Belarus Russia
Russia (05/05)
During 2004, Russia's foreign direct investment (FDI) rose to $9.4 billion, a 10% increase from 2003 but still six times less than China. Russia's per capital cumulative FDI also lags far behind such countries as Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Russia does poorly in the international competition for foreign investment due to a poor business climate, lack of transparency, and weak rule of law. Although foreign investment increased during 2004, Russias total cumulative ratio of foreign direct investment to GDP is still low at about 6%. This is less than one-third the level in many other transition economies. Much of the foreign investment coming into Russia is actually returning Russian capital from such havens as Cyprus and Gibraltar. A significant drawback for investment is the banking sector, which lacks the resources, the capability, and the trust of the population needed to attract substantial savings and direct it toward productive investments. Russia's banks contribute o ... [Read More]
Immigrant Visas Issued to Orphans Coming to U.S.
U.S. Department of State [Read More]
Russia Archive - US Department of State
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Europe and Eurasia - US Department of State
01 July 2005 - United States Lends Support for Oncology Center in Russia ... 01 July 2005 - Dutch Aid U.S. Effort To Shut Down Russian Plutonium Reactors ... 30 June 2005 - Report Issued by U.S.-Russian Working Group on Nuclear Security ... [Read More]
Eurasia Educational Advising Centers EducationUSA
RUSSIA - Nizhny Novgorod ... RUSSIA - Kazan ... RUSSIA - Kaluga Region ... [Read More]
Text of Diplomatic Notes Sent to Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine
The following is the text of diplomatic notes sent to Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine on December 13, 2001: ... Text of Diplomatic Notes Sent to Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine ... The United States recognizes that the Treaty was entered into with the USSR, which ceased to exist in 1991. Since then, we have entered into a new strategic relationship with Russia that is cooperative rather than adversarial, and are building strong relationships with most states of the former USSR. ... [Read More]
V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G
Estonia is primarily a source and transit country for a small number of women and children trafficked internally and abroad to surrounding Nordic and EU countries for the purpose of sexual exploitation. New information shows that Estonian victims include both ethnic Estonians and those that are Russian-speaking natives from the countrys northeast. Victims transiting through Estonia are mainly from neighboring countries, such as Russia and Latvia. The Government of Estonia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The deputy under secretaries of four principal ministries met regularly during the reporting period to coordinate Estonias efforts to combat trafficking in persons. In 2004, police raided and closed 28 of an estimated 45 brothels in Estonia. Still, the number of tra ... [Read More]
Russia - US Department of State
The first-ever Russian night landing on a United States vessel took place June 7 when Russian Colonel Viktor Kalika made a series of six “touch-and-go’s” with a Russian KA-27 Helix helicopter aboard the USS Anzio to test the ability of a Russian aircraft to make night landings aboard a U.S. warship during multi-national operations. (complete text) [Read More]
Belarus
U.S. citizens traveling through Belarus to other countries are strongly reminded that there is a transit visa requirement for entering and leaving Belarus. Transit visas should be obtained prior to any journey that requires travel through Belarus. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Russian visas are no substitute for this transit visa. Most travel agencies, including those in Russia and CIS countries as well as train ticket sales personnel, are often not aware of this visa requirement and may not seek a transit visa for a traveler unless instructed by the traveler to do so. U.S. citizens traveling to Belarus via Russia are reminded that they must possess a Russian transit visa in addition to their Belarusian visa. The Russian Embassy generally does not issue transit or touris ... [Read More]
Belarus (10/04)
Russia is the largest partner for Belarus in the economic and political fields. In terms of trade, two-thirds of Belarusian exports go to Russia. Due to the structure of Belarusian industry, Belarus relies heavily on other CIS countries and Russia in particular both for export markets and for the supply of raw materials, energy, and components. The introduction of free trade between Russia and Belarus in mid-1995 led to a spectacular growth in bilateral trade, which was only temporarily reversed in the wake of the financial crisis of 1998. The framework for the Russia-Belarusian Union was set out in the Treaty On the Formation of a Community of Russia and Belarus (1996), the Treaty on Russia-Belarus Union, the Union Charter (1997), and the Treaty of the Formation of a Union State (1999). The integration treaties contain commitments to monetary union, equal rights, single citizenship, and a common foreign and defense policy. They also have established a range of institutions modeled aft ... [Read More]
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