2/23/15 2/27/15

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cypriot President Nicos

Anastasiades signed an agreement on Tuesday that will allow

Russian navy ships to make regular calls at Cypriot ports.

Putin stated that the military arrangement isnt directed at any third party, and that the ships docking in Cyprus would be

involved primarily in international anti-terrorism and piracy

operations. The two presidents also discussed the possibility of

Russian planes using a Cypriot air base for humanitarian relief

missions.

Deutsche Welle US News and World Report

On Friday, Turkish police arrested a suspect outside the

U.S. consulate in Istanbul who claimed to have a bomb.

Police blocked off a street adjacent to the consulate and

checked the suspects car for explosives. The consulate announced that it had taken safety precautions for its staff

and visitors. Dogan News Agency reported that the suspect

is believed to be mentally unstable and is now in

questioning. Police announced that the man was not

carrying illegal materials or weapons.

Reuters Voice of America

In a statement on Thursday, Ukraines Ministry of Information Policy called on its citizens to enlist in Ukraines information forces to fight against online propaganda and disinformation by Russian trolls and pro-Kremlin news

media. Volunteer Internet fighters apply by signing up at their

new website i-army.org. The website reads, Many fronts have been opened against us, and one of the most crucial ones

is the information front. 35,000 individuals are reported to have signed up for the information army thus far.

Newsweek Moscow Times

The value of the Georgian currency, the lari, dropped sharply

against the U.S. dollar and lost up to 30 percent of its value by

February 25. According to Bloomberg, the lari is now one of the

worlds five worst performing currencies. Bidzina Ivanishvili, former Prime Minister and allegedly the informal ruler of

Georgia, made a statement on Thursday blaming the deterioration

of the economic situation on the head of the National Bank

Giorgi Kadagidze, who was appointed by the previous

government, led by the UNM party.

Civil.ge Messenger

Robert Nazaryan, the head of the Armenian Public Services

Regulatory Commission (PSRC), has been in talks with Russia

recently to freeze the price of natural gas despite changes in

currency valuation. During a meeting in Parliament on

Wednesday, Nazaryan told officials that fluctuations in the valuation of the dram currency are closely tied to energy prices.

The PSRC raised the price of electricity in July 2014 by 10

percent, which followed a 27 percent from the previous year due

to increasing import costs of Russian gas.

Armenia Now RFE/RL

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday she

hopes that Moldova will not be Vladimir Putins next target, given the countries struggle for stronger ties with Europe. She

made the statement at a press conference with the visiting

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. With the appointment of

a pro-European prime minister, Mr. Gaburici, after long inter-

party wrangling, Moldova will likely begin taking stronger

pro-EU stands that might not be welcomed in Moscow.

Wall Street Journal

Yahoo News

Reuters Moodys

Azerbaijani banks face risks given the overnight devaluation

of Azerbaijans currency, the manat, on Saturday. Azerbaijans Central Bank devalued the manat by around 33 percent against the dollar and 30 percent against the euro. The

devaluation was said to be aimed at stimulating the

diversification of Azerbaijans economy and improving export potential. It is feared that the devaluation will increase

inflation makes imports more expensive. Azerbaijan has been

severely hurt by the drop in the price of oil, the countrys main export.

Eurasia Net Bloomberg

Early this week, ratings agency Moodys decided to place Belaruss B3 government bond rating on review for downgrade. In its report regarding the review decision,

Moodys cited an increased strain on Belaruss external payment position and an increased risk of lower economic

growth rates due to spillover from the Russian economic crisis.

Finance Minister Vladimir Amarin has called the decision

hasty.

Irans navy undertook a multi-day, live-fire military simulation in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz this week. As part of

the exercise, the Iranian navy attacked a replica of a U.S. aircraft

carrier. The exercise took place while Iran is still engaged in

negotiations with United States, Russia, China, Britain, France,

and Germany to reach an initial political agreement on Irans nuclear program by March 31. Tehran has repeatedly stated that

it could block the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for oil

transit, in the event of an attack on its nuclear facilities.

Reuters New York Times

The World Bank has announced that it will be investing 45

million U.S. dollars to finance the second phase of the Central

Asia Road Links Program, which will restore the road network

in the Sughd province of Tajikistan. The World Bank Groups Board of Directors approved the allocation on Wednesday and

reported that the program will be implemented between 2015

and 2020. The goal of the program is to improve transportation

connectivity between Tajikistan and its neighbors.

Shanghai Daily 24.kg

European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maro efovi emphasized the EUs commitment to the Southern Gas Corridor and highlighted the importance of developing

relationships with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan for developing

this corridor. efovi noted that Russias position on the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline is a problem for the development of the

project in Turkmenistan, but he emphasized that he project is a

main priority for the EU.

Cihan Vestnik Kavkaza

On Thursday, President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj pardoned three

foreigners accused of tax evasion. An American and two

Philippine citizens working for mining company SouthGobi

Resources were detained three years ago. They were each

sentenced to five years in prison this January, and SouthGobi

was fined approx. $18 million, which the company is

appealing. The decision to commute the sentences was likely

based on Mongolias need of foreign direct investment, as well as flaws in the Mongolian legal system.

Los Angeles Times ABC

On Wednesday, three men were arrested in New York City on

charges of conspiring to support the Islamic State. Two of the

men arrested, Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, and Abror

Habibov, 30, were citizens of Uzbekistan. Juraboev caught the

attention of the FBI when he posted messages on an Uzbek-

language website about his willingness to kill President Barack

Obama. Farhod Sulton, the president of Vatandosh Uzbek-

American Federation, said that the Uzbek community in the

U.S. is upset and disappointed with news of the arrests.

On Thursday, Kyrgyzstans parliament ramped up pressure on Centerra Gold and threatened to nationalize the Kumtor

gold mine if the Canadian company does not agree to a

proposed joint venture within a month. The Kyrgyz

government and Centerra have been locked in talks regarding

the joint venture, which would involve Kyrgyzstan trading a

32.7 percent stake in Centerra for half of a joint venture to

control the mine. The parliament voted 76-1 to pass a

resolution on the one month deadline before nationalization.

Reuters 24.kg

Reuters Voice of America

Heavy snowfall in the mountainous province of Panjshir in

northeastern Afghanistan led to a series of avalanches this week,

killing at least 168 people. Authorities fear that the death toll will

continue to rise, as rescuers have yet to reach some of the

hardest-hit areas. The avalanches began on Tuesday and

continued on Wednesday and Thursday, destroying over 100

homes as well as mosques and schools. The provincial governor

Abdul Rahmon Kabiri reported that the Panjshir province had not

seen such severe avalanches in three decades.

CNN BBC

Rakhat Aliyev, ex-husband of President Nursultan

Nazarbayevs eldest daughter, Dariga, was found hanged in a prison in Vienna on Tuesday morning. Aliyev was awaiting

trial for the kidnapping and murder of two former Kazakh

bank officials in 2007. In that same year, Aliyev divorced from

Nazarbayeva and fled the country, eventually turning himself

in to Austrian authorities in June 2014. Aliyev, 52, was not

considered a suicide risk, leading his lawyers to suggest that

the suicide was a setup.

Quartz New York Times

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

Poland is preparing to send military instructors to Ukraine to

train Ukrainian troops. Boguslaw Pacek, an advisor to the Polish

defense minister, told Reuters that Poland will send at least a

dozen instructors to train Ukrainian non-commissioned officers.

The final decision, including the exact number of instructors to

be sent, will be made next month.

Business Review Romania-Insider

The U.S. State Department has agreed to sell nine UH060M

Black Hawk utility helicopters to Slovakia. Bratislava plans to

replace its Soviet-designed Mil Mi-17 fleet that are produced

and maintained by the Russian owned firm Rostec. However,

since the U.S. increased the price from 348 million to 450, there

are doubts that this will cause Slovakias reluctance to make the deal. In case the parties come to an agreement, the foreign

military sale will require congressional approval.

Defense News Sputnik News

The Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice

announced on Wednesday that former tourism minister Elena

Udrea would spend 30 days in jail related to a corruption

charge. The Romanian National Anticorruption Directorate

has accused Udrea of illegally financing a boxing gala for

Romanian champion Lucian Bute in 2011. Udrea had been

previously arrested earlier this month relating to another case

involving Microsoft licenses.

CNN Reuters Business Insider ABC News

Russian military paratroopers held military exercises in the

Pskov region, which borders Latvia and Estonia. Up to 2,000

soldiers took part in drills on Wednesday. As Russian

authorities noted, the drills will continue until Saturday. Since

the start of the Ukraine crisis, Russia has conducted several

series of drills that alarm its Baltic neighbors. NATO troops

marched in the Estonian border town of Narva in parallel to the

Russian military exercises.

National Post Newsweek

Krakow Post Reuters

CS Monitor

Wall Street Journal BBC

The Guardian

On Tuesday, a local man shot and killed eight people in a

restaurant in an eastern Czech town before killing himself in

the worst peacetime shooting in the Czech Republics history. The Czech interior minister said the attack was

carried out by an insane murderer and was not a terrorist act. The shooter called a Czech television channel before the

shooting and explained that he was being bullied and was left

without support. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka gave his

condolences to the families and relatives of the victims.

On Tuesday, the Lithuanian government announced the

reinstatement of the military draft in the wake of the Ukraine

crisis. President Dalia Grybauskaite said that the measure

was necessary because of growing aggression in Ukraine. National service will be reinstated for five years beginning in

September, when it will enlist 3,000 men, aged 19 to 27, for

nine month service. Lithuania currently has 15,000 troops,

down from 39,000 before it joined the NATO alliance in

2004.

In a by-election on Sunday in the western constituency of

Veszprem, a member of the political opposition was elected to

parliament. Independent candidate Zoltan Keszs election eliminated the ruling Fidesz partys two-thirds majority for the first time in five years, although the party still claims a majority

of parliamentary seats. The election was held to fill the seat of

Fidesz member and former Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics,

who left to become an EU commissioner last October. There

will be another by-election in April to fill the seat of Jeno

Lasztovicza, who died last month.

Recent reports indicate that Estonia and the U.S. are the only

NATO member states meeting the NATO requirement for 2

percent of the GDP to be spent on defense. Countries such as

Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Hungary and Italy are

on track to reduce military expenditures in 2015, in spite of

official rhetoric from NATO leaders over the Russian

aggression in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Bulgarias parliament ratified a government plan to raise 8 billion euros of new debt through overseas

bond sales over the course of three years. Prime Minister

Boiko Borisov had hinted that he would resign if the plan was

voted down. Despite ratification, the plan is opposed by one

of the ruling coalitions four parties, the nationalist Patriotic Front. The opposition Socialists and nationalist Attack party

have also warned the bond sales could push Bulgaria into a

debt spiral similar to Greeces crisis.

Sofia Globe Reuters

Over the weekend, Kosovos foreign minister Hashim Thaci threatened to file a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice

(ICJ) against Serbia for genocide during the 1998-1999 conflict.

Critics have argued that such a move would be dangerous and

legally impractical, as Kosovo is not a member of the UN and

not a party to the ICJ statute. Aleksandar Vulin, Serbias labor minister, declared that a suit against Belgrade would mean the

end of EU-mediated talks to normalize relations between Kosov

and Serbia.

Turkish Weekly Balkan EU

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed

his Serbian counterpart and OSCE chair Ivica Dacic for talks

on the conflict in Ukraine. Serbia is taking on an increasingly important role (as OSCE chair); we will all be

looking for accountability in the process of trying to stabilize

the eastern part of Ukraine and see if we cant get on a different road, Kerry said. Dacic also vowed that his country would invest maximum efforts to bring peace in the entire

OSCE region.

Daily Star Department of State

Croatia announced that it will cancel debts for its poorest

citizens. Named fresh start, the government program aims to help around 317,000 low income Croatians, whose bank

accounts have been blocked due to the debts. The program is

expected to cost between 210 million and 2.1 billion Croatian

Kuna (31 to 300 million USD). Debt relief has been linked to

the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Washington Post Financial Times

On Wednesday, Albanian Minister of Energy and Industry

Damian Gjiknuri signed an agreement with the German

company Max Streicher to build a 200 million euro ($227.1

million) power line to Italy. The deal was hailed for

integrating southeastern Europe into the European energy

market, improving energy security, and encouraging further

investment in the energy sector in Albania.

On Friday, Slovenia's largest bank, state-owned Nova

Ljubljanska Banka (NLB), reported that it had posted a profit for

the first time in six years. The bank generated a net profit worth

62.3 million euros ($69.94 million) in 2014. This comes only

year after NLB posted a loss of 1.44 billion euros in 2013, the

same year that the state rescued the bank with a 1.55 billion euro

recapitalization.

STA Reuters

Reuters Shangai Daily B92 In Serbia

Reuters The Tribune

On Wednesday, opposition leader Zoran Zaev launched

further allegations of government wire-tapping. He accused

the government of tapping the phones of approximately 100

journalists in an effort to establish control over the media.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski denies the allegations and

insists that the wire-tapping is the work of a foreign

intelligence service.

European Parliaments Foreign Relations committee passed a resolution assessing Montenegrin progress on its path to the EU

on Monday. The resolution, while hailing the progress

Podgorica has made thus far, urges the government in

Montenegro to resolve all remaining border disputes with

neighbors. The European Parliament also encourages the final delimitation of borders with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

and Kosovo.

On Monday, Bosnias parliament adopted an economic and social reform plan to open the path to EU membership once

again. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the

vote is a historic turning point. The vote opens the possibility for EU members to ratify a pre-accession

agreement Bosnia signed with the bloc seven years ago.

Bosnia has been stuck on its EU path for years due to

infighting between the Bosniak, Serb, and Croatian political

factions in the country. Voice of America ABC News