will not be obliged to provide those who return with any financial assistance. The Meskhetians are Muslims, but their ethnogenesis is disputed: some claim they are Georgians; others, Turks. They first began agitating to be allowed to return to Georgia following the 1957 decree that exonerated the various deported peoples of collaboration with Nazi Germany and lifting the travel restrictions imposed at the time of their deportation. Unlike the Chechens, Ingush, Karachais and Balkars, the Meskhetians were for decades refused permission to return to Georgia, and began doing so only in the 1980s. Many fled Uzbekistan in 1989 following ethnic clashes in which some 100 Meskhetians were killed and resettled in the North Caucasus, from where several thousand have emigrated either to Turkey or the United States. Georgia pledged on joining the Council of Europe in 1999 to allow all Meskhetians who wished to do so to settle in Georgia, but failed to create conditions for them to do so. The number of Meskhetians likely to take advantage of the new law to settle in Georgia is estimated at between 40,000 and 100,000. The opposition Conservative Party has consistently opposed allowing the Meskhetians to return to Georgia, questioning whether they consider themselves Georgian, speak Georgian, and will prove to be loyal citizens. (RFE/RL)
Georgia to stay away from S. Ossetia commission meeting
12 July
The Georgian co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission for the settlement of the conflict between Georgia and its breakaway South Ossetia region will stay away from a planned meeting of the commission co-chairmen on Friday, the Russian co-chairman said on Thursday. "Unfortunately, I have been unable to persuade Mr. [Merab] Antadze to join us at the meeting in [the South Ossetian capital] Tskhinvali. However, the Russian, South Ossetian and North Ossetian co-chairmen will go ahead with the meeting," the Russian co-chairman, Yury Popov, told Interfax. North Ossetia is a Russian region bordering South Ossetia. (Interfax)
TAJIK COURT DISMISSES HEAD-SCARF COMPLAINT
13 July
A Tajik district court in Dushanbe on July 12 ruled to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Tajik student challenging the constitutionality of a state ban on wearing Islamic head scarves in schools and universities, according to RFE/RL's Tajik Service. The case, brought by 20-year-old university student Davlatmoh Ismoilova, was the first legal challenge to the Tajik ban that was imposed earlier this year. Ismoilova vowed to appeal the dismissal of the case. (RFE/RL)
AZERBAIJANI AND RUSSIAN COMMISSIONS ON DELIMITATION OF BOUNDARIES MEET IN MAKHACHKALA
13 July
The 13th meeting of Azerbaijani and Russian Commissions on delimitation of the boundaries took place in Makhachkala, the Republic of Dagestan, July 11-12, Foreign Affairs Ministry’s press service said. The delegates of the relevant state bodies, experts, and heads of the boundary regions of Azerbaijan (Gusar, Khachmaz and Balakan) attended the state commissions’ meeting led by Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov and special envoy of Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry A.Yakovenko. The meeting participants discussed the issues of unagreed boundary lines, as well as studied the additional legal documents on delimitation of the state boundaries and maps on land use. The sides agreed to hold the next meeting in Azerbaijan. (Azertag)
SCHOLARS RAISE ALARM OVER DECLINE OF DAGHESTAN'S LANGUAGES
13 July
Participants at a roundtable discussion in Makhachkala on July 12 expressed their concern at the "lamentable" situation with regard to the teaching of the republic's various languages in schools, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. They noted that although the republic's constitution affirms that all ethnic groups are equal, it designates as a "state language" only the languages of the 14 titular nationalities (Avars, Aguls, Azeris, Dargins, Kumyks, Laks, Lezgins, Nogais, Rutuls, Tabasarans, Tats, Tsakhurs, Chechens, and Russians). But in fact Russian, which is taught even in kindergartens, has usurped the role of state language and a means of communication between other ethnic groups, while the languages of the smaller ethnic groups are in danger of dying out. Radio broadcasting in languages other than Russian has been phased out in recent years, while television broadcasting has been drastically reduced. The participants contrasted the situation in Daghestan, where even senior high-school students spend only four hours per week studying their native language, literature, and history, with that in Kabardino-Balkaria, where the comparable figure is 36 hours, and they appealed to Daghestan's President Mukhu Aliyev to take immediate measures to protect all the republic's languages. (RFE/RL)
KAZAKHSTAN Central Election Committee registered NSDP party list
16 July
The Central Election Commission registered the party list of the National Social-Democratic Party on June 14. CEC press release widespread before the session states, the agency reports. As it was informed earlier, till the present the CEC registered the party list of Nur Otan Party. CEC received the lists of seven party organizations, including the National Democratic Party Nur Otan (its congress approved the list of 127 candidates), Party Rukhaniyat (11), Party Ak zhol (114), the National Social-Democratic Party (80), Party Auyl (40), the Communistic National Party of Kazakhstan (22) and the Party of Patriots (13). Registration of party lists will be prolonged till July 17. Since July 18 the parties will be able to start pre-election campaign. Extraordinary elections to Majilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan (according to party lists) will take place on August 18. (Kazakhstan Today)
GEORGIA ANNOUNCES PLAN TO LEASE POTI SEAPORT
16 July
In an official statement released by the Georgian Economy Ministry in Tbilisi, Georgia announced on July 13 that it plans to lease its Black Sea port of Poti and 400 hectares of adjacent land as part of a new "free economic zone." The plan, which follows recent parliamentary approval of the free economic zone, offers a49-year lease for the port in an international tender that is to close on September 14. The announcement follows the visit to Poti in February by a group of executives from the United Arab Emirates company Dubai World that conducted a preliminary feasibility study of the port. The same Dubai-based group has also announced plans to invest about $1.5 billion in various real-estate projects in the country. (RFE/RL)
TURKMEN PRESIDENT RESHUFFLES CABINET
16 July
During a special enlarged cabinet meeting in Ashgabat on July 13, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov announced the dismissal of several ministers and officials, including Turkmen Supreme Court Chairman Yagsygeldi Esenov and Oil and Gas Minister Gurbanmurat Ataev, Turkmen television and Interfax reported. Esenov was dismissed as Supreme Court chairman for "failing to properly perform his duties and for numerous violations," and was replaced by Ashgabat Judge Chary Khodzhamyradov. Ataev was removed "in connection with his appointment to another job," and was replaced by Maimurat Khojamuhammedov for a six-month probationary term. Ataev, a former long-serving deputy minister before his appointment to the full cabinet post by the late President Saparmurat Niyazov in December 2005, is also a deputy prime minister. Further changes included the appointment of Maysa Yazmuhammedova as the new deputy prime minister in charge of culture, media, and health-care issues, and the replacement of Textile Industry Minister Yklymberdy Paromov with Jemal Goklenova, who held the same post before being fired by Niyazov. Yazmuhammedova, a former deputy governor of the Ahal region, served as the head of the country's largest trade union prior to the appointment. (RFE/RL)
Local Hizb-ut-Tahrir leader detained in southern Kyrgyzstan - ministry
17 July
One of the local leaders of the Hizb-ut-Tahrir extremist organization, Alisher Iminzhanov, has been detained in the south of Kyrgyzstan, the republic's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday. "The man was detained in the city of Osh. He was a senior member of this extremist organization. Iminzhanov was earlier prosecuted for inciting religious hatred. An investigation is underway," the ministry said.
"A special purpose operation is currently being conducted in the capital ahead of the SCO summit due on August 16," the Bishkek police department told Interfax. These efforts "are intended to dismantle the activities of extremist organizations and to prevent illegal migration on the territory of Bishkek," the department said. Underground extremist organizations could have up to 5,000 supporters in Kyrgyzstan, according to specialists of the country's security services. (Interfax)
Ingush president's family residence comes under attack, no fatalities – official
17 July
The residential area and the house, where Ingush President Murat Zyazikov and his relatives reside, came under grenade fire on Monday evening, an Ingush Interior Ministry spokesman told Interfax. "The fire was launched with a shoulder-held anti-tank grenade launcher. No one was injured in the attack," ministry spokesman Yakhya Khadziyev told Interfax. An investigative team, led by Ingushetia's prosecutor and Interior Ministry officials, is working at the scene of the attack, he said. An Interior Ministry official earlier reported that, "the murder of the family of a Russian teacher early on Monday and the attack on the president's house are part of a plan to upset stability in the republic and in southern Russia."
A source in the Nazran interior department said that the fire hit the house, where the head of the presidential security service Rustambek Zyazikov resides. "No one was hurt in the attack," he said. Ingushetia's Prosecutor Yury Turygin told Interfax that he would travel to the scene to investigate. "No criminal case has been opened thus far. An investigation must be conducted first," he said. The murder of a mathematics teacher, Lyudmila Teryokhina, and her two children had great resonance with the public. Lyudmila and her children were found dead in their house in the village of Ordzhonikidzevskaya early on Monday. Empty pistol cartridges were discovered at the scene. The killing is being probed under murder charges. (Interfax)
Two terror attacks in Ingushetia: 7 people wounded
18 July
Gunmen assaulted a vehicle carrying troops, injuring one person, in the town of Karabulak in Ingushetia at about 02:15 p.m. Moscow time today. As a REGNUM correspondent was told at the Ingushetian interior ministry, a special investigation group left for the scene of the accident. Earlier today, a bomb detonated during a funeral ceremony of a school teacher and her children shot in her home in the village of Ordzhonikidzevskaya. Six people were hurt. Prosecution started investigation on the case. (Regnum)
Campaigning starts in Kazakhstan
18 July
Campaigning has begun in Kazakhstan for the parliamentary elections in August. The vote was triggered by changes to the constitution that the government claims will make parliament stronger. Seven parties are standing, but analysts predict the governing party of President Nursultan Nazarbayev will, once again, win a huge majority. International monitors have judged previous polls to be deeply flawed, and Kazakhstan is under pressure to hold these elections in a more open manner. The European security organisation OSCE has set up an election observation mission in the country, to monitor the electoral process. Nur-Otan, the country's ruling party, marked the beginning of the month-long race with balloons and banners in one of Almaty's parks. A few hundred party members listened as candidates praised President Nazarbayev, the head of the party. On the other side of the city, opposition leaders laid flowers and chanted "Victory is ours!" as they marked the first day of campaigning. "We are backed by truth and justice," Bolat Abilov, one of the leaders, told a group of supporters. "We will get into parliament, form the government and press ahead with reforms Kazakhstan has always dreamt about," he is quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. But analysts predict the opposition's chances of gaining a significant presence in parliament as a result of the 18 August polls are slim. There was only one opposition seat under the previous assembly. Some observers say that, under pressure from the international community, President Nazarbayev might allow a greater opposition presence this time. But one opposition leader is already critical of the way the campaign is going. "We tried to put our TV advertisements... showing what our party is standing for," he told the BBC. "But all TV channels, all of them, denied us. But at the same time, each evening, you could see a lot of Nur-Otan TV advertisements." Even the government admits that political reform is lagging behind economic changes. Kazakhstan's economy, fuelled by billions of western investment, is growing faster than any other in the former Soviet Union. (BBC)
Kyrgyz special-needs kids get learning aid
19 July
Kyrgyzstan will be getting financial aid to educate children with special needs. The Asian Development Bank said Thursday it will provide $1 million to assist the government's program to help children with learning issues, particularly those from poorer families. "Very few children with special needs actually receive education or training, and most of them remain outside the system of mainstream education," said Asel Chyngysheva, senior project implementation officer of the ADB's Kyrgyz resident mission. The Manila-based agency said that there were officially about 17,100 children with disabilities under the age of 18 in 2004, but pointed out that it believes the actual number to be higher. Of those who were registered with the government, only about one-fifth were enrolled at specialized institutions, while about 2,650 went to mainstream schools but faced learning difficulties there. (UPI)
Voting begins in fledgling 'state'
19 July
Voting for a new leader started in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh on Thursday in an election intended to stress the Armenian-populated region's self-proclaimed independence from Azerbaijan. The head of the region's election commission Sergey Nasibyan hailed the election campaign as democratic and said local and foreign observers were monitoring the polls, Armenian television reported.
Muslim Azerbaijan, which lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh after a war in the early 1990s, has already denounced the election as illegal under international law. At least 25 percent of the enclave's 91,000 voters have to take part for the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (0300 to 1500 GMT) election to be considered valid by Karabakh authorities. Anyone taking over 50 percent of the votes in the first round wins outright. Karabakh seceded from Azerbaijan in the 1990s and proclaimed independence, though this has not been recognized by the rest of the world. No international organizations will monitor the vote, in which five hopefuls are running to replace Karabakh's current leader Arkady Gukasyan, who is due to step down after holding the post for two five-year terms. Bako Saakyan, a 46-year-old former head of Karabakh's security service who is openly supported by the incumbent, is the favorite to win. His main rival is the region's deputy foreign minister Masis Mailyan, aged 39. Many of the Azeri minority fled during the fighting, which claimed more than 35,000 lives before a cease-fire was brokered in 1994, and the region is now populated almost entirely by ethnic Armenians, who enjoy Christian Armenia's backing. Both leading contenders are adamant on the main issue -- full independence for Karabakh. Saakyan says he wants to make the sliver of land and its 140,000 people "an example of democratic rule" to persuade the international community to recognize Karabakh's independence. "Creating civil society is the way towards resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue," he has said during his campaign. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has been trying to broker a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the 1994 cease-fire. (Reuters)
Turkmenistan, China reach energy deal
20 July
Turkmenistan and China reached a deal on energy, economic and security cooperation during a meeting of leaders in Beijing. They shook hands over meeting China's massive energy demand with Turkmenistan's natural gas deposits and creating a partnership in Central Asia. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao called for a "long-term and stable energy cooperation with mutual benefit," referring to a natural gas pipeline deal each country's presidents signed, the Xinhua news agency reports. The China National Petroleum Corp. will purchase 1.05 trillion cubic feet of natural gas a year for 30 years via the as-yet-to-be-built Central Asia Gas Pipeline. The billions of dollars deal will end around Russia, which hopes to capitalize on its own large gas deposits and China's needs. Russia imports gas as well. Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov assured China it could fulfill its obligation to both Chinese and Russian demand, Kommersant reports. (UPI)
2-3 magnitude earthquake struck Almaty
2-3 magnitude earthquake struck Almaty, the agency reports referring to the press service of city Rescue service. According to the press service, the epicenter of earthquake was in the area of ridge Halyk-Tau, 402 kilometers to the south east of Almaty, on the territory of China. In the epicenter the earthquake force reached 12.8 by Richter scale. (Kazakhstan Today)
Tajik MPs approve internet curbs
20 July
Tajikistan's parliament has approved legislation making it a criminal offence to publish false or offensive information on the internet. The bill must be signed off by President Emomali Rakhmon before becoming law. Under the proposal, anyone who publishes statements that "offend dignity" may face imprisonment. Tajik media are largely state-run and human rights groups say the country lacks freedom of expression. While only a small proportion of the mountainous country's six million people have access to the internet, it provides a rare space for dissent, campaigners say. Human rights groups have criticised Tajik authorities for using legislation against slandering the president to restrict political debate. "In practice, the defamation provisions are often applied not only to factually false attacks on reputation, but when the media criticises politicians," the London-based human rights group Article 19 said in a report published on Friday. (BBC)
Energy-rich Turkmenistan wants foreign investment for Caspian Sea resort
22 July
Turkmenistan announced plans to spend $1 billion and seek additional foreign investment to build a major tourist resort on the Caspian Sea. The plans for Turkmenbashi, the main port of the energy-rich Central Asian country, were presented July 21 at a government meeting attended by Turkmenistan's president, Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, and representatives of 40 foreign companies. Turkmenbashi, which until 1993 was called Krasnovodsk, is home to Turkmenistan's largest oil refinery. The city also has 16 kilometers of shoreline. The government said Saturday it would create the first free economic zone in the country to attract investment for building tourism infrastructure and also for the general economic development of the port. International oil and gas companies have been intensifying their competition for access to Turkmenistan's vast energy resources. Foreign access was all but blocked under Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan's long-ruling autocratic president, but since his death in December the new government has been more welcoming of foreign investment in the energy sector. On July 21, the Turkmenistan government signed an agreement with Russian independent gas producer Itera to build a $800 million urea plant in Turkmenbashi. In recent months, Turkmenistan has given Russian oil giant OAO Lukoil approval to work three fields in the Caspian and extended an invitation to Chevron Corp. to open an office. Only two major foreign companies already extract oil in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian shelf: Malaysia's national oil company, Petroliam Nasional Bhd.; and Dragon Oil PLC of the United Arab Emirates. The plans for Turkmenbashi call for building 60 hotels, restaurants, a 3,000-seat stadium, sports facilities and shopping centers. "The main aim is to create comfortable conditions for the Turkmen people on vacation," Berdymukhamedov said. Turkmenbashi is located about 700 kilometers from Ashgabat, the capital of the former Soviet republic, and directly across the Caspian from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The port was founded in the 19th century as a Russian fort. It was renamed in 1993 for Niyazov, who called himself Turkmenbashi, the father of all Turkmen. (AP)
RUSSIAN AND AZERBAIJANI DELEGATIONS AGREE ON MUTUAL BROADCASTING
23 July
The delegations of Azerbaijan and Russian Federation had talks July 23 to discuss mutual broadcasting of Russian and Azerbaijan broadcasting agencies’ TV programs in both countries. The delegation of Azerbaijan includes representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Communication and Information Technologies, “Azerbaijan Television and Radio Programs†joint-stock company, National Television and Radio Council. The delegation of Russia led by Deputy Minister of Culture and Communications Leonid Nadirov is comprised of representatives of the Russian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture and Communications, “Channel One†joint-stock company, RTR TV channel. Russian Ambassador in Azerbaijan Vasiliy Istratov was present at the meeting. The delegations agreed the draft agreement on terms and conditions of broadcasting of the Russian TV channels in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani ones in Russia. At the same time, it was decided that experts of both countries would continue to discuss the draft technical contract on broadcasting services. (Azertag)
Afghanistan's former King dies aged 92
23 July
Former King Mohammad Zahir Shah, whose 40-year reign until his exile in 1973 coincided with one of the most peaceful periods in Afghanistan's recent history, died on Monday, aged 92. "With paramount grief, I would like to inform my countrymen that ... Mohammad Zahir Shah has bid farewell to this mortal world," President Hamid Karzai told reporters at the presidential palace. State television interrupted its normal broadcast and a woman dressed black with a black headscarf announced Zahir Shah had died. Prayers and recitals from the Koran followed. The former king died in his bed after months of illness. Describing him as the founder of Afghanistan's democracy and a symbol of national unity, Karzai announced three days of national mourning for the former king and ordered flags to be flown at half mast. Zahir Shah ruled Afghanistan from 1933 until he was deposed by his cousin in 1973. He lived in exile in Italy before returning home as an ordinary citizen in 2002, but was accorded the honorary title "father of the nation."
"When I saw the mountains of my country, my people, my friends -- what is better than this," he said shortly after his return. "I wish just to be able to do things for my country and serve it." Zahir Shah came from a long line of ethnic Pashtun rulers and is a distant relative of President Karzai. The former king's reign is remembered as one of the most tranquil periods of Afghanistan's turbulent history. (Reuters)
US: 50 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
23 July
U.S.-led coalition and Afghan soldiers "routed" a large number of Taliban fighters in a two-day battle in southern Afghanistan's poppy-growing heartland, killing more than 50 suspected militants, the coalition said Monday. The battle in Helmand province's Sangin district saw the insurgents attempt to shoot down a coalition aircraft and attack soldiers with a suicide car bomb, the coalition said in a statement. Coalition aircraft dropped four bombs during the engagement, and Afghan forces counted "more than four dozen" insurgents killed, it said. The Sangin district chief, Eizatullah Khan, said a big group of Taliban had attacked a convoy of vehicles Sunday afternoon. He said the battle left more than 30 Taliban dead and many wounded. Coalition and Afghan forces "only engaged legitimate military and enemy targets to minimize the potential of Afghan casualties," said U.S. Maj. Chris Belcher, a coalition spokesman. "We did this even as the insurgents tried to create some propaganda value by placing innocent civilians in harms way." Civilian casualties have been a major problem for U.S. and NATO forces this year. Taliban militants often fight in populated areas or seek cover in civilian homes, leading to the deaths of ordinary Afghans. There were no immediate reports of civilian casualties during the battle, but those reports sometimes take a day or two to surface. In Zabul province, meanwhile, Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior said Afghan police forces killed 14 "enemies" during a 12-hour battle Sunday, including a Taliban commander identified as Mohammad Hassan. The ministry said Hassan was the head of administrative affairs during the Taliban's rule. (AP)
Russia no longer Georgia's biggest trade partner, statistics show
23 July
Trade between Georgia and Russia fell 4.4 percent to $322m in the first quarter of 2007, compared to the same period a year earlier, the Georgian State Statistics Department reported, indicating that this was the first time that Russia has ceded its leading position in Georgia's foreign trade to Turkey, whose contribution stood at $387m in Q1 2007. Georgia's trade with the CIS has also dropped. Where in January-June 2006, the CIS's share of Georgia's overall foreign trade stood at 41 percent, it has shrunk to 37 percent this year . At the same time, Georgia's trade with Ukraine has surged 41 percent to $263m, which put the republic at 3rd place among Georgia's foreign trade partners. Overall, Georgia's trade reached $2.7bn in H1 2007, a 37-percent increase from January-June 2006, with exports increasing 20.1 percent to $548.6m. (RBC)
AZERBAIJANI AND RUSSIAN EXPERTS TO DISCUSS BORDER DELIMITATION IN BALAKEN
24 July
The group of Azerbaijani and Russian experts will discuss in Balaken, Azerbaijan the issues concerning delimitation of the parts of borders that have not been agreed yet. The final document on the border research will be put onto the agenda of the 14th joint meting of the State Commission on delimitation of borders between Azerbaijan and Russia to be held in Baku. During the 13th meeting held July 11-12, the sides decided to work on the proposals to make their positions closer and search for a common approach to the uncoordinated parts of the border. (Azertag)
