rferl--2020-01-30--Pompeo In Kyiv To Meet Zelenskiy With Ukraine In U.S. Political Spotlight

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Kyiv where he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other officials as part of a trip that will also take him to Belarus , Kazakhstan , and Uzbekistan .
The top U.S. diplomat 's visit to Kyiv on January 30 comes amid the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump , who has been accused by Democrats of abusing his power of office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival by withholding congressionally approved military aid and a highly desired invitation to the White House for Zelenskiy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked an NPR journalist in anger , `` Do you think Americans care about Ukraine ? ''
Ukraine relies heavily on U.S. military and political support , along with aid provided by European countries .
Pompeo 's meeting with Zelenskiy and other officials is scheduled for January 31.The meetings will `` highlight U.S. support for Ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity , '' the State Department said in a statement ahead of his visit .
Pompeo is also scheduled to attend a ceremony in the capital honoring those who have died in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Russia-backed separatists .
More than 13,000 people have died in the conflict since 2014 .
Russia also seized and annexed Ukraine ’ s Crimean Peninsula in a move not recognized by the international community .
A day before his talks with the Ukrainian leadership , the U.S. Treasury Department joined the European Union and Canada in imposing new sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow ’ s “ continued aggression toward Ukraine and attempted occupation of Crimea.
” Canada , the EU , and United States began issuing the restrictive measures after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2014 and their respective sanctions lists have grown over the subsequent years as Moscow has continued to back the separatists in eastern Ukraine .
Pompeo travels to Ukraine from London , where he held talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on January 30 .
The two discussed strengthening bilateral ties following Britain 's departure from the European Union , including negotiating a free trade deal .
A State Department spokesman said the talks with Johnson focused on `` strengthening bilateral ties '' and `` the importance of maintaining the integrity of communications networks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giant Huawei a limited role in building its 5G network , despite Washington 's concerns that Huawei could be compelled to help with electronic eavesdropping after Beijing enacted a 2017 national intelligence law .
With reporting by AFP , Reuters , and AP

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Kyiv where he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other officials as part of a trip that will also take him to Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
The top U.S. diplomat's visit to Kyiv on January 30 comes amid the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, who has been accused by Democrats of abusing his power of office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival by withholding congressionally approved military aid and a highly desired invitation to the White House for Zelenskiy.
It also comes days after Pompeo reportedly asked an NPR journalist in anger, "Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?"
Ukraine relies heavily on U.S. military and political support, along with aid provided by European countries.
Pompeo's meeting with Zelenskiy and other officials is scheduled for January 31.The meetings will "highlight U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the State Department said in a statement ahead of his visit.
Pompeo is also scheduled to attend a ceremony in the capital honoring those who have died in the long, bloody conflict in eastern Ukraine against Russia-backed separatists.
More than 13,000 people have died in the conflict since 2014. Russia also seized and annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in a move not recognized by the international community.
A day before his talks with the Ukrainian leadership, the U.S. Treasury Department joined the European Union and Canada in imposing new sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow’s “continued aggression toward Ukraine and attempted occupation of Crimea.”
Canada, the EU, and United States began issuing the restrictive measures after Russia seized the Crimea region in March 2014 and their respective sanctions lists have grown over the subsequent years as Moscow has continued to back the separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Pompeo travels to Ukraine from London, where he held talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on January 30. The two discussed strengthening bilateral ties following Britain's departure from the European Union, including negotiating a free trade deal.
A State Department spokesman said the talks with Johnson focused on "strengthening bilateral ties" and "the importance of maintaining the integrity of communications networks."
Britain granted China's telecommunications giant Huawei a limited role in building its 5G network, despite Washington's concerns that Huawei could be compelled to help with electronic eavesdropping after Beijing enacted a 2017 national intelligence law.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and AP


rferl--2020-01-31--Watchdog Warns About 'Chilling Effect' Of Russia’s Use Of Facial-Recognition Technology

Amnesty International has criticized Russia ’ s plans to broaden the use of widespread facial-recognition systems , saying their expected deployment during public gatherings will “ inevitably have a chilling effect ” on protesters .
The London-based human rights watchdog issued the call on January 31 , as a Moscow court was set to hear a complaint against the use of such technologies to crack down on peaceful protests .
Facial-recognition technology is “ by nature deeply intrusive , ” Natalia Zviagina , Amnesty International Russia ’ s director , said in a statement .
“ In the hands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and in the total absence of transparency and accountability for such systems , it is a tool which is likely to take reprisals against peaceful protest to an entirely new level , ” she warned .
In recent years , Russia has emerged as a leading force in the development of facial-recognition technology , amid what Kremlin critics and rights activists called persistent efforts to silence civil society and suppress dissenting voices against President Vladimir Putin .
On January 31 , Moscow ’ s Tverskoy District Court was due to begin consideration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activist Alyona Popova and opposition politician Vladimir Milov , who are seeking to prohibit the use of facial-recognition technology at rallies and delete all stored personal data previously collected .
In November 2019 , a separate court in Moscow refused to examine Popova ’ s claims that her right to privacy was undermined by the establishment of the capital ’ s video surveillance system .
Popova , a Moscow lawyer and prominent women 's rights activist , said she was inspired to launch the lawsuit after learning that facial-recognition cameras had been used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She was subsequently fined after a court ruled that she had violated Russia 's strict legislation on public gatherings .
The face-recognition system covering the whole Moscow underground transportation network is expected to be fully operational by September .

Amnesty International has criticized Russia’s plans to broaden the use of widespread facial-recognition systems, saying their expected deployment during public gatherings will “inevitably have a chilling effect” on protesters.
The London-based human rights watchdog issued the call on January 31, as a Moscow court was set to hear a complaint against the use of such technologies to crack down on peaceful protests.
Facial-recognition technology is “by nature deeply intrusive,” Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International Russia’s director, said in a statement.
“In the hands of Russia’s already very abusive authorities, and in the total absence of transparency and accountability for such systems, it is a tool which is likely to take reprisals against peaceful protest to an entirely new level,” she warned.
In recent years, Russia has emerged as a leading force in the development of facial-recognition technology, amid what Kremlin critics and rights activists called persistent efforts to silence civil society and suppress dissenting voices against President Vladimir Putin.
On January 31, Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court was due to begin consideration of a complaint submitted by human rights activist Alyona Popova and opposition politician Vladimir Milov, who are seeking to prohibit the use of facial-recognition technology at rallies and delete all stored personal data previously collected.
In November 2019, a separate court in Moscow refused to examine Popova’s claims that her right to privacy was undermined by the establishment of the capital’s video surveillance system.
Popova, a Moscow lawyer and prominent women's rights activist, said she was inspired to launch the lawsuit after learning that facial-recognition cameras had been used to identify her during a 2018 protest.
She was subsequently fined after a court ruled that she had violated Russia's strict legislation on public gatherings.
The face-recognition system covering the whole Moscow underground transportation network is expected to be fully operational by September.


rferl--2020-01-31--'Something To Hide?' CPJ Urges Russia To Allow Journalists To Travel Freely To Crimea

The Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ ) has urged Russia to immediately lift a ban imposed on Ukrainian journalist Taras Ibrahimov and allow him to freely report in Ukraine ’ s Russia-occupied region of Crimea .
Earlier this month , officers of the Russian Federal Security Service denied Ibrahimov , who works with the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL 's Ukrainian Service , entry to the Crimean Peninsula and gave him a written notice saying he was barred from entering Russia until 2054 .
Authorities in Crimea `` seem intent on importing Russia ’ s harsh attitude toward the press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Said , Europe and Central Asia program coordinator at the CPJ .
She said Ibrahimov and other journalists “ should be free to travel to Crimea to report on the situation there .
If they are not , we can only assume Russia has something to hide.
” Ibrahimov has said he believed the travel ban was “ connected with my journalism and my work for publications that actively cover the cases of Crimean Tatars in Crimea and in Russia . ''
Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities against Crimean Tatars and others who have spoken out against Moscow 's military seizure and occupation of Crimea in 2014 .
Ibrahimov is not the first Ukrainian journalist to be handed a long-term travel ban by the Russian authorities .
Since 2018 , Russian authorities have banned a Ukrainian photographer and a Ukrainian journalist who also worked with the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL 's Ukrainian Service from entering Crimea and Russia until 2028 .
In a statement on January 21 , Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) accused Russia of trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their crackdown on Crimean Tatar activists and other abuses ” in Crimea by barring independent journalists from traveling there .
Meanwhile , OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir called on “ those responsible to respect the role of media actors and to allow journalists to travel without restrictions to carry out their work.
” In its annual global report on freedom of religion in 2019 , the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom ( USCIRF ) said that `` Russian authorities continued to kidnap , torture , and imprison Crimean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crimea .

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Russia to immediately lift a ban imposed on Ukrainian journalist Taras Ibrahimov and allow him to freely report in Ukraine’s Russia-occupied region of Crimea.
Earlier this month, officers of the Russian Federal Security Service denied Ibrahimov, who works with the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, entry to the Crimean Peninsula and gave him a written notice saying he was barred from entering Russia until 2054.
Authorities in Crimea "seem intent on importing Russia’s harsh attitude toward the press” into the region, said Gulnoza Said, Europe and Central Asia program coordinator at the CPJ.
She said Ibrahimov and other journalists “should be free to travel to Crimea to report on the situation there. If they are not, we can only assume Russia has something to hide.”
Ibrahimov has said he believed the travel ban was “connected with my journalism and my work for publications that actively cover the cases of Crimean Tatars in Crimea and in Russia."
Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as a campaign of repression by the Russian-imposed authorities against Crimean Tatars and others who have spoken out against Moscow's military seizure and occupation of Crimea in 2014.
Ibrahimov is not the first Ukrainian journalist to be handed a long-term travel ban by the Russian authorities. Since 2018, Russian authorities have banned a Ukrainian photographer and a Ukrainian journalist who also worked with the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service from entering Crimea and Russia until 2028.
In a statement on January 21, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Russia of trying to “choke the flow of information about their crackdown on Crimean Tatar activists and other abuses” in Crimea by barring independent journalists from traveling there.
Meanwhile, OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir called on “those responsible to respect the role of media actors and to allow journalists to travel without restrictions to carry out their work.”
In its annual global report on freedom of religion in 2019, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said that "Russian authorities continued to kidnap, torture, and imprison Crimean Tatar Muslims at will" in Russia-occupied Crimea.


rferl--2020-01-31--Pakistan Halts All Flights To And From China Amid Coronavirus Fears

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan says it is halting all flights to and from China after the World Health Organization ( WHO ) declared the ongoing coronavirus outbreak a global emergency .
Pakistani officials announced on January 31 that 22 weekly flights will remain suspended until February 2 , as the outbreak continues to spread in and outside of China .
Pakistan has yet to register a case , but top health official Zafar Mirza said four Pakistani students in China had been diagnosed with the new virus .
Around 500 students were in the Chinese city of Wuhan , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it surfaced earlier this month , officials said .
Islamabad said it has no immediate plans to evacuate the almost 30,000 Pakistani nationals living in the country , even though parents in the city of Kohat staged protests demanding the government bring their children back .
At least 213 people in China have died from the coronavirus , with nearly 10,000 cases registered .
A total of 98 cases have been confirmed in 18 other countries , but no deaths outside of China have been recorded , according to the WHO .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to declare a global emergency allows it to support lower- and middle-income countries to strengthen their disease surveillance systems and prepare them for cases .
Chinese authorities have effectively sealed off Wuhan and put numerous transport restrictions in place to curb the spread of the virus .
Meanwhile , various countries have taken steps to close their borders with China , cancel flights , or suspend the issuance of visas to Chinese citizens .
The United States has warned its citizens against all travel to China and said any American currently in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means . ''
`` Do not travel to China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan , '' the U.S. State Department said in a new travel advisory on its website , raising the warning for China to the same level as Afghanistan and Iraq .
With reporting by the BBC and AP

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan says it is halting all flights to and from China after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the ongoing coronavirus outbreak a global emergency.
Pakistani officials announced on January 31 that 22 weekly flights will remain suspended until February 2, as the outbreak continues to spread in and outside of China.
Pakistan has yet to register a case, but top health official Zafar Mirza said four Pakistani students in China had been diagnosed with the new virus.
Around 500 students were in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which is at the center of the outbreak, when it surfaced earlier this month, officials said.
Islamabad said it has no immediate plans to evacuate the almost 30,000 Pakistani nationals living in the country, even though parents in the city of Kohat staged protests demanding the government bring their children back.
At least 213 people in China have died from the coronavirus, with nearly 10,000 cases registered. A total of 98 cases have been confirmed in 18 other countries, but no deaths outside of China have been recorded, according to the WHO.
The UN health agency’s decision to declare a global emergency allows it to support lower- and middle-income countries to strengthen their disease surveillance systems and prepare them for cases.
Chinese authorities have effectively sealed off Wuhan and put numerous transport restrictions in place to curb the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, various countries have taken steps to close their borders with China, cancel flights, or suspend the issuance of visas to Chinese citizens.
The United States has warned its citizens against all travel to China and said any American currently in the country "should consider departing using commercial means."
"Do not travel to China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan," the U.S. State Department said in a new travel advisory on its website, raising the warning for China to the same level as Afghanistan and Iraq.
With reporting by the BBC and AP


rferl--2020-01-31--Iranian Tae Kwon Do Fighter Moves To Bulgaria With Olympic Dream

Farzad Zolghadri , an Iranian tae kwon do fighter who moved to Bulgaria this month , says he wants to represent the Balkan country at this summer 's Olympics in Tokyo , insisting that his decision has “ nothing to do with politics.
” His switch of allegiance follows a decision by fellow tae kwon do competitor Kimia Alizadeh , Iran 's only female Olympic medalist , to move to Germany .
She complained of being used by Iranian officials as a propaganda tool .
Speaking on January 30 after a training session with the Bulgarian national team in Sofia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move because his chances of getting to the Olympics are higher with Bulgaria than with Iran , where tae kwon do is “ hugely popular.
” `` I like Iran ; this is my country , '' the 27-year-old Zolghadri told Reuters .
`` But the competition there is tough and I 'll have much better chances to fulfill my dreams competing for Bulgaria . ''
Slavi Binev , who heads the Bulgarian Tae Kwon Do Federation , said moves were under way to enable the Iranian to compete in April 's qualifiers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medal at the 2015 World Cup in Mexico and a bronze medal at the Asian Championship in 2009 .
For many years , his father worked for the Iranian tae kwon do federation and was the head coach of the Iranian team .
Alizadeh , who won bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016 , announced her `` permanent '' defection via social media earlier this month , blaming the Iranian regime 's `` injustice '' and `` hypocrisy '' for the way it exploits athletes as `` tools '' for political purposes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she `` would be happy to compete for Germany '' at this year 's Summer Olympics .
Zolghadri , who competes in the 80-kilogram category , did not comment on Alizadeh 's motives .
`` I would like to say that my move to Bulgaria has nothing to do with politics .
I 'm just a sportsman and came [ to Bulgaria ] because I want to be successful ...
I did it because tae kwon do is my life , '' he said .
Zolghadri posted a picture on Facebook from Tehran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the start of a `` new season of life . ''
`` The best and most important decision of my life , thank you for all your support , Bulgarian tae kwon do federation ... .Good things are coming , '' he wrote in a January 20 post next to his photo with a green Bulgarian tae kwon do team T-shirt at the sports training base of Belmeken .
Binev said that Zolghadri “ will obtain Bulgarian citizenship soon , probably within two weeks . ''
“ We really hope he 'll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , adding : `` I think he could even win a medal for Bulgaria .
With reporting by Reuters and AFP

A polytechnic school in Russia’s Tatarstan, a region some 900 kilometers east of Moscow, is using manufacturing facilities that are part of a nearby special economic zone to assemble Iranian attack drones and are increasingly turning to underage students as laborers, many of whom often work in exploitative conditions.
The revelations at Alabuga Polytechnic University raise troubling implications about the lengths that Russian authorities are going to in order to boost the war effort and how the advanced Iranian weaponry -- which is increasingly used to bombard Ukrainian cities and has only recently begun to be manufactured inside Russia -- could contribute to escalating tensions and rising civilian casualties.
The use of underage students as drone factory workers and the details of the manufacturing facilities were first reported by Russian independent media outlets Protokol and Razvorot, which published a series of investigations in July.
Since then, RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities has spoken with students who describe grueling working conditions and interviewed dozens of parents whose children have been enrolled at Alabuga Polytechnic University -- some as young at 15 -- who say that their children were forced to work exceedingly long hours, often without proper breaks or meals, and under hostile conditions that have deeply affected their mental health.
“My son enrolled and 2 1/2 months later he called for me to take him away,” Zhanna, who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect against reprisals for speaking about the operation, told RFE/RL. “He said to me on the phone, ‘Come and get me or I’ll die,’ so I picked him up immediately.”
Zhanna, who asked that her underage son’s name also not be used, says that she sent him from Nizhny Novgorod to study at Alabuga Polytechnic University in 2022 because of its reputation as a leading technical institution inside Russia.
The school offered students -- often between the ages of 15-18 -- an opportunity to get vocational training as part of a dual program that combines a classroom education with practical work experience. Students were also promised an opportunity to work and earn a locally competitive salary of up to 70,000 rubles ($700) a month as part of the work experience program that could further their career growth.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
But, instead, those enrolled were encouraged and in some cases pressured into working at the drone facility, where the salaries of the mostly underage laborers are contingent on meeting tough production quotas.
“This is a textbook definition of what constitutes exploitation,” Sergei Podsytnik, an investigative journalist at Protokol who worked on the series of reports, told RFE/RL. “[Students] assemble drones, with the work taking priority over their studies.”
The pressure to fulfill these quotas has allegedly led to strenuous back-to-back days -- with some shifts lasting up to 15 hours -- with little time for sleep or adequate sustenance. Overtime work is often unpaid, further highlighting potential labor violations. Exhausted students also reported not always meeting their quotas, which led to them not earning the salary initially promised by the school. Many students came from disadvantaged backgrounds and relied on their earnings to cover costs for tuition, room, and board and would send the remainder home.
Other parents, such as Marina, said she decided to take her daughter out of the program when she discovered that she was working in apparent unsafe conditions and that staff from the school had instructed students not to tell their parents about the drone assembly work.
“This was the last straw for me,” Marina, who also asked for her identity to be concealed, told RFE/RL. “This is a dangerous production process that involves dangerous chemicals. They also forbid the kids from telling everything to their parents.”
RFE/RL sent multiple requests for comment to various staff and administrators at Alabuga Polytechnic University but received no replies.
Making Iranian Drones In Russia
The complicated and concerning dynamic at Alabuga Polytechnic University stems from growing military cooperation between Iran and Russia that has accelerated since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Iran has said it provided drones to Russia before the start of the war, but not since. However, U.S. intelligence officials have warned for months of continued deliveries and deepening cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, saying the two sides were exploring how to set up a manufacturing plant for Iranian drones inside Russia.
According to The Wall Street Journal, an Iranian delegation visited Yelabuga in Tatarstan on January 5, touring a potential site for such a factory at the Alabuga special economic zone close to Alabuga Polytechnic University. U.S. officials released satellite images in April of the plant being built.
Russia already possesses an array of unarmed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, which are used mainly for surveillance and artillery spotting, but has turned increasingly to Tehran for attack drones.
After being forced to abandon Ukrainian territory that its troops captured in the early stretches of the war, Moscow shifted to a strategy of relentless air assaults on Ukrainian cities. These attacks often rely on a combination of cruise missiles and self-detonating drones packed with explosives to knock out electricity and running water for the civilian population in Ukraine.
So far, Iran has provided Russia mostly with so-called "suicide" drones, known as the Shahed-136, that contain a modest amount of explosives that can detonate when the drones crash into targets, military experts say.
In acquiring its own domestic assembly line, Russia could dramatically increase its stockpile of the relatively inexpensive but highly destructive weapons systems.
WATCH: Russia has resorted to using Shahed-136 drones from Iran in its war on Ukraine. Ukraine says it's already downed many of the drones, which work by slamming into their intended target, laden with explosives. Ordinary Ukrainians say they can already recognize the sound of the drones, which use two-stroke engines like lawnmowers or motorbikes. Iran has denied supplying the drones to Russia.
The arrangement also offers substantial economic and political benefits for Iran, which has sought to portray itself as neutral in the Ukraine war. The appearance of Iranian-made drones over Ukrainian cities, however, has triggered threats of new economic sanctions from the West. The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have also all issued rules in recent months designed to cut off the flow of drone components to Russia and Iran.
The Washington Post reported in November 2022, citing unnamed U.S. intelligence officials, that the agreement to deliver Iranian drone schematics and materials for manufacture in Russia resulted from Iranian leaders believing that the arrangement would allow Tehran to avert new sanctions.
Foreign Recruitment And Patriotic Education
Alabuga Polytechnic University is formally not a college. All of its students are officially enrolled at nearby Yelabuga Polytechnic College, with the Alabuga institution existing on paper as a specialized program for students looking to break into high-tech industries.
Currently, about 1,000 students are studying at Alabuga Polytechnic University, with several hundred of them -- most of whom are between the ages of 15 and 17 -- involved in assembling the Iranian drones.
In addition to the work on the drones, there are other signs that point to blurred lines in Russia between the education system and the country’s military amid the war in Ukraine.
According to current and former Alabuga Polytechnic University students, team-building and organized extracurricular activities through the school often take on a “patriotic” character that may be designed to expose students to official government narratives of international events or echo talking points from state television.
Organized paintball games have become a mainstay for students, especially first-year arrivals, in which they are encouraged to compete against one another and then play together against more experienced outside players. Teachers and administration officials regularly refer to paintball as being part of a “patriotic” education needed to complement the technical aspect of their studies.
In one instance, a group of new students competed in paintball as Soviet soldiers against outside players who were dressed as troops from Nazi Germany in a capture-the-flag competition meant to simulate the World War II battle of Stalingrad. According to one student, the Nazi flag contained the compass symbol used by the NATO military alliance instead of the swastika used by Nazi Germany.
Other instances of political teachings from staff are more direct. In a recording obtained by RFE/RL from June 16, a senior administrator can be heard telling the teenagers that NATO launched a hybrid war against Russia back in 2011 and that it has slowly become more overt. The man then goes on to tell students that their hard work and exceeding long days at the drone factory are part of a nationwide struggle against the West and that their patriotism will be rewarded.
Several students and parents identified the man in the recording as Timur Shagivaleev, the director-general of the special economic zone where Alabuga Polytechnic University and the drone factory operate.
Shagivaleev did not respond to RFE/RL’s request for comment.
The man in the recording then goes on to tell students not to take holidays and to continue working “even if it's mom's birthday,” before ending his speech with, “Long live our great country.”
WATCH: Amid a new wave of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, analysts in Kyiv are gaining useful intelligence from a collection of downed Russian aerial weapons. They have been studying the remains of Iranian Shahed drones and Russian Kinzhal missiles, among others.
Multiple current and former students told RFE/RL that students who work in the drone factory are often praised by staff, while those who have refused or asked to be reassigned due to the high workload are often publicly shamed. In some instances -- according to recordings heard by RFE/RL -- staff even encourage students to bully others who are not deemed “patriotic” enough.
According to Protokol and Razvorot’s investigations, Alabuga Polytechnic University has also turned toward recruiting foreign students to enroll. The majority of them come from African countries, but also from Central Asia and Azerbaijan, where they are promised “world class” salaries as part of the dual-track world experience program.
However, these foreign students are then given low-skill and menial tasks around the campus and the special economic zone, such as janitorial work, and are also paid lower salaries than initially promised.
Written by Reid Standish based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities


rferl--2020-01-31--Pompeo Assures Kyiv Of 'Full Support' Against Russian Aggression

Ukraine says the United States has reiterated its `` full support '' to restore the country 's `` territorial integrity '' as Kyiv battles Russia-backed forces in a deadly war in its easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk .
`` Michael Pompeo assured that Ukraine has the full support of the United States in stopping Russia 's aggression and restoring Ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity in full , '' Ukraine ’ s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on January 31 after the country ’ s top diplomat , Vadym Prystayko , met U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set to have talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other top Ukrainian officials during the trip as Washington looks to show its backing for Ukraine .
Along with aid provided by European countries , Kyiv counts on Washington for diplomatic support and military aid to buy Javelin anti-tank missiles and other hardware in the conflict .
Pompeo is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Ukraine since lawmakers in Washington began the impeachment process of President Donald Trump .
Democrats accuse Trump of abusing his power of office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aid and a highly desired invitation to the White House for Zelenskiy .
The visit also comes days after Pompeo reportedly asked an NPR journalist in anger , “ Do you think Americans care about Ukraine ?
” Prior to meeting with Prystayko , Pompeo attended a ceremony honoring those who have died in the nearly six-year war in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014 .
Russia also seized and annexed Ukraine 's Crimean Peninsula on March 2014 in a move not recognized by the international community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued strong bilateral relations between the two countries , according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry .
`` At the same time , the U.S. side emphasized the importance of maintaining the high dynamics and effectiveness of reforms in Ukraine , '' it said .
Two-way trade between the United States and Ukraine reached nearly $ 4 billion in 2018 , with particularly high volumes in mineral fuels , vehicles , iron and steel , and agricultural products .
Pompeo , who began his regional tour in London , will also travel to Belarus @ @ @ @ @ @

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has vowed Washington’s unwavering support for Ukraine as it battles Russia-backed forces in a deadly war in its easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
"The United States understands that Ukraine is an important country. It’s not just the geographic heart of Europe, it’s a bulwark between freedom and authoritarianism in Eastern Europe," Pompeo said after talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on January 31.
"The United States sees that the Ukrainian struggle for freedom, democracy, and prosperity is a valiant one. Our commitment to support it will not waver," he added.
Along with aid provided by European countries, Kyiv counts on Washington for diplomatic support and military aid to buy Javelin anti-tank missiles and other hardware in the conflict.
Pompeo is the highest-ranking U.S. officials to visit Ukraine since lawmakers in Washington began the impeachment process of President Donald Trump.
Democrats accuse Trump of abusing his power of office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival by withholding congressionally approved military aid and a highly desired invitation to the White House for Zelenskiy.
Pompeo rejected the notion that vital aid had been held back, adding he did not believe that “our warm and important relations have been influenced by the question of the impeachment."
He said no conditions had been put on a White House visit for Zelenskiy and that it would come at the “right time.”
“We'll find the appropriate opportunity," he said. He did not elaborate on when that could be or if an invitation had already been extended to the Ukrainian leader.
The visit also comes days after Pompeo reportedly asked an NPR journalist in anger, “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?”
Prior to meeting with Foreign Minister Vadym Prystayko, Pompeo attended a ceremony honoring those who have died in the nearly six-year war in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014. Russia also seized and annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula on March 2014 in a move not recognized by the international community.
Pompeo also underscored the importance of continued strong bilateral relations between the two countries, according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
"At the same time, the U.S. side emphasized the importance of maintaining the high dynamics and effectiveness of reforms in Ukraine," it said.
Two-way trade between the United States and Ukraine reached nearly $4 billion in 2018, with particularly high volumes in mineral fuels, vehicles, iron and steel, and agricultural products.
Pompeo, who began his regional tour in London, will also travel to Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.


rferl--2020-01-31--U.S. Raises Injury Toll In Iran Attack For Fourth Time, Now Says 64 Hurt

The U.S. military has once again raised the number of U.S. service members who suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iran ’ s missile strike on an Iraqi base earlier this month .
Pentagon spokesman Thomas Campbell said that as of January 30 , `` a total of 64 U.S. service members have been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury , or TBI . ''
In remarks that have angered many U.S. veterans groups , President Donald Trump initially claimed that no Americans were harmed in Iran ’ s January 8 attack on the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops had suffered injuries , then raised it to 34 before saying on January 28 that 50 personnel had been injured .
Trump has downplayed the injuries , saying he “ heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things.
” Iran said the missile attack on the bases hosting U.S. troops was revenge for the killing of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani , leader of Iran 's elite Quds Force , in a U.S. air strike near Baghdad 's airport in early January .
The Pentagon spokesman said that of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have returned to duty .
`` Since the ballistic-missile attack , we have seen a persistent and dedicated effort by our medical professionals on the ground in Iraq , Kuwait , and Germany to diagnose and treat any and all members who needed assistance , '' he added .
`` This is a snapshot in time and numbers can change .
We will continue to provide updates as they become available , '' the spokesman said .
William Schmitz , national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars , has said the group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our service men and women for his misguided remarks '' in downplaying the seriousness of the injuries .
With reporting by dpa , AP , and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-31--Russian Prosecutors Drop Murder Charges Against Sisters Who Stabbed Their Father

Russia 's Prosecutor-General 's Office has ordered investigators to drop murder charges against teenage sisters accused of killing their abusive father in a closely watched case that fueled debate on the issue of domestic violence in the country .
Prosecutors on January 30 said the case of sisters Maria , Angelina , and Krestina Khachaturyan should be reclassified as self-defense , likely ending the legal case against the three , their lawyer said .
The sisters stabbed their father to death in a Moscow suburb in July 2017 after enduring what they said was constant humiliation and sexual abuse .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ knife and a hammer to kill their 57-year-old father , Mikhail Khachaturyan .
The Investigate Committee had said on December 3 that it had completed the investigation into the killing and was recommending charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder against the two older sisters , Krestina and Angelina , who were aged 18 and 19 at the time .
The statement said the two were of sound mind and aware of their actions when the killing occurred , but it also pointed to the long-term “ physical and mental suffering ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mitigating circumstance .
They faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charges .
Investigators recommended that the third sister , Maria , who was 17 at the time of her father ’ s killing , should enter mandatory psychiatric care .
Aleksei Parshin , the girls ’ lawyer , was quoted by state-run TASS news agency as saying the Prosecutor-General 's Office had rejected the Investigative Committee 's case and ordered the murder charges to be dropped .
He said prosecutors concluded the sisters ' actions were “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the necessary self-defense . ''
Mari Davtyan , a lawyer for Angelina , told AFP when the murder charges were first recommended that the sisters `` used reasonable force in self-defense . ''
The case has received broad coverage in the media in Russia and abroad and has triggered a debate on domestic abuse following the 2017 introduction of a law decriminalizing most forms of battery .
Some 350,000 people signed a petition demanding the sisters ' release , while women 's rights activists inside and outside of Russia rallied in their support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and AP

Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office has ordered investigators to drop murder charges against teenage sisters accused of killing their abusive father in a closely watched case that fueled debate on the issue of domestic violence in the country.
Prosecutors on January 30 said the case of sisters Maria, Angelina, and Krestina Khachaturyan should be reclassified as self-defense, likely ending the legal case against the three, their lawyer said.
The sisters stabbed their father to death in a Moscow suburb in July 2018 after enduring what they said was constant humiliation and sexual abuse.
The three sisters confessed to using a knife and a hammer to kill their 57-year-old father, Mikhail Khachaturyan.
The Investigate Committee had said on December 3 that it had completed the investigation into the killing and was recommending charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder against the two older sisters, Krestina and Angelina, who were aged 18 and 19 at the time.
The statement said the two were of sound mind and aware of their actions when the killing occurred, but it also pointed to the long-term “physical and mental suffering” inflicted on them by their father as a mitigating circumstance.
They faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
Investigators recommended that the third sister, Maria, who was 17 at the time of her father’s killing, should enter mandatory psychiatric care.
Aleksei Parshin, the girls’ lawyer, was quoted by state-run TASS news agency as saying the Prosecutor-General's Office had rejected the Investigative Committee's case and ordered the murder charges to be dropped.
He said prosecutors concluded the sisters' actions were “carried out within the legal limits of the necessary self-defense."
Mari Davtyan, a lawyer for Angelina, told AFP when the murder charges were first recommended that the sisters "used reasonable force in self-defense."
The case has received broad coverage in the media in Russia and abroad and has triggered a debate on domestic abuse following the 2017 introduction of a law decriminalizing most forms of battery.
Some 350,000 people signed a petition demanding the sisters' release, while women's rights activists inside and outside of Russia rallied in their support.
With reporting by TASS, AFP, and AP


rferl--2020-01-31--U.S. Says Some Troops To Stay In Africa Amid Moves By Russia, China

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the Pentagon does not intend to remove all its forces from Africa , amid concerns from allies that Washington could abandon the continent militarily while China and Russia “ aggressively ” look to increase their influence and as the extremist threat remains .
`` We are not going to totally withdraw forces from Africa ...
I know that is the concern of many folks , but again I would say that no decisions have been made yet .
This is a process , '' Esper said on January 30 .
Esper is carrying out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways to free up more resources to address challenges from China 's military in Asia .
France especially has expressed concerns about a dramatic U.S. pullout of its 6,000 forces from various troubled areas in Africa .
Paris relies on U.S. intelligence and logistical support for its 4,500-strong mission in the Sahel region , which has been hit by deadly extremist violence .
Separately , in a congressional hearing on January 30 , General Stephen Townsend , the head of U.S. Africa Command , said Africa is key ground for competition with China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic and military means to expand their access and influence . ''
He also pointed out the “ first visible sign of cooperation we 've seen ” in Africa between the militaries of China and Russia , including their joint naval exercise off the coast of South Africa last year .
“ China and Russia are seeking to counter the strategic access that we need for American security and American prosperity , ” he said .
Moscow has been pursuing ventures involving the continent 's rich mineral resources .
Meanwhile , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smart cities ” technology equipped with facial-recognition technology and using that information for itself before delivering it to the host countries .
The general told lawmakers that U.S. security at home depends on what is happening in places elsewhere in the world , given the threat from terror groups that have been pressured by U.S. forces but remain active .
“ A secure and stable Africa remains an enduring American interest , ” Townsend said .
“ In the past , maybe we ’ ve been able to pay less attention to Africa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t believe that ’ s the case for the future , ” he said .
“ We can not take pressure off major terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and [ Islamic State ] , ” he said .
`` These groups and many others remain an inconvenient reality in Africa.
” Townsend also said intelligence has suggested Iran and Iran-backed forces were looking at opportunities to hit back at the United States after the killing of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq and that one of those places could be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , military.com , and dpa

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the Pentagon does not intend to remove all its forces from Africa, amid concerns from allies that Washington could abandon the continent militarily while China and Russia “aggressively” look to increase their influence and as the extremist threat remains.
"We are not going to totally withdraw forces from Africa...I know that is the concern of many folks, but again I would say that no decisions have been made yet. This is a process," Esper said on January 30.
Esper is carrying out a global troop review meant to find ways to free up more resources to address challenges from China's military in Asia.
France especially has expressed concerns about a dramatic U.S. pullout of its 6,000 forces from various troubled areas in Africa. Paris relies on U.S. intelligence and logistical support for its 4,500-strong mission in the Sahel region, which has been hit by deadly extremist violence.
Separately, in a congressional hearing on January 30, General Stephen Townsend, the head of U.S. Africa Command, said Africa is key ground for competition with China and Russia “who are aggressively using economic and military means to expand their access and influence."
He also pointed out the “first visible sign of cooperation we've seen” in Africa between the militaries of China and Russia, including their joint naval exercise off the coast of South Africa last year.
“China and Russia are seeking to counter the strategic access that we need for American security and American prosperity,” he said.
Moscow has been pursuing ventures involving the continent's rich mineral resources.
Meanwhile, he said China has been offering African countries “smart cities” technology equipped with facial-recognition technology and using that information for itself before delivering it to the host countries.
The general told lawmakers that U.S. security at home depends on what is happening in places elsewhere in the world, given the threat from terror groups that have been pressured by U.S. forces but remain active.
“A secure and stable Africa remains an enduring American interest,” Townsend said.
“In the past, maybe we’ve been able to pay less attention to Africa and be OK in America. I don’t believe that’s the case for the future,” he said.
“We cannot take pressure off major terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and [Islamic State],” he said. "These groups and many others remain an inconvenient reality in Africa.”
Townsend also said intelligence has suggested Iran and Iran-backed forces were looking at opportunities to hit back at the United States after the killing of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq and that one of those places could be in Africa
With reporting by AP, Reuters, military.com, and dpa


rferl--2020-02-03--Tehran Stops Sharing Evidence From Plane Crash With Kyiv After Leak

An Iranian official says his country will stop sharing with Kyiv evidence from the crash of a Ukrainian airliner shot down near Tehran last month after audio from the investigation showing the authorities were aware immediately that a missile may have downed the plane was leaked by Ukrainian media .
The semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Hassan Rezaifar , the director in charge of accident investigations at Iran 's Civil Aviation Organization , as saying on February 3 the move was linked to the audio leak from a day earlier .
`` The technical investigation team of the Ukrainian airline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published the secret audio file of the communications of a pilot of a plane that was flying at the same time as the Ukrainian plane , '' Rezaifar said , according to Mehr .
`` This action by the Ukrainians led to us not sharing any more evidence with them , '' he added .
A transcript of the recording , released over the weekend , contains a conversation in Persian between an air-traffic controller and a pilot who was reportedly flying a Fokker 100 jet for Iran 's Aseman Airlines .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Iran 's southern city of Shiraz to Tehran , the pilot insists he saw what he believed was a missile and then an explosion in the area where the plane went down .
The UIA Boeing 737-800 crashed several minutes after taking off from Tehran 's primary international airport on January 8 , killing all 176 people aboard .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged on February 2 that the recording , first aired by the Ukrainian television channel 1+1 , was authentic .
Iranian authorities initially denied any responsibility for the accident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) admitted the plane was shot down `` unintentionally . ''
Zelenskiy said on February 3 that he had canceled a trip by Ukrainian investigators to Tehran to participate in the decoding of the plane 's black boxes and called on Tehran to bring them to Kyiv .
With reporting by Mehr , UNIAN , and Reuters

An Iranian official says his country will stop sharing with Kyiv evidence from the crash of a Ukrainian airliner shot down near Tehran last month after audio from the investigation showing the authorities were aware immediately that a missile may have downed the plane was leaked by Ukrainian media.
The semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Hassan Rezaifar, the director in charge of accident investigations at Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, as saying on February 3 the move was linked to the audio leak from a day earlier.
"The technical investigation team of the Ukrainian airline crash, in a strange move, published the secret audio file of the communications of a pilot of a plane that was flying at the same time as the Ukrainian plane," Rezaifar said, according to Mehr.
"This action by the Ukrainians led to us not sharing any more evidence with them," he added.
A transcript of the recording, released over the weekend, contains a conversation in Persian between an air-traffic controller and a pilot who was reportedly flying a Fokker 100 jet for Iran's Aseman Airlines. In the conversation as the small plane flew from Iran's southern city of Shiraz to Tehran, the pilot insists he saw what he believed was a missile and then an explosion in the area where the plane went down.
The UIA Boeing 737-800 crashed several minutes after taking off from Tehran's primary international airport on January 8, killing all 176 people aboard.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged on February 2 that the recording, first aired by the Ukrainian television channel 1+1, was authentic.
Iranian authorities initially denied any responsibility for the accident, but three days after the tragedy the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) admitted the plane was shot down "unintentionally."
Zelenskiy said on February 3 that he had canceled a trip by Ukrainian investigators to Tehran to participate in the decoding of the plane's black boxes and called on Tehran to bring them to Kyiv.
With reporting by Mehr, UNIAN, and Reuters


rferl--2020-02-03--EU's Top Diplomat Holds Talks In Iran 'To De-Escalate Tensions'

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif have held talks in Tehran aimed at lowering tensions over the Iran 's nuclear program .
Borrell is in Iran on a two-day visit , his first to Iran since taking office , following a spike in tensions between Washington and Tehran after the January 3 assassination in Baghdad of a top Iranian general in a U.S. drone strike .
Borrell is also due to meet with President Hassan Rohani and parliament speaker Ali Larijani .
The landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdrew from the deal it in 2018 .
Washington has since reimposed harsh economic sanctions on the country , and initiated a campaign of `` maximum pressure '' against Iran .
Tehran has gradually stepped back from its own commitments under the accord and said earlier this month that it no longer considered itself bound by it .
Borrell 's mission aims `` to de-escalate tensions and seek opportunities for political solutions to the current crisis , '' his office said .
Borrell said last month that he had consulted the countries still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia and China -- and that all are determined to save the deal .
The current trip will allow Borrell `` to convey the EU 's strong commitment to preserve '' the nuclear deal , known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , and to discuss cooperation between the EU and Iran , his office said .
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi told a press conference on February 3 that Tehran hoped Borrell 's visit would help the European Union `` understand '' its situation and prompt the bloc to `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' A joint commission that oversees the deal and comprises representatives of all the countries involved will meet in February , he said , without giving a precise date .
With reporting by AFP and dpa


rferl--2020-02-03--Kremlin Says Putin-Erdogan Talks Can Be Arranged After Turkish Strikes In Syria

The Kremlin says talks between President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can be arranged if `` necessary '' after Turkish forces killed dozens of Russian-backed Syrian government troops .
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made his comments on February 3 , hours after Erdogan told journalists in Istanbul that Moscow should n't get involved in the situation , which saw Turkish forces shell Syrian troops as they in turn were firing on rebel forces in their last stronghold near Idlib .
The Turkish president said initial reports showed 30-35 Syrians were `` neutralized , '' while Turkish authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the `` intensive shelling '' by Syrian rebels that ignited the response .
`` There have n't been any high-level talks yet , but there should be no doubt at all that if the presidents consider it necessary , such talks can be coordinated very quickly , '' Peskov said , adding that Russia was concerned over `` the ongoing activities of terrorist groups in Idlib . ''
Turkey and Russia , which support opposing sides in Syria 's conflict , have agreed to work toward de-escalating the fighting in Idlib and creating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January , Erdogan said Turkey was losing patience with the military assault in Idlib and accused Russia of `` not honoring '' agreements aimed at stemming the violence there .
Russian officials said they were not notified by Ankara about the attack in advance , a claim Erdogan 's Justice and Development Party contradicted before the president left Turkey for an official visit to Ukraine .
`` I want to especially tell the Russian authorities that our interlocuter here is not you but the [ Syrian ] regime , and do not stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters before leaving .
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax

The Kremlin says talks between President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can be arranged if "necessary" after Turkish forces killed dozens of Russian-backed Syrian government troops.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made his comments on February 3, hours after Erdogan told journalists in Istanbul that Moscow shouldn't get involved in the situation, which saw Turkish forces shell Syrian troops as they in turn were firing on rebel forces in their last stronghold near Idlib.
The Turkish president said initial reports showed 30-35 Syrians were "neutralized," while Turkish authorities said six soldiers from Turkey died in the "intensive shelling" by Syrian rebels that ignited the response.
"There haven't been any high-level talks yet, but there should be no doubt at all that if the presidents consider it necessary, such talks can be coordinated very quickly," Peskov said, adding that Russia was concerned over "the ongoing activities of terrorist groups in Idlib."
Turkey and Russia, which support opposing sides in Syria's conflict, have agreed to work toward de-escalating the fighting in Idlib and creating a demilitarized zone.
Earlier, in January, Erdogan said Turkey was losing patience with the military assault in Idlib and accused Russia of "not honoring" agreements aimed at stemming the violence there.
Russian officials said they were not notified by Ankara about the attack in advance, a claim Erdogan's Justice and Development Party contradicted before the president left Turkey for an official visit to Ukraine.
"I want to especially tell the Russian authorities that our interlocuter here is not you but the [Syrian] regime, and do not stand in our way," Erdogan told reporters before leaving.
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-02-03--Russia Says It May Deport Foreigners Confirmed With Coronavirus

Russia says it plans to deport foreigners diagnosed with the new coronavirus as an increasingly isolated China blamed the United States for stoking fears over the outbreak instead of providing concrete assistance .
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told a televised government meeting on February 3 that an annual investment forum later in the month in Sochi had been postponed due to the virus outbreak .
There have been two confirmed cases of the virus in Russia , both of which involved Chinese citizens .
The number of deaths in China from the virus , which was first detected in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 , a sharp increase from just 57 the previous day , according to the country 's National Health Commission .
`` Now it [ the new virus ] has been added to the list of especially dangerous illnesses .
That will allow us to deport foreign citizens if they are diagnosed with such an illness , '' Mishustin said .
`` First and foremost we have to think about the safety and health of our citizens [ and ] forum participants , '' Mishustin added , noting the `` situation is under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours after the United States said it planned `` a handful more flights '' to bring U.S. citizens home from Hubei , the Chinese province hit by the outbreak of the new coronavirus .
China 's Foreign Ministry accused the United States on February 3 of overreacting to the situation by being the first country to suggest the partial withdrawal of its embassy staff , as well as the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers .
`` All it has done could only create and spread fear , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hua Chunying told an online news briefing .
The costs of the virus outbreak for China are rising dramatically , as researchers around the world scramble to create a vaccine with more than 17,300 cases confirmed globally .
On February 3 , China completed construction of a new 1,000-bed hospital for treating the victims of the outbreak .
The facility was built in just 10 days .
Huoshenshan Hospital and a second facility with 1,500 beds that is due to open this week were built by construction crews who are working around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under virtual lockdown , with roads sealed off and public transportation shut down .
Elsewhere in China , the eastern port of Wenzhou on February 3 became the first city outside Hubei Province to impose quarantine measures .
The city of 9 million is located about 700 kilometers from Wuhan on China 's eastern coast .
Meanwhile , a death has been confirmed in the Philippines on February 2 -- the first fatality reported outside of China .
The victim , a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan , appears to have been infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia , Britain , and Sweden were among the most recent countries confirming their first infections as the virus has now been reported in more than two dozen countries .
The United States and Australia are among countries putting sweeping , albeit temporary , travel restrictions on Chinese nationals or those who have traveled to China within the past two weeks .
The World Health Organization has said the number of confirmed cases will keep growing because thousands of samples from suspected cases have yet to be tested .
The economic impact of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` likely to be high , but short-lived , '' a research briefing by data analyst Oxford Economics said on February 3 .
Analysts there said the world 's second-biggest economy will grow by 5.4 percent this year , `` compared with 6 percent forecast previously . ''
The impact will mainly be felt in the first three months of this year shaving growth by more than 2 percentage points .
With reporting by Reuters , dpa , AP , and AFP

Russia says it plans to deport foreigners diagnosed with the new coronavirus as an increasingly isolated China blamed the United States for stoking fears over the outbreak instead of providing concrete assistance.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told a televised government meeting on February 3 that an annual investment forum later in the month in Sochi had been postponed due to the virus outbreak.
There have been two confirmed cases of the virus in Russia, both of which involved Chinese citizens.
The number of deaths in China from the virus, which was first detected in December, was 361 as of February 2, a sharp increase from just 57 the previous day, according to the country's National Health Commission.
"Now it [the new virus] has been added to the list of especially dangerous illnesses. That will allow us to deport foreign citizens if they are diagnosed with such an illness," Mishustin said.
"First and foremost we have to think about the safety and health of our citizens [and] forum participants," Mishustin added, noting the "situation is under control."
Mishustin's announcement came hours after the United States said it planned "a handful more flights" to bring U.S. citizens home from Hubei, the Chinese province hit by the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
China's Foreign Ministry accused the United States on February 3 of overreacting to the situation by being the first country to suggest the partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, as well as the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers.
"All it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a bad example," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told an online news briefing.
The costs of the virus outbreak for China are rising dramatically, as researchers around the world scramble to create a vaccine with more than 17,300 cases confirmed globally.
On February 3, China completed construction of a new 1,000-bed hospital for treating the victims of the outbreak. The facility was built in just 10 days.
Huoshenshan Hospital and a second facility with 1,500 beds that is due to open this week were built by construction crews who are working around the clock in Wuhan.
Hubei has been under virtual lockdown, with roads sealed off and public transportation shut down.
Elsewhere in China, the eastern port of Wenzhou on February 3 became the first city outside Hubei Province to impose quarantine measures.
The city of 9 million is located about 700 kilometers from Wuhan on China's eastern coast.
Meanwhile, a death has been confirmed in the Philippines on February 2 -- the first fatality reported outside of China. The victim, a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan, appears to have been infected before arriving in the island state.
Russia, Britain, and Sweden were among the most recent countries confirming their first infections as the virus has now been reported in more than two dozen countries.
The United States and Australia are among countries putting sweeping, albeit temporary, travel restrictions on Chinese nationals or those who have traveled to China within the past two weeks.
The World Health Organization has said the number of confirmed cases will keep growing because thousands of samples from suspected cases have yet to be tested.
The economic impact of the virus on China's economy is "likely to be high, but short-lived," a research briefing by data analyst Oxford Economics said on February 3.
Analysts there said the world's second-biggest economy will grow by 5.4 percent this year, "compared with 6 percent forecast previously."
The impact will mainly be felt in the first three months of this year shaving growth by more than 2 percentage points.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AP, and AFP


rferl--2020-02-03--Erdogan Meet Zelenskiy In Push To Boost Trade Between Turkey, Ukraine

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is holding talks with his Ukrainian counterpart , Volodymyr Zelenskiy , in Kyiv to stimulate @ @ @ @ @ Erdogan and Zelenskiy will discuss how to `` enhance strategic partnership and cooperation in all @ @ @ @ @ and attend a Ukraine-Turkey business forum , Zelenskiy 's office said .
Zelenskiy , a @ @ @ @ @ to a landslide victory in an April presidential election on promises to root out entrenched @ @ @ @ @ struggling economy .
He has also set out to end a years-long conflict with Moscow-backed @ @ @ @ @ has claimed more than 13,000 lives since April 2014 .
Erdogan , who has been @ @ @ @ @ recent years , has adamantly opposed Russia 's 2014 annexation of Ukraine 's Crimea region @ @ @ @ @ the rights of the Crimean Tatars , an ethnic Turkic minority .
Ukraine 's Orthodox @ @ @ @ @ year , with Istanbul-based Patriarch Bartholomew I signing the decree .
Based on reporting by @ @ @

KYIV -- On a visit to Kyiv, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Turkey’s support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, emphasizing that Ankara doesn't recognize Russia’s “illegitimate” takeover of Crimea.
Erdogan was speaking at a news conference in the Ukrainian capital on February 3 following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The Turkish leader said that Turkey will help build housing for “nearly 500 families” of Crimean Tatars who have relocated to other parts of Ukraine following the annexation of the Black Sea peninsula in March 2014.
Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as a campaign of repression by the Russian-imposed authorities against Crimean Tatars -- an Turkic ethnic group -- and others who have spoken out against Moscow's military seizure and occupation of Crimea.
Erdogan, who has been strengthening ties with Russia in recent years, has adamantly opposed Russia's moves in Crimea, particularly speaking up for the rights of the Crimean Tatars.
Ukraine is also battling Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine which has claimed more than 13,000 lives since April 2014.
Speaking alongside Erdogan, Zelenskiy said Kyiv counted on Ankara to help win the release of dozens of Ukrainians, particularly Crimean Tatars, being “illegally” held behind bars in Russia or Crimea.
Zelenskiy also said a military-financial cooperation agreement was signed that foresees Ankara giving Kyiv $36 million to purchase military and dual-purpose goods from Turkey.
Both sides also discussed possible natural-gas supplies to Ukraine via Turkey from the Caspian Sea.
The two leaders, who last met in Ankara in August, also chaired the eighth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council.
The sides signed a number of intergovernmental documents, including a memorandum of understanding regarding negotiations on a free-trade area agreement, according to Zelenskiy’s office.
Zelenskiy, a former comedian, swept to a landslide victory in an April 2019 presidential election on promises to root out entrenched corruption and improve Ukraine's struggling economy.


rferl--2020-02-03--U.S. Demands 'Evidence' From Taliban On Cease-Fire Before Deal

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has demanded `` demonstrable evidence '' from the Taliban that it will lower the violence level in Afghanistan before signing a deal that would lead to peace talks and a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country .
Pompeo told a news conference in Uzbekistan on February 3 that a deal was close but that they had been close before and failed because the Taliban was unable to prove it is serious about peace .
`` We 're working on a peace and reconciliation plan , putting the commas in the right place , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` We got close once before to having an agreement : a piece of paper that we mutually executed and the Taliban were unable to demonstrate either their will or capacity or both to deliver on a reduction in violence . ''
`` So , what we are demanding now is demonstrable evidence of their will and capacity to reduce violence , to take down the threat , so the inter-Afghan talks ... will have a less violent context , '' he said .
`` We 're hopeful we can achieve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and work certainly remains . ''
Pompeo 's statement came two days after U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during a visit to Kabul that there had been `` no notable progress '' in talks with the Taliban .
However , Khalilzad said he was hopeful of reaching a deal with the militants on a reduction of violence , without offering any time frame .
Khalilzad has held multiple rounds of talks with the Taliban in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar amid efforts to end 18 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting by AP , Reuters , and AFP

The education of girls and women is universally accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, including nearly 50 Muslim-majority nations.
But Afghanistan’s hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers have banned teenage girls from attending school after the sixth grade since they returned to power two years ago. The ban was extended in December to women in universities.
Countless protests by Afghans inside the country, pressure from the international community, and lobbying by Muslim scholars and clerics have failed to convince the fundamentalist Taliban leaders to reopen schools.
Experts are divided over whether the ban is rooted in how the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam is shaped by conservative Pashtun tribal customs and cultural practices or if it is prompted by how senior Taliban ideologues interpret Islamic teachings.
Most Taliban leaders are ethnic Pashtun, Sunni Muslim clerics. Many were educated in Deobandi madrasahs in neighboring Pakistan. Deobandism emerged as a puritanical Islamic revivalist movement in 19-century British Colonial India. Based on the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, it is a prominent strain among Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tribal Influences
Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator, argues that the Taliban restrictions against women are linked to social customs and cultural practices in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
Most Taliban leaders come from various Pashtun rural tribal communities in these regions bordering Pakistan.
"They believe that a woman's place is either inside a house or in a grave," Yousafzai said of the basic Taliban belief influenced by the status of women in the families of clerics and religious leaders in these Pashtun regions.
“Women living in the households of the current Taliban policymakers were never educated and never left their homes,” said Yousafzai, who has tracked the Islamist group since it emerged as a ragtag militia in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar in late 1994. “These women never performed any government or nongovernmental jobs.”
Yousafzai says the Taliban backs policies shaped by this worldview by leaning on Islamic teachings supporting such ideas. He says Taliban leaders rely on sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that discourage women from leaving their homes.
“Their primary belief is that pubescent girls should not leave home under any circumstance,” he said. “This is why they view women leaving home for education or work as engaging in moral corruption.”
In Afghanistan, a Muslim nation of some 40 million people, activists and rights advocates accuse the Taliban of implementing "gender apartheid" by denying women education, work, freedom of movement, and deciding how they can appear in public.
Most Muslims agree that Islam allows women to get an education. Yet the Taliban publicly says that it will allow girls access to education only after ensuring complete gender segregation and other unspecified conditions.
Almost all Afghan secondary schools were gender segregated and universities imposed a strict separation between men and women after the Taliban takeover.
Yousafzai says in conservative and traditional Muslim societies around the world, some clerics also favor restrictions on women's education, work, and their role in public life. But the governments in those countries usually oppose or limit such ideas.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia -- one of the most conservative Sunni Muslim nations -- has allowed women to drive and granted them freedom of movement without a male guardian. These steps are part of a reform and modernity drive by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The Taliban ban on education has invited universal condemnation from Muslims globally.
“The Taliban's ban on women's education is not rooted in [the Islamic] Shari’a law but rather reflects cultural biases that contradict the teachings of Islam,” said Salam al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in the United States.
He said that contrary to Taliban practices, “Islam emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge and encourages all individuals, regardless of gender, to acquire an education.”
Historical Conflict
But Islamic scholars and those who have attempted to convince the Taliban about reopening girls schools offer a different explanation.
John Mohammad Butt, an Islamic scholar and former BBC broadcaster who is the only Westerner to graduate from India’s Darul Uloom Deoband, argues that the Taliban's policy on girls' education is not tribal but shaped by the century-old conflict over modern education.
“The problem is that girls' education in Afghanistan -- indeed, contemporary education in general -- has generally been introduced in Afghanistan in line with a secular agenda,” he said.
In the 1920s, a coalition of conservative clerics and tribal and community leaders deposed reformist King Amanullah Khan. He wanted to modernize Afghanistan along Turkish leader Kamal Ataturk's secular lines and championed modern education and rights for women.
This opposition to modernity and secularism continued, and conservative clerics opposed women's education and work. It became a key part of the Islamist opposition to the pro-Soviet Afghan communist governments after the April 1978 military coup that ended the Afghan monarchy. The mujahedin accused the communists of spreading immorality by promoting women’s education and empowerment.
“This has led to particular wariness on the part of conservative circles in Afghanistan with regard to girls' education,” Butt said.
'Deep Ideological Conviction'
Obaidullah Baheer, a political science lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, became part of an effort to rescind the ban by talking to the Taliban last year.
But he says the effort failed because “the ban is a matter of deep ideological conviction” for the current supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Baheer says that the most prominent Taliban leaders have studied in Pakistani madrasahs and were thus disconnected from village and tribal life.
“They have been indoctrinated by the Deobandi school of thought so that they now enforce the strictest version of Islam on the Afghan population,” he said.
He argues that the ban on girls’ schools is a deliberate policy championed by Akhundzada, who he says has endorsed Taliban Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani's Arabic language book The Islamic Emirate And Its System. In this book, Haqqani supports a fringe Islamic opinion of preferring the choice of one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, Sawdah Bint Zam'ah, who chose to stay at home until her death.
Baheer says Haqqani ignores his other wives and other female companions that played an active role in many sectors of society and how they served as students and teachers for men.
“This fringe opinion is not held by all Taliban leaders but is one that the current absolute sovereign, the Taliban emir, seems to be convinced of,” he said.
Butt says that even Haqqani has acknowledged the principle that if there is something that women need to act upon, then that is also something that women need to learn about.
“I hope the Taliban authorities will come to realize in the not-too-distant future that education for women will make Afghan women into better Muslims,” he says. “It will enable them to make a stronger contribution to the well-being of their country.”
Two years after grappling with the issue, Western diplomats appear to be encouraging Afghan conservative and clerical circles to find ways to end the ban.
Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, recently tweeted that Afghan women must be educated and contribute to the economy to help their country stand on its own two feet.
“If change to policies is made, it will be because Afghans have asked for it, not a result of foreign requests,” he wrote.


rferl--2020-02-03--Ukrainian Police Search For Suspect In Deadly Shooting In Central Kyiv

Ukrainian police say they are forming a dragnet to find a shooter who killed a man on a central street @ @ @ @ @ at around 6 p.m. local time .
The National Police gave scant details of the @ @ @ @ @ was born in 1977 , was shot several times , and that the shooting was @ @ @ @ @ for which a maximum prison sentence of 15 years is given .
Ukrainian media have @ @ @ @ @ Sotnyk , a native of the easternmost Donetsk region who was employed at the DMK @ @ @ @ @ and aesthetic surgeon .
Based on reporting by Hromadske and Ukrayinska Pravda

Ukrainian police say they are forming a dragnet to find a shooter who killed a man on a central street in Kyiv on February 2 at around 6 p.m. local time.
The National Police gave scant details of the victim, only saying he was born in 1977, was shot several times, and that the shooting was being investigated as intentional murder for which a maximum prison sentence of 15 years is given.
Ukrainian media have reported the victim as Andriy Sotnyk, a native of the easternmost Donetsk region who was employed at the DMK Ukraine clinic as a plastic and aesthetic surgeon.
Based on reporting by Hromadske and Ukrayinska Pravda


rferl--2020-02-03--Two Ukrainian Soldiers Killed Over Bloody Weekend In Donbas

Two Ukrainian military personnel were killed and four wounded over the weekend in the Donbas conflict zone where Russian-backed separatists control portions of the country 's two easternmost regions .
A female combat medic was killed on February 1 near the front-line town of Novotoshkivske in the Luhansk region , the military headquarters said in a daily war update .
Sergeant Klavdia Sytnyk , 33 , came under fire while delivering medical supplies to a combat post and sustained fatal shrapnel wounds to her chest .
The native of the Kharkiv region worked as a civilian paramedic before enlisting in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to her combat unit .
Another service member was killed on February 2 as Ukrainian forces faced 15 attacks over a 24-hour period , almost twice the number recorded the previous day , the military said .
More than 110 Ukrainian service members were killed in 2019 .
The conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists that started in April 2014 has killed more than 13,000 people .
Hostilities in the Donbas erupted shortly after Russia forcibly annexed Ukraine 's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 , a move that has not been recognized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed to end the war , which has internally uprooted 1.5 million people from their homes and caused a humanitarian crisis in the easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk .
The Kremlin officially denies that it is a party to the war and describes the events in the Donbas as `` an internal Ukrainian conflict . ''
Numerous cease-fires have failed to bring lasting peace to Europe 's only shooting war .
Based on reporting by UNIAN , Interfax , Hromadske , and Censor

Two Ukrainian military personnel were killed and four wounded over the weekend in the Donbas conflict zone where Russian-backed separatists control portions of the country's two easternmost regions.
A female combat medic was killed on February 1 near the front-line town of Novotoshkivske in the Luhansk region, the military headquarters said in a daily war update.
Sergeant Klavdia Sytnyk, 33, came under fire while delivering medical supplies to a combat post and sustained fatal shrapnel wounds to her chest.
The native of the Kharkiv region worked as a civilian paramedic before enlisting in the military in February 2017, according to her combat unit.
Another service member was killed on February 2 as Ukrainian forces faced 15 attacks over a 24-hour period, almost twice the number recorded the previous day, the military said.
More than 110 Ukrainian service members were killed in 2019.
The conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists that started in April 2014 has killed more than 13,000 people.
Hostilities in the Donbas erupted shortly after Russia forcibly annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, a move that has not been recognized by the international community.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed to end the war, which has internally uprooted 1.5 million people from their homes and caused a humanitarian crisis in the easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The Kremlin officially denies that it is a party to the war and describes the events in the Donbas as "an internal Ukrainian conflict."
Numerous cease-fires have failed to bring lasting peace to Europe's only shooting war.
Based on reporting by UNIAN, Interfax, Hromadske, and Censor


rferl--2020-02-03--Al-Qaeda In Yemen Takes Credit For Deadly Florida Naval-Base Shooting

Al-Qaeda 's branch in Yemen has claimed responsibility for a fatal shooting in December at a U.S. naval base in Florida .
The Islamist militant group offered no evidence on February 2 it was tied to the attack in which an aviation student from the Saudi Air Force killed three people inside a classroom and wounded two police officers before one of them killed him .
Eight others were also hurt .
`` We congratulate our Muslim nation and embrace the operation of the martyr hero , the daring knight Muhammad bin Saeed al-Shamrani , '' said the audio , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( AQAP ) .
The SITE Intelligence Group , which tracks messages by militant groups , reported the claim .
RFE/RL was unable to verify the authenticity of the recording .
The 18-minute video indicated that Shamrani and AQAP were in communication , according to Rita Katz , director of SITE .
The Justice Department declared that the attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola on December 6 was an act of terrorism .
The U.S. military has since implemented new restrictions and controls on all foreign military students at U.S. bases .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required to acknowledge their willingness to abide by these standards , committing to full compliance with all U.S. laws on- and off-duty as a condition of their enrollment , '' Garry Reid , the Pentagon 's top intelligence official , said on January 17 .
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that there can be no advancement in the relationship between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless there is an improvement in the treatment of women in the country.
Speaking to reporters on August 15, the two-year anniversary of the Taliban’s seizure of power in Kabul, Blinken said the United States continues to work to hold the Taliban accountable for the commitments that it's made, particularly when it comes to the rights of women and girls.
"We've been very clear with the Taliban -- and dozens of countries around the world have been very clear -- that the path to any more normal relationship between the Taliban and other countries will be blocked unless and until the rights of women and girls among other things are actually supported," Blinken said.
No country has recognized the Taliban-led government, and the United States has avoided direct economic engagement in part over the treatment of women and girls, who have seen their rights drastically curbed by the hard-line Islamists. This includes a ban on women working in local and international nongovernmental organizations and a ban on education beyond the sixth grade.
The Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 after President Joe Biden withdrew U.S. troops under the terms of an agreement reached in February 2020 between the Taliban and the administration of then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
Blinken defended the pullout and said the United States was not focused on other priorities.
"The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was an incredibly difficult one, but also the right one," Blinken said. "We ended America's longest war. For the first time in 20 years, we don't have another generation of young Americans going to fight and die."
A number of international human rights organizations earlier on August 15 called the Taliban's two years of rule shameful and worrying.
Amnesty International and several other international human rights organizations demanded in a statement an effective response to the situation, noting the Taliban's strict decrees against human rights in Afghanistan, especially against women and girls.
The organizations said in a statement that in the past two years, the Taliban has increasingly imposed harmful policies against women and girls and religious and ethnic minorities that clearly violate Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights law.
The Taliban has previously rejected reports on the treatment of women as propaganda of international organizations. The militant group's leaders have said they have strengthened all the rights of women in Afghanistan in light of Islamic principles.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban, said in an interview with the AP marking the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the country that the Taliban views its rule of Afghanistan as open-ended and as drawing legitimacy from Islamic law. He also suggested a ban on female education will remain in place.
Female activist Soheila Yousefi calls the situation alarming and wants the world to pay attention.
"The international community should take serious action in this regard because the world chose to be silent in these two years and did not take any practical steps. Our request is that they should look at the current situation in Afghanistan, then take a serious and comprehensive review."
The Taliban did not respond to Radio Azadi's questions before the release of the report, but the rulers have spoken of strengthening human rights in Afghanistan, especially the rights of women and girls, according to Islamic principles.
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-02-03--Uzbekistan Says Pompeo Recognizes Country's 'Significant Progress'

TASHKENT -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has kicked off the last day of his trip to Eastern Europe and Central Asia by reaffirming Washington 's commitment to developing further bilateral ties with Uzbekistan .
Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said after talks with Pompeo on February 3 in the Uzbek capital , Tashkent , that his country will continue to coordinate its activities regarding the situation in neighboring Afghanistan , as well as looking to grow ties in other areas .
`` Washington has recognized Uzbekistan 's significant progress reached in the last year in terms of religious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labor , human rights , as well as creation of condition to secure freedom of speech , '' Kamilov said .
Pompeo is scheduled to hold talks with the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev later in the day and to take part in the `` C5+1 '' meeting with his counterparts from Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , and Uzbekistan .
`` We 'll talk about security matters for sure , we 'll talk about economic integration amongst those countries , and we 'll talk about how each of these nations can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of political freedoms , economic conditions , and human rights , Pompeo said earlier in the trip .
Mirziyoev , a former prime minister , became president after predecessor Islam Karimov 's death was announced in September 2016 .
Karimov had ruled Central Asia 's most populous country with an iron fist since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 .
Mirziyoev has taken steps to bolster the country 's struggling economy and to implement reforms in Uzbekistan -- where rights abuses had been widespread under Karimov .
Still , rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Uzbekistan .
Freedom House , for instance , ranked Uzbekistan `` not free '' in its Freedom On The Net 2018 assessment and said the Internet environment there remained `` repressive . ''
Uzbekistan also has sizable oil and gas reserves , and it has been seen as a counterweight to Russian and Chinese influence in the region .
It has allied with Washington in the war in Afghanistan and the fight against radical Islamist fighters .
Pompeo arrived from Kazakhstan , where he met with President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and his predecessor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Minsk on February 1 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on January 31 .
He began his trip in Britain on January 29 and had meetings with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Prime Minister Boris Johnson .

TASHKENT -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has hailed the “wonderful, rapidly growing” partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan, which he said “deserves praise for its progress on human rights issues.”
Pompeo made the comments on February 3 after talks with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, the last leg of his tour to Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
During his visit, he also met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev, whom he thanked for his "leadership in forging the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Uzbekistan."
"I commend Uzbekistan for its reform efforts aimed at a more free and open society with a more accountable government," he tweeted.
Mirziyoev has taken steps to bolster the country's struggling economy and to implement reforms since coming to power in 2016. Still, rights watchdogs have expressed concerns about conditions in Uzbekistan, where rights abuses had been widespread under his predecessor, Islam Karimov, who had ruled Central Asia's most populous country with an iron fist since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Freedom House, for instance, ranked Uzbekistan "not free" in its Freedom On The Net 2018 assessment and said the Internet environment there remained "repressive."
Speaking alongside Kamilov, Pompeo said Uzbekistan “is expanding space for civil society, addressing forced labor issues, and loosening restrictions on the media, just to name a few.”
The state secretary also called for “further progress in these areas and others, especially in aggressively investigating and prosecuting human trafficking.”
Kamilov said his country will continue to coordinate its activities regarding the situation in neighboring Afghanistan, as well as looking to grow ties in other areas.
Pompeo and Kamilov also took part in a meeting with their counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
The agenda of the talks included regional security, regional cooperation, and the situation in Afghanistan, according to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry.
The so-called C5+1 forum was established in November 2015 “to address common security and environmental challenges, improve regional trade flows, and enhance prospects for U.S. trade and investment with the region.”
Pompeo arrived from Kazakhstan where he met with President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and his predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev. He also met with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Minsk on February 1 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on January 31.
He began his trip in Britain on January 29 and had meetings with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.