Armenia

 

 

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs                                       
June 2007                                                                     
                                                                       
  Background Note: Armenia                                                    
                                            
  Water reservoir on the Vorotan River                                        
  in Armenia. November 1, 2005. [© AP                                         
  Images]                                                                     
                                                                       
  Flag of Armenia is three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and     
  orange.                                                                     
                                                                       
  PROFILE                                                                     
                                                                       
  OFFICIAL NAME:                                                              
  Republic of Armenia                                                         
                                                                       
  Geography                                                                   
  Area: 29,800 sq. km. (11,500 sq. mi.); slightly larger than Maryland.       
  Cities: Capital--Yerevan.                                                   
  Terrain: High plateau with mountains, little forest land.                   
  Climate: Highland continental, hot summers, cold winters.                   
                                                                       
  People                                                                      
  Nationality: Noun--Armenian(s). Adjective--Armenian.                        
  Population (official est.): 3,213,011 de jure (3,002,594 de facto). These   
  figures represent the final results of the October 2001 census, as announced
  in January 2003.                                                            
  Ethnic groups: Armenian 98%; Yezidi 1.2%; Russian, Greek, and other 0.8%.   
  Religion: Armenian Apostolic Church (more than 90% nominally affiliated).   
  Languages: Armenian (96%), Russian, other.                                  
  Education: Literacy--99%.                                                   
  Health: Infant mortality rate--20/1,000. Life expectancy--66.6 years.       
  Work force (1.24 million; 10.5% unemployed): Industry and                   
  construction--24.5%; agriculture and forestry--24.6%; trade--17.3%;         
  education--13.4%; other--22.2%.                                             
                                                                       
  Government                                                                  
  Type: Republic.                                                             
  Constitution: Approved in November 2005 referendum.                         
  Independence: 1918 (First Armenian Republic); 1991 (from Soviet Union).     
  Branches: Executive--president (head of state) with wider powers relative to
  other branches, prime minister (head of cabinet), Council of Ministers      
  (cabinet). Legislative--unicameral National Assembly (parliament).          
  Judicial--Constitutional Court.                                             
  Administrative subdivisions: 10 marzes (provinces) in addition to the city of
  Yerevan, which has the status of a province.                                
  Political parties represented in the National Assembly: Republican Party of 
  Armenia, Prosperous Armenia, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)        
  Dashnaktsutyun, Country of Law (Orinats Yerkir), and the Heritage Party.    
  Other parties include: People's Party of Armenia, National Accord Party,    
  Republic Party, New Times Party, United Labor Party, Dashink Party, National
  Democratic Union, and the Armenian National Movement. In addition, there are
  dozens of other registered parties, many of which become active only during 
  national campaigns, if at all.                                              
  Suffrage: Universal at 18.                                                  
                                                                       
  Economy (2005)                                                              
  GDP: $4.867 billion.                                                        
  GDP growth rate: 13.9%.                                                     
  Per capita GDP: $1,514.                                                     
  Inflation: 0.06%.                                                           
  Natural resources: Copper, zinc, gold, and lead; hydroelectric power; small 
  amounts of gas and petroleum.                                               
  Agriculture: Products--fruits and vegetables, wines, dairy, some livestock. 
  Industry: Types--chemicals, electronic products, machinery, processed food, 
  synthetic rubber, and textiles.                                             
  Trade: Exports--$950.4 million: diamonds, scrap metal, machinery and        
  equipment, brandy, copper ore. Export partners (2004)--Belgium 18%, Israel  
  15.3%, Russia 12.5%, U.S. 8.1%, Netherlands 7.2%, Iran 5.5%, Georgia 4.3%.  
  Imports (2004)--$1.767.9 billion: natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, 
  foodstuffs, and diamonds. Import partners--Russia 11.3%, Belgium 10.1%,     
  Israel 8.4%, Iran 7.1%, U.S. 7.6%.                                          
                                                                       
  PEOPLE AND HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS                                            
  Ethnic groups in Armenia include Armenians (95%), Kurds, Russians, Greeks,  
  and others. More than 90% of the population is nominally affiliated with the
  Armenian Apostolic Church. Languages are Armenian (96%), Russian, and others.
                                                                       
  Armenia first emerged into history around 800 BC as part of the Kingdom of  
  Urartu or Van, which flourished in the Caucasus and eastern Asia Minor until
  600 BC. After the destruction of the Seleucid Empire, the first Armenian    
  state was founded in 190 BC. At its zenith, from 95 to 65 BC, Armenia       
  extended its rule over the entire Caucasus and the area that is now eastern 
  Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. For a time, Armenia was the strongest state in  
  the Roman East. It became part of the Roman Empire in 64 BC and adopted a   
  Western political, philosophical, and religious orientation.                
                                                                       
  In 301 AD, Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state 
  religion, establishing a church that still exists independently of both the 
  Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches. During its later political
  eclipses, Armenia depended on the church to preserve and protect its unique 
  identity. From around 1100 to 1350, the focus of Armenian nationalism moved 
  south, as the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, which had close ties to European 
  Crusader states, flourished in southeastern Asia Minor until conquered by   
  Muslim states.                                                              
                                                                       
  Between the 4th and 19th centuries, Armenia was conquered and ruled by, among
  others, Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, and Turks. For a brief period 
  from 1918 to 1920, it was an independent republic. In late 1920, the        
  communists came to power following an invasion of Armenia by the Red Army,  
  and in 1922, Armenia became part of the Trans-Caucasian Soviet Socialist    
  Republic. In 1936, it became the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. Armenia
  declared its independence from the Soviet Union on September 21, 1991.      
                                                                       
  GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS                                         
  Armenians voted overwhelmingly for independence in a September 1991         
  referendum, followed by a presidential election in October 1991 that gave 83%
  of the vote to Levon Ter-Petrossian. Ter-Petrossian had been elected head of
  government in 1990, when the Armenian National Movement defeated the        
  Communist Party. Ter-Petrossian was re-elected in 1996. Following public    
  demonstrations against Ter-Petrossian's policies on Nagorno-Karabakh, the   
  President resigned in January 1998 and was replaced by Prime Minister Robert
  Kocharian, who was elected President in March 1998. Following the October 27,
  1999 assassination in Parliament of Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian,         
  Parliament Speaker Karen Demirchian, and six other officials, a period of   
  political instability ensued during which an opposition headed by elements of
  the former Armenian National Movement government attempted unsuccessfully to
  force Kocharian to resign. Kocharian was successful in riding out the unrest.
  Kocharian was reelected in March 2003 in a contentious election that the    
  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the U.S.     
  Government deemed to fall short of international standards.                 
                                                                       
  As a result of the May 2007 parliamentary elections, 103 seats of the 131 in
  the National Assembly (90 elected on a proportional basis and 41 on a       
  district-by-district majoritarian basis) are members of pro-governmental    
  parties. The Republican Party and Prosperous Armenia formed a coalition; the
  ARF Dashnaksutyun Party signed a cooperation agreement with this coalition. 
  The Heritage Party and Orinats Yerkir remain opposition parties. While in the
  past opposition parties, despite philosophical differences, tended to vote  
  together on key legislative issues, there has been no agreement among the   
  opposition parties to date to do so.                                        
                                                                       
  The Government of Armenia's stated aim is to build a Western-style          
  parliamentary democracy as the basis of its form of government. However,    
  international observers have questioned the inherent fairness of            
  parliamentary and presidential elections during each of the previous        
  nationwide elections (1995, 1999, and 2003) as well as during the 2005      
  constitutional referendum, citing polling deficiencies, lack of cooperation 
  by the electoral commission, poor maintenance of electoral lists, and access
  to polling places. The 2007 parliamentary elections, however, demonstrated an
  improvement over previous elections. The new constitution in 2005 increased 
  the power of the legislative branch and allows for more independence of the 
  judiciary; the executive branch nevertheless retains more power than most   
  European countries.                                                         
                                                                       
  The Government's human rights record remained poor in 2006; while there were
  some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained. Security forces
  beat pretrial detainees. Impunity remained a problem. There were reports of 
  arbitrary arrest and detention. Lengthy pretrial detention remained a       
  problem. There were some limits on press freedom, due in part to            
  self-censorship and denial of television broadcast licenses. The law places 
  some restrictions on religious freedom. Societal violence against women was a
  problem. Trafficking of women and children was a problem, which the         
  government took some steps to address.                                      
                                                                       
  Principal Government Officials                                              
  President--Robert Kocharian                                                 
  Prime Minister--Serge Sargsyan                                              
  Foreign Minister--Vartan Oskanian                                           
  Defense Minister--Mikhael Harutyunian                                       
  Ambassador to the U.S.--Tatoul Markarian                                    
  Ambassador to the UN--Armen Martirossian                                    
                                                                       
  Armenia's embassy in the U.S. is at 2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008;
  tel: 202-319-1976; fax: 202-319-2984.                                       
                                                                       
  ECONOMY                                                                     
  Armenia is the second most densely populated of the former Soviet republics.
  It is a landlocked country between the Black and the Caspian Seas, bordered 
  on the north by Georgia, to the east by Azerbaijan, on the south by Iran, and
  to the west by Turkey. Up until independence, Armenia's economy was based   
  largely on industry--chemicals, electronic products, machinery, processed   
  food, synthetic rubber, and textiles--and highly dependent on outside       
  resources. Agriculture accounted for only 20% of net material product and 10%
  of employment before the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Armenian mines
  produce copper, zinc, gold, and lead. The vast majority of energy is produced
  with imported fuel, including gas and nuclear fuel (for its one nuclear power
  plant) from Russia; the main domestic energy source is hydroelectric. Small 
  amounts of coal, gas, and petroleum have not yet been developed.            
                                                                       
  Like other New Independent States of the former Soviet Union, Armenia's     
  economy suffers from the legacy of a centrally planned economy and the      
  breakdown of former Soviet trading patterns. Soviet investment in and support
  of Armenian industry has virtually disappeared, so that few major enterprises
  are still able to function. In addition, the effects of the 1988 earthquake,
  which killed more than 25,000 people and made 500,000 homeless, are still   
  being felt. Although a cease-fire has held since 1994, the conflict with    
  Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh has not been resolved. The consequent      
  closure of both the Azerbaijani and Turkish borders has devastated the      
  economy, because of Armenia's dependence on outside supplies of energy and  
  most raw materials. Land routes through Azerbaijan and Turkey are closed;   
  routes through Georgia and Iran are inadequate or unreliable. In 1992-93, GDP
  fell nearly 60% from its 1989 level. The national currency, the dram,       
  suffered hyperinflation for the first few years after its introduction in   
  1993.                                                                       
                                                                       
  Nevertheless, the Government of Armenia, helped by the cease-fire that has  
  been in effect in Nagorno-Karabakh since 1994, has been able to carry out   
  wide-ranging economic reforms that paid off in dramatically lower inflation 
  and steady growth. Armenia has registered strong economic growth since 1995,
  building on the turnaround that began the previous year, and inflation has  
  been negligible for the past several years. New sectors, such as precious   
  stone processing and jewelry making, information and communication          
  technology, and even tourism are beginning to supplement more traditional   
  sectors such as agriculture in the economy.                                 
                                                                       
  This steady economic progress has earned Armenia increasing support from    
  international institutions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World    
  Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as well as   
  other international financial institutions (IFIs) and foreign countries are 
  extending considerable grants and loans. Total loans extended to Armenia    
  since 1993 exceed $1.1 billion. These loans are targeted at reducing the    
  budget deficit, stabilizing the local currency; developing private          
  businesses; energy; the agriculture, food processing, transportation, and   
  health and education sectors; and ongoing rehabilitation work in the        
  earthquake zone.                                                            
                                                                       
  Continued progress will depend on the ability of the government to strengthen
  its macroeconomic management, including increasing revenue collection,      
  improving the investment climate, and making strides against corruption. A  
  liberal foreign investment law was approved in June 1994, and a Law on      
  Privatization was adopted in 1997, as well as a program on state property   
  privatization. The government joined the World Trade Organization on February
  5, 2003.                                                                    
                                                                       
  Environmental Issues                                                        
  Armenia is trying to address its environmental problems. It has established a
  Ministry of Nature Protection and has introduced a pollution fee system by  
  which taxes are levied on air and water emissions and solid waste disposal, 
  with the resulting revenues used for environmental protection activities.   
  Armenia is interested in cooperating with other members of the Commonwealth 
  of Independent States (CIS--a group of 12 former Soviet republics) and with 
  members of the international community on environmental issues. The Armenian
  Government has committed to decommissioning the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant
  as soon as alternate energy sources can be identified.                      
                                                                       
  DEFENSE AND MILITARY ISSUES                                                 
  Armenia established a Ministry of Defense in 1992. Border guards subject to 
  the National Security Service patrol Armenia's borders with Georgia and     
  Azerbaijan, while Russian Border Guards continue to monitor its borders with
  Iran and Turkey.                                                            
                                                                       
  The Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty was ratified by the    
  Armenian parliament in July 1992. The treaty establishes comprehensive limits
  on key categories of military equipment, such as tanks, artillery, armored  
  combat vehicles, combat aircraft, and combat helicopters, and provides for  
  the destruction of weaponry in excess of those limits. Armenian officials   
  have consistently expressed determination to comply with its provisions.    
  Armenia has provided data on armaments as required under the CFE Treaty.    
  There are indications that Armenia is trying to establish mechanisms to     
  ensure fulfillment of its arms control obligations. Armenia is not a        
  significant exporter of conventional weapons, but it has provided substantial
  support, including materiel, to separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh.            
                                                                       
  In March 1993, Armenia signed the multilateral Chemical Weapons Convention, 
  which calls for the eventual elimination of chemical weapons. Armenia acceded
  to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapons state in   
  July 1993. The U.S. and other Western governments have discussed efforts to 
  establish effective nuclear export control systems with Armenia.            
                                                                       
  FOREIGN RELATIONS                                                           
  Armenia is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the       
  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Commonwealth
  of Independent States, NATO's Partnership for Peace, the Euro-Atlantic      
  Partnership Council, the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank
  for Reconstruction and Development, and the World Trade Organization.       
                                                                       
  Nagorno-Karabakh                                                            
  In 1988, the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly ethnic Armenian 
  enclave within Azerbaijan, voted to secede and join Armenia. This eventually
  developed into a full-scale armed conflict. Armenian support for the        
  separatists led to an economic embargo by Azerbaijan, which has had a       
  negative impact on Armenia's foreign trade and made imports of food and fuel
  more expensive, three-quarters of which previously transited Azerbaijan under
  Soviet rule.                                                                
                                                                       
  Peace talks in early 1993 were disrupted by the seizure of Azerbaijan's     
  Kelbajar district by Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian forces and the forced        
  evacuation of thousands of ethnic Azeris. Turkey in protest then followed   
  with an embargo of its own against Armenia. A cease-fire was declared between
  Azeri and Armenian/Nagorno-Karabakh forces in 1994 and has been maintained by
  both sides since then in spite of occasional shooting along the line of     
  contact. All Armenian governments have thus far resisted domestic pressure to
  recognize the self-proclaimed independence of the "Nagorno-Karabakh         
  Republic," while at the same time announcing they would not accept any peace
  accords that returned the enclave to Azerbaijani rule. Approximately 526,000
  of the estimated 800,000 ethnic Azeris who fled during the Karabakhi        
  offensives still live as internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan, while  
  roughly 235,000 of 360,000 ethnic Armenians who fled Azerbaijan since 1988  
  remain refugees.                                                            
                                                                       
  Negotiations to peacefully resolve the conflict have been ongoing since 1992
  under the aegis of the Minsk Group of the OSCE. The Minsk Group is currently
  co-chaired by the U.S., France, and Russia. Negotiations have intensified   
  since 2004.                                                                 
                                                                       
  According to Armenia's Office of the Geographer, Karabakhi Armenians,       
  supported by the Republic of Armenia, now hold about 11% of Azerbaijan and  
  have refused to withdraw from occupied territories until an agreement on the
  status of Nagorno-Karabakh is reached. Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to   
  observe the cease-fire that has been in effect since May 1994, and in late  
  1995 both also agreed to OSCE field representatives being based in Tbilisi, 
  Georgia, to monitor the cease-fire and facilitate the peace process.        
                                                                       
  U.S.-ARMENIAN RELATIONS                                                     
  The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 brought an end to the  
  Cold War and created the opportunity to build bilateral relations with the  
  New Independent States (NIS) as they began a political and economic         
  transformation. The U.S. recognized the independence of Armenia on December 
  25, 1991, and opened an Embassy in Yerevan in February 1992.                
                                                                       
  The United States has made a concerted effort to help Armenia and the other 
  NIS during their difficult transition from totalitarianism and a command    
  economy to democracy and open markets. The cornerstone of this continuing   
  partnership has been the Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies
  and Open Markets (FREEDOM) Support Act, enacted in October 1992. Under this 
  and other programs, the U.S. to date has provided nearly $1.5 billion in    
  humanitarian and technical assistance for Armenia. U.S. assistance programs 
  in Armenia are described in depth on the website at: http://www.usaid.am/main
  /en/129/.                                                                   
                                                                       
  On March 27, 2006 Armenia signed a Millennium Challenge Compact with the    
  United States; the agreement entered into force on September 29, 2006. The  
  agreement will provide $235 million to Armenia over five years to reduce    
  rural poverty through the improvement of rural roads and irrigation networks.
                                                                       
  U.S.-Armenian Economic Relations                                            
  In 1992 Armenia signed three agreements with the U.S. affecting trade between
  the two countries. The agreements were ratified by the Armenian parliament in
  September 1995 and entered into force in the beginning of 1996. They include
  an "Agreement on Trade Relations," an "Investment Incentive Agreement," and a
  treaty on the "Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investment"       
  (generally referred to as the Bilateral Investment Treaty, or BIT). Armenia 
  does not have a bilateral taxation treaty with the U.S. The 1994 Law on     
  Foreign Investment governs all direct investments in Armenia, including those
  from the U.S.                                                               
                                                                       
  Approximately 70 U.S.-owned firms currently do business in Armenia, including
  such multinationals as Procter & Gamble, M&M-Mars, Xerox, Dell, Microsoft,  
  and IBM. Recent major U.S. investment projects include the Hotel Armenia; the
  Hotel Ani Plaza; Tufenkian Holdings (carpet and furnishing production,      
  hotels, and construction); several subsidiaries of U.S.-based information   
  technology firms, including Viasphere Technopark, an IT incubator; a        
  Greek-owned Coca-Cola bottling plant; petroleum exploration by the          
  American-Armenian Exploration Company; jewelry and textile production       
  facilities; a large perlite mining and processing plant; and Jermuk Mother  
  Plant, which produces one of the more popular brands of mineral water in    
  Armenia.                                                                    
                                                                       
  U.S. Support To Build A Market Economy                                      
  The U.S. continues to work closely with international financial institutions
  like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to help Armenia in  
  its transition to a free-market economy. Armenia has embarked upon an       
  ambitious reform program, which has allowed a gradual transition from       
  humanitarian aid toward more developmental assistance. U.S. economic        
  assistance programs, primarily under the administration of the U.S. Agency  
  for International Development (USAID), have three objectives: to help create
  a legal, regulatory, and policy framework for competition and economic growth
  in energy, agriculture, housing, and other sectors; to promote fiscal reform;
  and to develop a competitive and efficient private financial sector. Other  
  agencies, including the Departments of State, Agriculture, Treasury, Defense,
  Commerce, Energy, Justice, and the Peace Corps sponsor various assistance   
  projects. The U.S.-Armenia Task Force, established in 2000, is a bilateral  
  commission that meets every 6 months to review the progress and objectives of
  U.S. assistance to Armenia.                                                 
                                                                       
  Specific USAID programs focus on the development of a private sector and    
  small and medium-size enterprises, including microcredit programs; energy   
  sector reform, focusing on efficient management of Armenia's physical       
  resources; democracy and good governance programs, including the promotion of
  a well-informed and active civil society; social sector reform, including   
  benefits administration for vulnerable populations and targeted vocational  
  training; health sector reform, including improvement of management and     
  delivery of primary healthcare services with an emphasis on preventive      
  medicine; and earthquake zone assistance, which provides housing and economic
  reactivation for victims of the 1988 earthquake. Under this program, more   
  than 4,000 families who lost their homes have participated in a housing     
  certificate program allowing them to secure permanent and adequate housing. 
                                                                       
  The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Caucasus Agricultural Development
  Initiative provides targeted and sustained technical, financial and marketing
  assistance to small and medium-sized agribusinesses and farmer-marketing    
  associations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cochran Fellowship Program
  provides training to Armenian agriculturists. USDA and USAID also have      
  launched efforts to revive production and export of Armenian vegetables,    
  fruits, and other agricultural products.                                    
                                                                       
  U.S. Humanitarian Assistance                                                
  Over the past decade the U.S. has provided over $1.5 billion in assistance to
  Armenia, the highest per capita amount in the NIS. Humanitarian aid         
  originally accounted for up to 85% of this total, reflecting the economic   
  effects caused by closed borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan related to the  
  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, destruction in northern Armenia left from the    
  devastating 1988 earthquake, and the virtual paralysis of most of the       
  country's factories.                                                        
                                                                       
  As conditions in Armenia have improved, with the stabilization of the economy
  and increased energy production--including the restarting of the Armenian   
  Nuclear Power Plant at Metsamor--U.S. assistance programs have moved away   
  from humanitarian goals to longer-term development ones.                    
                                                                       
  U.S. Support To Achieve Democracy                                           
  Technical assistance and training programs have been provided in municipal  
  administration, intergovernmental relations, public affairs, foreign policy,
  diplomatic training, rule of law, and development of a constitution. Specific
  programs are targeted at promoting elections that meet international        
  standards, strengthening political parties, and promoting the establishment 
  of an independent judiciary and independent media. This includes financing  
  for programs that support civil society organizations, local non-governmental
  organizations (NGO) capacity building, National Assembly professional       
  development, and local and community-level governance.                      
                                                                       
  State Department and USAID educational exchange programs play an important  
  role in supporting democratic and free-market reforms. Assistance in the    
  translation and publication of printed information also has been provided.  
  Exchange programs in the U.S. for Armenian lawyers, judges, political party 
  members, business people, government officials, NGO activists, journalists, 
  and other public figures focus on a range of topics, including the American 
  judicial and political system, privatization, specific business sectors, the
  media, and civil society. The State Department has funded an ongoing project
  to provide Internet connectivity to schools at various levels throughout the
  country; these centers provide both educational and community-building      
  opportunities.                                                              
                                                                       
  USAID has funded international and domestic groups to monitor national      
  elections. USAID also has funded programs to educate voters and to strengthen
  the role of an array of civic organizations in the democratic process.      
                                                                       
  [Also see fact sheet on FY 2006 U.S. Assistance to Armenia.]                
                                                                       
  Principal U.S. Embassy Officials                                            
  Ambassador--vacant                                                          
  Charge d'Affairs a.i.--Anthony Godfrey                                      
  Political/Economic Chief--Steve Banks                                       
  Assistance Coordinator--Daniel Renna                                        
  Consular Officer--Mary Stickles                                             
  Management Officer--Lawrence Hess                                           
  Regional Security Officer--Peter Ford                                       
  USDA Marketing Assistance Project Director--Jeffrey Engels                  
  USAID Director--Karl Fickenscher                                            
  Public Affairs Officer--Thomas Mittnacht                                    
                                                                       
  The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, Armenia is at 1 American Avenue; tel:          
  374-10-46-47-00; fax: 374-10-46-47-42.                                      
                                                                       
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  Further Electronic Information                                              
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  the Federal government. The site includes current and historical            
  trade-related releases, international market research, trade opportunities, 
  and country analysis and provides access to the National Trade Data Bank.   

 

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See http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/ for all Background notes
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