Page 6 - bne_Magazine_March_2018

6 I The Month That Was bne March 2018
Politics
Eastern Europe
The US Administration does not intend to apply restrictions against Russian sovereign debt and its deriva- tive securities, US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said. But he warned that there could be sanctions against those listed on the so-called Kremlin list “in the near future”.
More than 71% of Russians said that they would vote for Vladimir Putin, at the upcoming March presidential elections according to VTsIOM.
Anti-corruption blogger and opposi- tion activist Alexei Navalny and his chief of staff were arrested on Febru- ary 22 and will be held for 30 days tak- ing them out of circulation for the March 18 presidential elections.
Despite the first ever arrest and jail- ing of a sitting minister Russia fell four places to 135 out of 180 countries in the latest Transparency Interna- tional Corruption Perception ranking. Ukraine did almost as badly ranked at 130 place in the list, up one place.
Russia has suspended milk and some dairy product imports from Belarus from February 26, the Veterinary service said on February 23. Russia has accused Belarus of busting its sanctions on EU agro-imports and has been fight- ing a low key trade war on the issue for four years.
Central Europe
Poland broke EU nature conservation laws by logging in the Bialowieza For- est, an adviser to the Court of Justice of the European Union said. The opinion by Advocate General Yves Bot marks
a setback for Warsaw in the dispute over logging in the forest, a remnant of Europe’s primeval woodland and
a unique biodiversity spot.
Lithuania will support Poland in
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Warsaw’s ongoing argument with the European Commission over judiciary reforms, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said after meeting Polish peer Andrzej Duda. Lithuania could join with Hungary in blocking any EU sanc- tions on Poland, making it impossible for the bloc to remove Warsaw's voting rights under the Article 7 procedure.
2017 was another low point for human rights in Hungary, according to human rights watchdog Amnesty International. Hungary’s performance in preserving human rights has deterio- rated in certain areas even compared to 2016, the organisation claimed.
Southeast Europe
Four of the six aspiring EU mem-
bers from the Western Balkans fell multiple places on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index. Macedonia – now ranked 16 places below its nearest neighbours – was the region’s worst performer after slumping 17 places from 90th on the 2016 index to 107th in 2017.
as Imia in Greek and Kardak in Turkish, which are claimed by both countries and are a source of continuing conflict.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said he wants Croatia to enter the EU’s “inner circle”. Croatia, which will hold the rotating EU Council presidency in the first half of 2020, hopes to join the Schengen zone by that date and is also aiming for eurozone membership.
Eurasia
Iran warned it may abandon its nuclear accord with world powers if the Trump administration continues to frighten off international banks and foreign investors from doing business with the Islamic Republic. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran is not benefiting sufficiently from the lifting of crippling economic sanctions and “cannot remain in a deal in which there is no benefit for us,” he said.
All 66 people on board an Aseman Airlines plane died when it crashed into Dena mountain in central Iran. The 20-year-old twin-propeller ATR plane had been grounded on several previous occasions due to various faults.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demanded “free” par- liamentary and presidential elections and the dismissal of the country’s judi- ciary chief in a Twitter outburst aimed at the supreme leader. Ahmadinejad‘s 2009 re-election prompted huge unrest over vote rigging allegedly organised by his backers.
A leaked audio recording revealed Uzbek Finance Minister Jamshid Qochqorov showing his “eagerness” to purge his ministry of "incompetent" old-guard "rats" on behalf of reform-minded President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. "I'll carry out the presi- dent's order even if my blood comes out of my mouth," Qochqorov can be heard saying.
The European Commission will recommend launching EU accession negotiations with Albania and Mace- donia, EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said. He believed both countries were qualified for the step after making reforms.
Officials from Greece and Turkey had an angry exchange after a Turkish coast guard patrol vessel rammed a Greek coastguard boat in the Aegean. The crash occurred close to the islands known