DOCSLIB.ORG

Information As a Public Service

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Information As a Public Service 2019 ANNUAL REPORT INFORMATION AS A PUBLIC SERVICE Cover photo: A man identified as Georgy Oganezov is forcibly detained by Russian riot police in Moscow on August 3, 2019, while being interviewed on Current Time. Photo: Andrei Zolotov (MBKh Media) This report is submitted pursuant to Section 305(a) of the International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-236). U.S. Agency for Global Media | 2019 Annual Report | 1 Overview and Impact ...................................2 Mission ........................................... 3 Languages ......................................... 3 Audience ..........................................4 Networks ..........................................6 Independence ......................................9 Threats to Our Journalists ............................... 10 Imprisoned and Missing Journalists ..................... 14 Transmissions and Broadcasting ......................... 16 Radio ............................................ 17 TV .............................................. 17 Digital (Web and Social Media Platforms) ................ 18 Affiliates ......................................... 18 Internet Freedom .....................................20 Providing Public Service Media .......................... 22 Impartial News Coverage ............................. 23 Unique Programming ...............................28 A Forum for Discussion .............................. 33 Reflects Underrepresented Voices ...................... 37 Media Development ...................................44 Outreach and Research .................................46 Leadership...........................................50 Chief Executive Officer ............................... 51 Board of Governors ................................. 52 Awards ............................................. 55 Financial Highlights ...................................64 2 | U.S. Agency for Global Media | 2019 Annual Report OVERVIEW & IMPACT U.S. Agency for Global Media | 2019 Annual Report | 3 The U.S. Agency for Global Media is an independent federal agency whose mission is “to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.” USAGM was formed in 1999 and oversees all U.S. agency’s journalists and its audiences have the tools they non-military international broadcasting. USAGM’s need to safely access the uncensored internet. networks—Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/ USAGM’s international operations promote democracy Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and press freedom and counter misinformation and (MBN), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and the Office of Cuba propaganda. In doing so, they serve a vital role in U.S. Broadcasting (OCB)—together reach 350 million people public diplomacy and national security. each week in more than 100 countries. USAGM also funds internet freedom technologies to ensure that the Eastern/ Eurasia Central Europe Armenian Albanian Azerbaijani East and Bosnian Bashkir Central Asia Global Southeast Asia Bulgarian Belarusian Kazakh English Burmese Macedonian Chechen Kyrgyz Learning English Cantonese Montenegrin Crimean Tatar Tajik Indonesian Romanian Africa Georgian Turkmen Khmer Serbian Afan Oromo Russian Uzbek Ukrainian Tatar Korean Amharic Lao Bambara Mandarin Latin America French-to-Africa Middle East/ South Asia Rohingya Creole Bangla Hausa North Africa Thai Spanish Arabic Dari Kinyarwanda Tibetan Kurdish Pashto Kirundi Uyghur Persian Urdu Lingala Vietnamese Ndebele Turkish Portuguese-to-Africa Sango USAGM Voice of America BROADCASTS IN Shona Somali Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Swahili Radio Free Asia 61 Tigrigna Ofice of Cuba Broadcasting Wolof LANGUAGES Middle East Broadcasting Networks Left: Khin Phyu Htway of VOA’s Burmese Service reporting on a USAID- and Windrock International-supported development program ringing together 18 coffee-producing local communities in Shan State, northern Burma. 4 | U.S. Agency for Global Media | 2019 Annual Report VOA reporter reports from Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley. Audience In 2019, USAGM networks attracted 350 million people and USAGM global audience is smaller than the sum of weekly worldwide via radio, television, and internet. audiences for all individual networks. In keeping with standards developed by the Conference The audience estimate is based on surveys of International Broadcasters’ Audience Research • conducted within the past five years; Services (CIBAR), USAGM measures and reports unduplicated audience—the number of “unique” • in more than 100 countries and territories; and individuals who access content. In other words, the agency counts a person only once, regardless of how • that represent 3 billion people in markets around many programs they see or hear or how many platforms the globe. they use over the course of a week. This is a conservative More information about the Verification and Validation approach to quantifying audience. of Performance Measures can be found in the 2019 The reported total audience for a broadcaster is often Performance and Accountability Report. smaller than the sum of its audience on each platform, U.S. Agency for Global Media | 2019 Annual Report | 5 WORLDWIDE Nearly USAGM AUDIENCE BY MEDIA OPERATIONS PLATFORM AND PERCENTAGE 200 GROWTH SINCE 2015 1,500 Operational transmitters 50 for TV, FM, MW & SW at Stringers/reporters Overseas bureaus 100 transmission sites in and production centers over 40 countries worldwide +42% 201 MILLION TV AFFILIATES +36% 68 139 MILLION Number of USAGM RADIO affiliates with national reach Over that air custom or interactive segments 3,700 during prime time television, radio, and digital affiliates across the globe 350M +297% 350 Social Media DIGITAL 127 MILLION 300 EXPANSION ANNUAL BUDGET USAGM networks $807.9 million 250 engage with 226M audiences on: EMPLOYEES 200 3,561 Facebook Twitter 150 LANGUAGES YouTube +55% 61 Instagram 100 DIGITAL GROWTH OK.ru 350 MILLION UNDUPLICATED AUDIENCE 23 million VKontakte AUDIENCE 50 350 million Weekly Average WhatsApp ACROSS ALL MEDIA Web & Mobile Visits WeChat 0 15 16 17 18 19 AUDIENCE GROWTH 2015–2019 UNDUPLICATED WEEKLY AUDIENCE 6 | U.S. Agency for Global Media | 2019 Annual Report Networks USAGM networks bring news and information to people around the world in 61 languages. Every week, they together produce more than 3,000 hours of original programming, which is accessed by more than 350 million listeners, viewers, and internet users in more than 100 countries. Each USAGM network plays both a unique and VOA focuses on providing international and regional complementary role. While all five networks offer news as well as in-depth coverage of U.S. affairs to its international news pertinent to their particular audiences. VOA also covers affairs that are domestic to audiences, RFE/RL, RFA, and OCB specifically emphasize overseas audiences to ensure comprehensive coverage, domestic affairs in their programing. More often than especially in areas where it is the only USAGM network, not, these networks are the sole source of unbiased local such as sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. news in their respective regions. MBN provides a full range of international, regional, and local news in Arabic in addition to consistent coverage of U.S. affairs. Reasey Poch from VOA Khmer anchors a Facebook Live segment for audiences in Cambodia from VOA’s Washington studios. U.S. Agency for Global Media | 2019 Annual Report | 7 VOA uses digital content and and fosters responsible discussion and mobile platforms to engage viewers, open debate. In 2019, RFE/RL produced listeners, and users. Its radio and content in 26 languages in 22 countries television programs are distributed across Eastern and Central Europe, Voice of America by approximately 2,600 affiliates and Central Asia, and Southwest Asia. satellite transmissions to countries RFE/ RL also runs Current Time, a 24/7 ANNUAL BUDGET: $250.1 million where free speech is banned or civil TV and digital network for Russian- EMPLOYEES: 1,078 LANGUAGES SUPPORTED: 47 society is under threat. speakers around the world. AUDIENCE ESTIMATE: 280.9 million With the largest audience of all RFE/RL’s programming focuses on local VOA, a USAGM federal network, USAGM networks, VOA continues to and regional developments in places provides trusted and objective news be a beacon of hope for audiences impacted by government intimidation, and information in 47 languages to a who yearn not only for unbiased news censorship, political repression, measured weekly audience of more and information, but also freedom of economic hardship, ethnic and religious than 280.9 million people around the expression itself. intolerance, and violent extremism. world. In 1976, the VOA Charter was RFE/RL operates on TV and radio as well signed into law to protect the integrity as on all digital platforms—matching of its programming and to define the modality to the market. its mission. For 78 years now, VOA The scope of RFE/RL’s newsgathering journalists have delivered news and operations is unmatched in its information to people living in places broadcast regions, with headquarters where information is restricted. Using Radio Free Europe/ in Prague, 20 local news bureaus, and Radio Liberty a wide variety of platforms, VOA an extensive freelance network. This ANNUAL BUDGET: $124.1 million connects audiences on five continents proximity to audiences allows RFE/RL EMPLOYEES: 623 with the people, ideas, and institutions to produce compelling, locally-reported LANGUAGES SUPPORTED: 26 that make America
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Reporting Facts: Free from Fear Or Favour
    Reporting Facts: Free from Fear or Favour PREVIEW OF IN FOCUS REPORT ON WORLD TRENDS IN FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA DEVELOPMENT INDEPENDENT MEDIA PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN SOCIETIES. They make a vital contribution to achieving sustainable development – including, topically, Sustainable Development Goal 3 that calls for healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. In the context of COVID-19, this is more important than ever. Journalists need editorial independence in order to be professional, ethical and serve the public interest. But today, journalism is under increased threat as a result of public and private sector influence that endangers editorial independence. All over the world, journalists are struggling to stave off pressures and attacks from both external actors and decision-making systems or individuals in their own outlets. By far, the greatest menace to editorial independence in a growing number of countries across the world is media capture, a form of media control that is achieved through systematic steps by governments and powerful interest groups. This capture is through taking over and abusing: • regulatory mechanisms governing the media, • state-owned or state-controlled media operations, • public funds used to finance journalism, and • ownership of privately held news outlets. Such overpowering control of media leads to a shrinking of journalistic autonomy and contaminates the integrity of the news that is available to the public. However, there is push-back, and even more can be done to support editorial independence
    [Show full text]
  • A 2020 Vision for the Black Sea Region a Report by the Commission on the Black Sea
    A 2020 Vision for the Black Sea Region A Report by the Commission on the Black Sea www.blackseacom.eu An initiative of: The Black eaS Trust for Regional Cooperation A 2020 Vision for the Black Sea Region A Report by the Commission on the Black Sea Contents Why read this Report? 4 What is the Commission on the Black Sea? 7 Executive Summary 12 Резюме выводов 15 Yönetici Özeti 19 The Report Introduction: The State of Play 22 Peace and Security 28 Economic Development and Welfare 31 Democratic Institutions and Good Governance 34 Regional Cooperation 36 Conclusions 38 Policy Recommendations 40 The Black Sea in Figures 45 Abbreviations 65 Initiators 67 The Rapporteurs, Editor and Acknowledgements 69 Imprint 70 3 Why read this Report? Why read this Report? … because the Black Sea matters The Black Sea region is coming into its own - but it is a contested and sometimes dangerous neighbourhood. It has undergone countless political transformations over time. And now, once again, it is becoming the subject of an intense debate. This reflects the changing dynamics of the Black Sea countries and the complex realities of their politics and conflicts, economies and societies. Geography, the interests of others and the region’s relations with the rest of the world in large part explain its resurgence. Straddling Europe and Asia, the Black Sea links north to south and east to west. Oil, gas, transport and trade routes are all crucial in explaining its increasing relevance. In the last two decades the Black Sea has changed beyond recognition. We have witnessed the transformation of the former communist societies and the impact of globalisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Official Development Assistance for Media: Figures and Findings a Report by CIMA and the OECD
    Official Development Assistance for Media: Figures and Findings A Report by CIMA and the OECD BY EDUARDO GONZÁLEZ CAUHAPÉ-CAZAUX and SHANTHI KALATHIL March 2015 Official Development Assistance for Media: Figures and Findings A Report by CIMA and the OECD ABOUT CIMA MARCH 2015 The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), at the National Endowment for Democracy, works to strengthen the support, raise the visibility, CONTENTS and improve the effectiveness of independent media development throughout the world. The Introduction . 2 center provides information, builds networks, conducts research, and highlights the indispensable History and Recent Trends . 3 role independent media play in the creation and Official Development Assistance for Media Support . 6 development of sustainable democracies. An important aspect of CIMA’s work is to research ways What the Data Tell Us . 13 to attract additional U.S. private sector interest in and support for international media development. Conclusion . 16 CIMA convenes working groups, discussions, and Annex . 17 panels on a variety of topics in the field of media Endnotes . 20 development and assistance. The center also issues reports and recommendations based on working group discussions and other investigations. These reports aim to provide policymakers, as well as donors and practitioners, with ideas for bolstering the effectiveness of media assistance. Center for International Media Assistance National Endowment for Democracy 1025 F STREET, N.W., 8TH FLOOR WASHINGTON, DC 20004 PHONE: (202) 378-9700 FAX: (202) 378-9407 EMAIL: [email protected] URL: http://cima.ned.org Mark Nelson SENIOR DIRECTOR ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ASSISTANCE Esther Dyson Craig LaMay Stephen Fuzesi, Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • Kremlin-Linked Forces in Ukraine's 2019 Elections
    Études de l’Ifri Russie.Nei.Reports 25 KREMLIN-LINKED FORCES IN UKRAINE’S 2019 ELECTIONS On the Brink of Revenge? Vladislav INOZEMTSEV February 2019 Russia/NIS Center The Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri) is a research center and a forum for debate on major international political and economic issues. Headed by Thierry de Montbrial since its founding in 1979, Ifri is a non-governmental, non-profit organization. As an independent think tank, Ifri sets its own research agenda, publishing its findings regularly for a global audience. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Ifri brings together political and economic decision-makers, researchers and internationally renowned experts to animate its debate and research activities. The opinions expressed in this text are the responsibility of the author alone. ISBN: 978-2-36567-981-7 © All rights reserved, Ifri, 2019 How to quote this document: Vladislav Inozemtsev, “Kremlin-Linked Forces in Ukraine’s 2019 Elections: On the Brink of Revenge?”, Russie.NEI.Reports, No. 25, Ifri, February 2019. Ifri 27 rue de la Procession 75740 Paris Cedex 15—FRANCE Tel. : +33 (0)1 40 61 60 00—Fax : +33 (0)1 40 61 60 60 Email: [email protected] Website: Ifri.org Author Dr Vladislav Inozemtsev (b. 1968) is a Russian economist and political researcher since 1999, with a PhD in Economics. In 1996 he founded the Moscow-based Center for Post-Industrial Studies and has been its Director ever since. In recent years, he served as Senior or Visiting Fellow with the Institut fur die Wissenschaften vom Menschen in Vienna, with the Polski Instytut Studiów Zaawansowanych in Warsaw, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik in Berlin, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Johns Hopkins University in Washington.
    [Show full text]
  • Potential Consequences of the China-India Border
    05.10.2020-11.10.2020 • No: 275 7 POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE CHINA-INDIA BORDER DISPUTE The border dispute that started on May 5, conflicts among themselves without turn- of both Beijing and New Delhi since it 2020, along the Line of Actual Control ing them into a border war. The reasons may escalate many regional issues. For (LAC) on the border of China and India, for this can be found in the global geo- China, a potential border war with India the two most populous countries in the economic environment in general and the may not only endanger security and sta- world, cause the existing tensions in Bei- current trade-economic relations and stra- bility in the Tibet region but also foment jing-New Delhi relations to increase tegic priorities of China and India in par- China-Bhutan border disputes. For in- again. In particular, on June 15, 2020, a ticular. stance, it is no coincidence that the news clash took place between soldiers of the From a geo-economic perspective, the of the death of an ethnic Tibetan soldier two sides in the Galwan river valley in the global economic recession, especially in serving in the Indian army emerged dur- Ladakh region. The deaths of 20 Indian the last few years, slowed the export-led ing the China-India border conflict. Tak- and 43 Chinese soldiers in the conflict is economic growth of both China and In- ing into account that today around the first such bloodshed in the last 45 dia. Beijing strived to focus more on eco- 100,000 ethnic Tibetans live in India and years in the border region.
    [Show full text]
  • World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: 2017/2018 Global Report
    Published in 2018 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, place de Fontenoy, 7523 Paris 07 SP, France © UNESCO and University of Oxford, 2018 ISBN 978-92-3-100242-7 Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repos- itory (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The present license applies exclusively to the textual content of the publication. For the use of any material not clearly identi- fied as belonging to UNESCO, prior permission shall be requested from: [email protected] or UNESCO Publishing, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP France. Title: World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: 2017/2018 Global Report This complete World Trends Report Report (and executive summary in six languages) can be found at en.unesco.org/world- media-trends-2017 The complete study should be cited as follows: UNESCO. 2018. World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: 2017/2018 Global Report, Paris The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authori- ties, or concerning the delimiation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.
    [Show full text]
  • C05516700.Pdf
    'C00175067 Page: 116 of 170 UNCLASSIFIED Document 61 CLAS UNCLASSIFIED CLAS UNCLASSIFIED APSN TB1506101591C PROM PaIS LONDON UK SUBJ TAKEALL-- Comllst: Moscow Consolidated 14 Jun 91 Full Text Super zone of Message 1 GLOBAL 2 1 "intl situation: questions and answers": viktor levin on nato's future as discussed in recent bessmertnykh-genscher talks (4 min, sent); in reply to two letters which regret loss of eastern europe to socialism and note onset of anarchy and famine there, gubernatorov talks to k. pat syuk , who does not believe that all the sacrificies made by soviet ppl to secure victory in VVII were made only to split germany and its ppl for an indefinite period and to try to implant soviet ways in europe (5 min); civil engineer from krasnodar kray asks why usa is so stubbornly seeking to retain their military bases in philippines? gubernatorov quotes armitage as saying that u.s. future is linked with asia, further quotes from intl herald tribune and u.s. marine general grey (4 min); letter from ventspils raises question of use of force abroad by usa on pretext of defending its interests, gubernator quotes from nixon's book "real war," published in 1980 in which he exhorts his successors on need to learn to make effective use of force for defending u.s. interests, casey quoted on range of these interests, quotes from white house document for u.s. ambassadors and cia issued 10 yeara ago as guide for action, from shultz stmt in '83 on usa having sent armed forces to developing countries VVII (5 min); gubernatorov chats to sergey pravdin in reply to kiev teacher's question about circumstances in which u.s.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 9 Principles for Media Assistance
    II.9. PRINCIPLES FOR MEDIA ASSISTANCE – 97 Chapter 9 Principles for media assistance These principles were prepared jointly by Sina Odugbemi from the World Bank’s Communication for Governance and Accountability Programme (CommGAP) and James Deane from the BBC World Service Trust (BBC Media Action) and presented for discussion (and subsequent revision) to the Seminar on Trends in Support of Accountability: Media Assistance Today on 7-8 June 2011 and at the 15th Plenary Meeting of the OECD/DAC Network on Governance on 9 June 2011. ACCOUNTABILITY AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE: ORIENTATIONS AND PRINCIPLES FOR DEVELOPMENT © OECD 2014 98 – II.9. PRINCIPLES FOR MEDIA ASSISTANCE “If it were left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter”. (Thomas Jefferson) Context For much of modern democratic history, the media has been considered one of the most powerful and central forces for accountability. It receives special protection within most democratic constitutions expressly because an informed citizenry and a “fourth estate” capable of acting as a check on executive power are considered to be critical to good governance. Box 9.1 provides a useful and succinct contextual framing of accountability and its link to information and the media. Within the context of aid effectiveness and democratic governance agendas, few question the importance of a free, professional and plural media in contributing to good governance (BBC World Service Trust, 2009). Nevertheless, few within the development community accord the media the same importance as other national accountability institutions.
    [Show full text]
  • 12. Zig-Zagging Towards Independence
    12 ZIG-ZAGGING TOWARDS INDEPENDENCE Ukraine rejects Gorbachev's draft Union treaty On 23 November, Gorbachev presented the draft of the new Union treaty. Describing the nationalities problem as 'the central issue of domestic policy', he again played on fears of bloodshed and anarchy and depicted the proposed treaty as virtually a last-ditch effort to prevent disintegration. By now, though, the Baltic republics and Georgia had made it clear that they would not sign, and Moldova and Armenia had also expressed their misgivings. Never• theless, the Soviet leader declared that he was convinced that even in the Baltic republics 'most people' were 'in favour of preserving the Union' and accused their 'separatist leaders' of being afraid to agree to hold referendums on the issue of inde• pendence.1 As expected, the draft of the Union treaty fell well short of what the republics were seeking. It proposed a federation with a centre which would still have substantial powers and there was no mention of the right to secession. There were, however, three controversial changes. First, the status of the autonomous republics was to be upgraded: the new Union treaty would recognize them as sovereign states and as co-signatories. For Ukraine, this concession to the autonomous republics threatened to complicate its problems with Crimea further. Second, the role of the Council of the Federation was to be enhanced from a consultative to a policy- and decision• making body. And, third, the word 'Socialist' in the name Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was to be replaced by 'Sovereign'. As the prominent deputy from the 'Democratic Russia' bloc, Galina Starovoitova, put it, the draft was simply a 'cosmetic renewal' of the 1922 Union treaty.
    [Show full text]
  • US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
    US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Life Under Occupation The State of Human Rights in Crimea Melinda Haring Deputy Director, Eurasia Center Atlantic Council January 28, 2020 I would like to thank Chairman Hastings and the other members of the Commission for the opportunity to speak today. After Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, the Atlantic Council set up its Ukraine-in-Europe initiative to press the West to support Ukraine against Russian aggression and urge Kyiv to follow through on its reform pledges. Drawing attention to Crimea and the ongoing human rights catastrophe there remains an important part of our work. Unfortunately, Crimea hardly gets any attention today, so thank you Mr. Chairman, for your leadership on this vital issue. The human rights situation in Russian-occupied Crimea is acute and merits a hearing as a stand-alone issue. But what happens in Crimea has significance that goes beyond the plight of the two million people who live there. What happens in Crimea may not stay in Crimea. What Moscow is learning in Crimea is how to apply a range of oppressive and coercive tactics to minorities it perceives as hostile or of questionable loyalty. These insights could be applied elsewhere in Russia, which is home to considerable non-Russian minority populations. How the US government reacts to the ongoing abuses in Crimea will undoubtedly factor into Moscow’s calculus on comparable situations in the future. The picture in Crimea is grim. It is no exaggeration to say that the peninsula is becoming a police state. Crimea, once the pearl of the Black Sea and a primo vacation destination, is bereft of tourists, cut off from the rest of the world without any access to independent media, and a place where the occupying authorities use 1 children to spy on their parents.
    [Show full text]
  • India Intends to Extend 0M Credit Line for Joint Projects with Belarus | E
    India intends to extend 0m credit line for joint projects with Belarus | E... http://eng.belta.by/all_news/economics/India-intends-to-extend-100m-c... India intends to extend $100m credit line for joint projects with Belarus 04 June 2015 14:02 | Economy MINSK, 4 June (BelTA) - India intends to extend a credit line of $100 million for the joint projects with Belarus, India President Pranab Mukherjee announced during the Belarusian-Indian Business Forum in Minsk on 4 June, BelTA has learned. Mr Pranab Mukherjee noted that the traditional areas of cooperation with Belarus are energy, pharmaceutics, and agriculture. However, this is not an exhaustive list, the Indian leader believes. India and Belarus, according to Mr Pranab Mukherjee, intend to take all India intends to extend $100m credit line possible measures to attract foreign direct investment in both directions for joint projects with Belarus through the support of commercial, investment forums, events like the one held today in Minsk. "We aim to improve the cooperation in the financial sector and make all the tools available to finance joint projects," said the President of India. The parties intend to work with international financial institutions in this regard too, he added. 2 Who is who Our company Belarus president High-ranking officials Presidium of the Council of Ministers About Products and Services Contact us Partners TASS AzerTAc Kazinform PRENSA LATINA Ukrinform Armenpress Kabar WAM MOLDPRESS Khovar Irna TREND News Agency QNA SANA YONHAP XINHUA Elta BTA BelTA – News from Belarus, © Belarusian Telegraph Agency, 2010-2015. All rights reserved. When using our materials, reference to the source is required.
    [Show full text]
  • Four Setbacks to Western Credibility in Ukraine
    Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/02/2021 10:35:24 AM ThelAMESTOWN FOUNDATION Search.. Glob-lRe^* Analysis (Htt pSl/fa IT) eStOWtl .0 XQ/) \ \ ) \ 7 Ol \ Four Setbacks to Western Credibility in Ukraine (Part One) Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 18 Issue: 85 By: Vladimir Socor (https://iamestown.org/analvst/vladimir-socor/) May 27, 202105:36 PM Age: 6 days 0 $ Laying of Nord Stream Two pipeline (Source: AFP) Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/02/2021 10:35:24 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/02/2021 10:35:24 AM Within the last three weeks, a series of decisions by leading Western powers seem to indicate a downgrading of Ukraine on the scale of Western policy priorities. Taken partly in deference to Russia, these decisions risk demotivating Ukrainian reform efforts (hesitant though these are) and eroding Western credibility in Ukraine. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has scrapped the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine and NATO-Georgia commissions that had been envisaged to be held during the Alliance’s upcoming summit in Brussels. United States President Joseph Biden’s administration has decided to exempt the Russian-owned Nord Stream Two subsea pipeline from US sanctions, thus effectively greenlighting that project as a favor to Russia and Germany and at the expense of other countries' interests, first and foremost Ukraine’s. The German and French governments have given Kyiv reason to conclude that their position is weakening in the “Normandy” negotiations with Russia on the war in Ukraine’s east. And US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave Ukraine’s concerns the short shrift when meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Reykjavik, preparatory to a Biden-Putin summit.
    [Show full text]