Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

BAKU: State Dept says Armenia vulnerable to money laundering, Terror

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • BAKU: State Dept says Armenia vulnerable to money laundering, Terror

    Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
    May 5 2008


    US State Department says Armenia is a country potentially vulnerable
    to money laundering and terrorist financing schemes

    [ 05 May 2008 11:24 ]

    Washington. Husniyya Hasanova `APA. The Office of the Coordinator for
    Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State has issued Country
    Reports on Terrorism 2007, which contains keen opinions about Armenia,
    APA US Bureau reports.

    The Armenia Report says: "Armenia's warming relations with neighboring
    Iran continued, with Armenia hosting official visits by Iranian
    President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in October and Iranian Defense Minister
    Musrafa Mohammad Najjar in November. In addition to fostering closer
    diplomatic ties, these visits served to solidify previous bilateral
    commitments to develop joint energy and transportation projects. This
    closer cooperation has made Armenia more reluctant to criticize
    publicly objectionable Iranian conduct or join other UN member states
    in advocating for sanctions on the Iranian regime. Although Armenia
    continued to strengthen its counterterrorism capabilities and enhanced
    its counterterrorism cooperation with the United States and other
    international security organizations, its geographic location, porous
    borders, and loose visa regime still provided ample opportunities for
    traffickers of illicit materials, persons, and finances. Furthermore,
    endemic governmental corruption, a significant organized crime
    presence, and a large shadow economy made the country potentially
    vulnerable to money laundering and terrorist financing schemes."

    Earlier White House and State Department stated that they were
    thinking about sanctions against Yerevan for its suspicious relations
    with Iranian officials.
Working...
X