No. 141, 27 July 1992

SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

GRACHEV ON FUTURE NUCLEAR ARMS CUTS. Russian Defense Minister
Pavel Grachev, speaking at the Royal United Services Institute
at the conclusion of a four-day visit to London, said that further
reductions in strategic missile arsenals were possible, but that
any future negotiations must include the UK, France, and China,
the Financial Times reported on 25 July. Without the participation
of these countries, Grachev said, "further reduction of nuclear
weapons will become a destabilizing factor not only for Russia,
but for the whole world." Grachev also said that any reductions
beyond those already agreed to by the US and Russia earlier this
year were contingent upon strict observation of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic
Missile Treaty. (Stephen Foye)

SHOKHIN AGAINST MINISTRY FOR CIS AFFAIRS. . . Russian Deputy
Prime Minister Aleksandr Shokhin told ITAR-TASS on 24 July that
he is against the proposed creation of a separate ministry for
CIS affairs, which suggests that this issue has not yet been
decided. He stated that instead of creating a ministry, as parliamentary
speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov proposed, the government should set
up an interinstitutional commission to coordinate the activities
of all organizations dealing with the CIS. The money for the
suggested ministry may not be available anyway. According to
Interfax on 24 July, acting Prime Minister Egor Gaidar wants
to cut by 50% the foreign currency budget of the Russian Foreign
Ministry. (Alexander Rahr)

. . . ON RESULTS OF CENTRAL ASIAN VISIT. Upon returning from
a four-day visit to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan,
Shokhin told ITAR-TASS on 24 June that the goals of the visit
were "practically accomplished." Negotiations focused on trade
and defense agreements, as well as the Central Asian countries'
intentions regarding the ruble zone. Efforts to reach a conclusive
agreement on the use of the ruble apparently did not meet with
much success. Shokhin said that, although the leaders of the
four states agreed "in principle" to remain in the ruble zone,
they reserved the right to abandon the currency if they felt
that their economies were adversely affected by it. Uzbekistan
did, however, announce this week that it will likely put off
introducing its own currency in 1992/3, and Kazakhstan also reaffirmed
its faith in the ruble, ITAR-TASS reported on 23 July. (Cassandra
Cavanaugh)

NEW RUSSIAN CONSTITUTION IN 1993. The new Russian Constitution
will be adopted at the next Congress of People's Deputies which
is now scheduled for the beginning of 1993, the secretary of
the Constitutional Drafting Commission, Ivan Fedoseev announced
on 24 July. The congress cannot meet earlier since the budget
for the organization of congresses has been already spent for
this year, ITAR-TASS reported. Russian President Boris Yeltsin
will preside over the next session of the Constitutional Drafting
Commission and suggest several changes to the draft constitution
which had been discussed at the last congress. He is not expected
to present an alternative draft but only focus on the status
of presidential power. (Alexander Rahr)

DEMAND FOR RESIGNATION OF DUDAEV. The Coordination Council of
the Social and Political Movements of Chechnya demanded the resignation
of the Chechen government and of Chechen President Dzhakhar Dudaev
on 25 July, Radio Rossii reported. The council stated that if
its demands were not met by 10 August, mass protest meetings
against Dudaev's regime would be held. The session of the council
was held on the initiative of the All-National Congress of the
Chechen People, the body that put Dudaev in power a year ago.
(Ann Sheehy)

ABKHAZIA DECLARES SOVEREIGNTY. On 23 July, the Abkhaz Supreme
Soviet suspended the autonomous republic's 1978 constitution
and ruled that the constitution of 1925, under the terms of which
the Abkhaz ASSR was designated a sovereign state, remain in force
until a new constitution is adopted, Russian TV reported. (Abkhazia
was downgraded to an ASSR within Georgia in 1930 or 1931.) Georgian
State Council Chairman Eduard Shevardnadze cut short a visit
to western Georgia and returned to Tbilisi to discuss the Abkhaz
move. As in August 1990, when the Abkhaz parliament similarly
declared independence from Georgia, the Georgian State Council
ruled the Abkhaz declaration illegal and null and void on 25
July, ITAR-TASS reported. (Liz Fuller)

RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM FOR DEPORTED NATIONS OF THE CRIMEA. The
Crimean parliament has passed a resolution on the resettlement
of Armenians, Bulgarians, Greeks, and Germans deported from Crimea
during the war, Radio Ukraine reported on 23 July. The resolution
calls for the resettlement of almost 70,000 people by the year
2000 and provides for guarantees for the cultural and linguistic
rights of minorities. Before the war, these groups totaled more
than 98,000 people in Crimea. (Roman Solchanyk)

UKRAINIZATION OF KIEV. The presidential representative in the
city of Kiev, Ivan Salii, has issued a directive that by 1 August
all signs and announcements in the capital must be in Ukrainian,
DR-Press reported on 25 July. By 1 October, all forms and rubber
stamps are to be in Ukrainian. The city of Kiev, according to
the 1989 census, was 72.4% Ukrainian and 20.9% Russian. (Roman
Solchanyk)

MOLDOVAN POPULAR FRONT ASSAILS GOVERNMENT. On 21 July, the rump
Moldovan Popular Front issued an appeal, reiterating demands
aired recently by the front's leadership, and signed this time
by 500 volunteer soldiers. The appeal demanded Moldova's withdrawal
from the CIS and more forceful military operations by Moldova
in the Dniester conflict; and denounced the Moldovan-Russian
agreement (signed by presidents Snegur and Yeltsin) which allows
for the use of Russian troops as peacekeepers in the conflict.
The appeal also denounced Andrei Sangheli's new government as
"communist," and its appointment by President Mircea Snegur and
the parliamentary majority as "a coup d'etat." The signatories
demanded that the government be dismissed and the previous defense
and national security ministers be reinstated. (Vladimir Socor)


ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN CHISINAU. More than 100 armed Moldovan
volunteer soldiers from the Dniester front arrived in Chisinau
on 24 July to support protests by 10 hunger strikers and several
dozen other citizensmostly from the Association of Victims of
Communist Persecutionwho have been picketing the parliament since
20 July. All of these groups endorsed the demands made by the
Popular Front (see above) and called for Snegur's resignation.
The protest attracted several hundred demonstrators outside the
parliament building on 24 and 25 July. The protesting soldiers
encamped outside the parliament and government buildings with
their arms. They were led by a prominent Popular Front activist
who had just returned from Romania where he had been campaigning
for unification. Front leaders and unification advocates, Mircea
Druc and Iurie Rosca, also just returned from Romania. (Vladimir
Socor)

MOLDOVAN LEADERSHIP REACTS. Addressing the people of Moldova
on radio and TV on 24 July, Snegur accused "the Popular Front's
extremist wing" of orchestrating the protests and of instigating
an all-out war to discredit the government domestically and internationally
and seize power in the ensuing chaos. Terming that section of
the Popular Front and the protest leaders "ambitious adventurers,"
and their acts "anticonstitutional and even criminal," Snegur
expressed apprehension that the soldiers' involvement in the
protest could have explosive consequences in a situation in which
thousands of civilians possess firearms. He called on all citizens
to maintain civil peace. (Vladimir Socor)

RUSSIAN MEDIA ON KAZAKH BORDER CLAIMS. Radio Rossii, quoting
the conservative Rabochaya tribuna and the little-known news
agency Aktsent, reported on 25 July that "certain circles" in
Kazakhstan are preparing to make territorial claims against Russia,
specifically for Orenburg Oblast. The story, which supposedly
originated with unidentified "competent" sources, also claimed
that plans exist to "Islamize" parts of Orenburg Oblast and attach
them to a "Muslim Union" to include Kazakhstan, Tatarstan and
Bashqortostan. The story is guaranteed to harm relations between
Kazakhstan and Russia; it was apparently inspired by statements
made in 1991 by a few Kazakh intellectuals who, angered by demands
of Cossack groups that threatened Kazakhstan's territorial integrity,
pointed out that Kazakhs had an historic claim to Orenburg. (Bess
Brown)

RUSSIA TO HELP CREATE TURKMENISTAN'S ARMED FORCES. Russia pledged
to help Turkmenistan create its own armed forces in an agreement
reached by delegations from the two governments in Ashgabat on
24 July. ITAR-TASS reported that the delegations also finalized
a protocol on border troops and several other agreements, including
one on joint activities in connection with the creation of the
republican armed forces. On 14 July, the Cabinet of Ministers
of Turkmenistan had decided to begin formation of the republic's
armed forces. (Doug Clarke)

UZBEK OPPOSITION LEADER IN MOSCOW. Abdurahim Pulatov, leader
of the Uzbek opposition movement, Birlik, is in Moscow, Radio
Rossii reported on 24 July. He will undergo treatment for head
injuries received on 29 June in what Birlik supporters believe
was an attack sponsored by the Uzbek government. Pulatov was
discharged from the Tashkent hospital on 18 July where he had
been treated for a fractured skull. During his stay in Moscow,
he will meet with members of the Russian government, and then
travel to Baku to confer with other exiled Birlik leaders. (Cassandra
Cavanaugh)

RUSSIAN CENTRAL BANK CHAIRMAN CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT. Viktor Gerashchenko,
the newly appointed chairman of the Russian Central Bank, criticized
the government's handling of the economy in an interview with
Nezavisimaya gazeta on 24 July. He accused the administration
of lacking a coherent set of policies, and attacked its plans
for rapid and widespread privatization, for quick convertibility
of the ruble, and for halting low- interest loans for loss-making
enterprises. Gerashchenko's interview will be welcomed by the
founders of the new coalition between "Renewal" and the "Party
of Economic Freedom." It runs counter, however, to the published
advice of the IMF, and contrasts sharply with the official memorandum
that was cosigned by Gerashchenko's predecessor, Georgii Matyukhin.
(Keith Bush)

RUSSIA TO ASSUME SOVIET DEBT? The Russian government is considering
assuming all the foreign debt of the former Soviet Union, Interfax
reported on 24 July. Such action would be preceded by negotiations
among the republics and Western lenders and the declaration of
"non-fulfillment" of the common debt. It was not clear from the
report whether or how the debt share of the other republics would
be added to their existing obligations to Russia. According to
"Novosti," President Yeltsin has said that the other CIS countries
presently owe Russia 300 billion rubles. (Erik Whitlock).

RUSSIA'S AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM. More details emerged on 24 July
concerning the nascent agricultural program of the Russian Federation.
At a news conference reported by Russian and Western agencies,
Vice-president Aleksandr Rutskoi disclosed that a forthcoming
decree will set up land banks that will trade "land certificates,"
which grant titles to land and specify its uses. Individuals
will no longer need to apply to local authorities to purchase
land. The program will also seek to improve distribution systems
and reduce waste. Interfax reported that the new program, to
be called "Russia's Bread," aims to raise grain production to
125 million tons by 1995 and to obviate the necessity for grain
imports by then. (Keith Bush)

RUSSIAN FUEL PRICES TO RISE SOON? Lev Mironov, the chairman of
the oil and gas industry workers' trade union, has said that
fuel prices are expected to rise in August or September, Interfax
and "Vesti" reported on 23 July. Citing Viktor Chernomyrdin,
the deputy prime minister in charge of the fuel and energy complex,
Mironov stated that the price of oil will rise to 6,600 rubles
a ton, or about one-third of the world level. In early 1993,
fuel prices will rise again, to about 70% of the world level.
These increases will not affect consumer prices, according to
Mironov. His statement contradicts the assertion made on 17 July
by Russian Economics Minister Andrei Nechaev, that the cabinet
does not envisage any further increases in energy prices this
year. (Keith Bush)

CASH SHORTAGE TO END BY LATE SUMMER? Two officials on 22 July
spoke optimistically of winding down the severe liquidity crisis
plaguing Russian enterprises. The deputy speaker of parliament,
Yurii Voronin, said, according to Interfax, that the problem
would be resolved by mid to late August. Voronin was reporting
the conclusions of a recent meeting of government and parliamentary
officials concerning financial affairs. The same day, in a interview
summarized by ITAR-TASS, Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Shumeiko,
appeared confident that the issue of large denomination ruble
notes and increased faith in the banking system would reduce
the cash-shortage. (Erik Whitlock)

DISTRIBUTION OF PENSIONS IN RUSSIA. Pensioners in the southern
Russian city of Samara have received their first pension payment
in many months, Reuters reported on 22 July. The payments have
done little, however, to relieve their financial woes. The pensions
were paid in new 5,000 ruble notes. Many pensioners are being
forced to share a single 5,000 ruble note. To make matters worse,
they are finding themselves unable to spend the money, because
stores can not make change for the large bill. (Sarah Helmstadter)


CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

BOSNIAN REFUGEES BEGIN ARRIVING IN GERMANY. Between 25 and 27
July, six trains arrived in southern Germany from the front-line
Croatian town of Karlovac. Most of the 5,000 passengers were
Muslim refugees from the fighting in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
who had lost their homes in the Serbs' process of "ethnic cleansing,"
German media said. Reuters on 26 July quoted leading German politicians
as railing against the unwillingness of their EC partners to
accept Bosnian refugees, using terms like "hard-hearted and mean."
One suggested that EC politicians had compassion for the Bosnians
only when the television cameras were on. Germany now has a total
of about 200,000 refugees from the fighting in the former Yugoslavia.
On 26 July the UN gave up its latest attempt to send relief to
Gorazde, where 70,000 mainly Muslim inhabitants and refugees
have been under siege for three months, international media report.
(Patrick Moore)

IS MILOSEVIC'S SUPPORT CRUMBLING? A rift appears to be growing
in Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's ruling Socialist Party.
On 22 July Milosevic said that the party needs "major changes
because of its bureaucracy and political inferiority." On 23
July Borislav Jovic, president of the Socialist Party of Serbia,
nominally considered to be a Milosevic ally, struck back, saying
that Milosevic's comments "could damage the Socialist Party and
Milosevic's own reputation." Several members of the Socialist
Party have announced their intention to break with the party
and form a "Social-Democratic Party" to compete in a new round
of elections scheduled for November. Many reports suggest Milosevic
will choose not to run, or may even resign beforehand. International
media carried the story. (Gordon Bardos)

DUBCEK CALLS FOR REFERENDUM ON CZECHOSLOVAKIA'S FUTURE. Speaking
at a news conference in Bratislava on 24 July, Alexander Dubcek,
the former chairman of the Federal Assembly, said that a referendum
is the only legitimate way to decide whether Czechoslovakia should
split into two states. Dubcek insisted that such an important
question should not be left in the hands of political parties.
Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, speaking with reporters in
Prague, said that a referendum is a possible option but noted
that referendums were never held at critical points in Czechoslovakia's
history. A public opinion poll released on 23 July indicates
that more than 80% of Czechs and Slovaks want a referendum; only
16% of the respondents in both republics said they were in favor
of two independent states. (Jiri Pehe)

GENSCHER SEES BOTH CZECHOSLOVAK STATES AS SUCCESSORS. In an interview
published in Rude pravo on 25 July, former German Foreign Minister
Hans-Dietrich Genscher said that in case Czechoslovakia splits
into two new states, both should be regarded as successors to
the Czechoslovak-German Friendship Treaty. The treaty was signed
in February and has been ratified by both the Czechoslovak and
German parliaments. Genscher also said that the same policy of
joint succession should apply to Czechoslovakia's association
accords with the European Community. (Jiri Pehe)

ROMANIAN PARTIES CHOOSE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES. The National
Salvation Front ha chosen Caius Dragomir as its candidate in
the presidential elections scheduled for 27 September, after
former prime minister Petre Roman declined once more to run in
the elections, radio Bucharest reported on 26 July. Dragomir
has been head of the government's information department since
June 1991. The Party of National Unity of Romanians, an anti-Hungarian
extremist formation, has chosen as its candidate Gheorghe Funar,
the controversial mayor of Cluj. (Michael Shafir).

FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE BY NEW LITHUANIAN PRIME MINISTER. On 24
July Prime Minister Aleksandras Abisala told a news conference
that he had resigned from the Sajudis parliament council the
previous day and does not intend to run for the new parliament
to be elected on 25 October, BNS reports. He said that cabinet
meetings will no longer be held in his office but rather at one
or another of the ministries once a week, the first one at the
Ministry of Agriculture on 31 July. He noted that the issue of
the board of directors of the Bank of Lithuania will be brought
up at parliament's next session on 30 July and that his cabinet
unanimously agrees that the board should be replaced. (Saulius
Girnius)

BULGARIAN CABINET FENDS OFF NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE. On 24 July the
Bulgarian government survived a vote of no confidence introduced
by the BSP. Even though all 104 Socialist parliamentarians backed
the party motion, they were easily defeated by 130 deputies representing
the stable coalition between the ruling UDF and the mainly Turkish
MRFthe latter holding the balance of power. According to BTA,
after the vote MRF deputy Mehmed Hodzha stated that his party's
support was not unconditional, but that it would never join a
coalition with the BSP. (Kjell Engelbrekt)

SUCHOCKA PROPOSES "SOCIAL PACTS." Meeting with Solidarity leader
Marian Krzaklewski on 24 July, Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka
agreed to draw up an outline of government measures to restructure
state industries by the end of July. The government will present
a package of draft laws for consideration by mid-August. These
bills will provide the basis for the proposed "stabilization
pact" the government hopes to reach with the trade unions. In
a TV appearance on 26 July, Suchocka explained that the government
hopes to maintain calm in the difficult transition period through
a series of such social pacts. Suchocka said she plans to seek
special powers to impose decrees with the force of law, should
the Sejm and the president agree. (Louisa Vinton)

POLISH GOVERNMENT UNDER STRIKE PRESSURE. Government mediation
on 25 July failed to resolve the strike of 40,000 workers at
the Polska Miedz copper combine, Poland's largest industrial
plant. Citing the round-table agreement of 1989, strikers upheld
demands for wage hikes well exceeding what the firm's directors
say they can afford. Labor Minister Jacek Kuron reminded the
strikers that "the system has changed [since the round table];
you can only divide what money you have." Kuron told the Sejm
on 25 July that 38 strikes (28 in mines) and 47 labor protests
were held in Poland during July. Although the number of strikes
remains lower than in 1991, Kuron said that the patience of workers
in state firms is nearing exhaustion. He said the government
was working on systemic solutions. A push by the parliamentary
extremes for a debate on the strike situation failed in a close
vote. (Louisa Vinton)

POLISH DEFICIT UP, ENERGY PRICES TO RISE. The Polish government
is pushing ahead with unpopular decisions put off by its predecessors.
On 26 July the government increased the sales tax on gasoline,
raising gas prices by up to five cents a liter. Home heating
and electricity prices are to rise on 1 August. Finance Minister
Jerzy Osiatynski said that the postponement of these measures
had led to an increase in the budget deficit; without action
to increase revenues, the deficit could reach 100 trillion zloty
by year's end (65 trillion is the legal limit). This in turn
could bring higher inflation and jeopardize Poland's international
financial standing. Meanwhile, Poland's national bank predicted
on 24 July that inflation would not exceed 38% for the year.
(Louisa Vinton)

ECONOMIC BASE FOR RUSSIAN PRESENCE IN ESTONIA? A member of an
Estonian government commission investigating the sales of former
USSR military property thinks that Russia is setting up an economic
basis for a continued presence in Estonia. Attorney Vaino Villak
told BNS on 23 July that many transactions are so-called "donation
agreements," in which formerly military property is signed over
directly from one institution to another, that is, the transactions
are only on paper. Villak told reporters he sees no other explanation
for this other than a wish to retain the economic means to support
what he termed a "fifth column" in Estonia. In a related development,
the government commission announced that it has brought suit
in over 30 cases of possible misconduct in sales of former Soviet
military property. Former minister of state, Raivo Vare, and
the current deputy minister, Viljar Meister, are under investigation
for possible involvement in illegal sales of military property
to businesses, at least one of which is owned by Vare himself.
(Riina Kionka)

IMF MAY ENDORSE LATVIA'S ECONOMIC REFORMS. Latvia has signed
a "letter of intent" with the IMF setting out in detail the steps
it plans to take to transform its economy, and, according to
Reuters of 24 July, the IMF is expected to endorse Latvia's plan
before the fund holds its semiannual meeting on September 22-24.
If the plan is approved, Latvia could receive up to $100 million
in a standby loan. Latvia is the first former republic of the
USSR to reach tentative agreement with the IMF on a full economic
reform program. (Dzintra Bungs)

LATVIAN GOVERNMENT REPAYS DEBT. The Latvian government has repaid
the 500-million-ruble loan to the Bank of Latvia, BNS reported
on 24 July. The loan was taken earlier this month to cover a
budget deficit. The prompt repayment came as a consequence of
income tax payments received from enterprises. (Dzintra Bungs)


LITHUANIAN-RUSSIAN MUTUAL ACCOUNTING DOCUMENTS PREPARED. On 23
July Lithuanian and Russian government delegations, headed by
deputy economics minister Vytas Navickas and first deputy chairman
of the state committee for economic cooperation with members
of the CIS, Sergei Dubinin, met in Moscow and discussed currency
and financial settlement questions, BNS reports. The meeting
prepared a number of documents including draft protocols for
regulating debts between enterprises in the two countries, an
intergovernmental agreement on the accounting procedures to be
used after Lithuania introduces its own currency, the litas,
and an interbank agreement on payments. (Saulius Girnius)

JESZENSZKY CALLS FOR CLOSER TIES TO EC. In an interview with
The European of 24 July, Hungarian Foreign Minister Geza Jeszenszky
said that Hungary seeks to strengthen its political, economic,
and defense ties with the EC. He called EC membership the major
vehicle for reintegrating Hungary into Western Europe, and said
that Hungary is making "strenuous efforts" to adapt its laws
and economy to EC standards. Jeszenszky said that Hungary represents
a "special case" because its democratization of the last two
years created "all the necessary conditions . . .for close political
cooperation" with the EC. He said that the ethnic and social
conflicts of Eastern Europe can only be resolved through a stronger
engagement of Western governments in the region. Hungary has
associate status with the EC and hopes to become a full member
by the end of the decade. (Edith Oltay)

BULGARIA AND COCOM. A US delegation of specialists on export
control regulations held consultations with top Bulgarian officials
on 23-24 July, BTA reports. Robert Price, the head of the US
delegation, told a press conference on 24 July that the removal
of Bulgaria from the lists of the Coordination Committee for
Multilateral Export Controls will occur in several stages. Price
said the Bulgarian government had expressed a will to build up
a national system of export controls as well as to begin cooperation
with COCOM states. Deputy trade minister Kiril Velev stressed
the need for new domestic legislation complying with COCOM rules.
(Kjell Engelbrekt)

MINORITY ISSUES IN TRANSCARPATHIA. The Transcarpathian Oblast
council has turned down a request by ethnic Magyar deputies to
make bilingual signs mandatory in minority-inhabited areas because
such a measure would not conform with Ukraine's language law,
Radio Budapest reported on 23 July. No agreement could be reached
on the issue of an autonomous Hungarian district for Berehovo
(Beregszasz) raion, requested by that raion's inhabitants in
a December 1991 referendum, as the oblast council found that
only cultural autonomy was acceptable. The Hungarian-Ukrainian
joint commission on minorities, set up in the wake of last year's
bilateral statement on minority rights, will hold its first session
in Budapest on 27 July, MTI reported on 24 July. (Alfred Reisch)


LATVIATRANSIT POINT FOR THIRD-WORLD REFUGEES? Lauma Mezecka of
the Latvian Consular Department told BNS on 25 July that Third-World
refugees are increasingly using Latvia as a transit point for
entering Scandinavia. She said that this year 31 fugitives with
forged papers, including counterfeit visas for Scandinavia that
were acquired in Latvia, have been identified by authorities.
On 21 July Diena reported on 14 Kurdish refugees arriving at
the Finnish port of Hanko aboard the Latvian yacht Turaida. The
captain was fined for illegal entry of Finnish territory, and
because the Turaida also violated Latvia's shipping regulations,
he may have to answer to the Latvian authorities as well. (Dzintra
Bungs)

ILIESCU IN KUWAIT. The Romanian president paid a two-day visit
to Kuwait on 25 and 26 July, Romanian media report. He held talks
with the Kuwaiti head of state, Amir Jaber Sabah, the prime minister,
the finance minister, the interim minister for oil, the governor
of the central bank, and other officials. Before leaving Iliescu
said there are chances for the resumption of oil deliveries to
Romania and possibilities that Kuwaiti crude can be processed
in Romanian refineries. The two countries agreed on cooperation
in foreign policy, culture, and health. (Michael Shafir)