Business Opportunities and Challenges: Spotlight on Armenia,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine

REMINDER

BISNIS
JULY 8, 2004

The Event is organized by:
The Office of the Governor, Economic Development & Tourism
U.S. Department of Commerce – BISNIS
Austin U.S. Export Assistance Center

WHEN: Wednesday, July 14, 2004
8:30 a.m. Registration
8:00-12:30 a.m. Presentations
12:30-1:30 p.m. Networking Lunch
1:30-3:30 p.m. One-on-One Meetings

WHERE: Austin Community College
5930 Middle Fiskville Rd, Room 201
Austin, Texas

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

Irina Mitchell, BISNIS Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
George Isayan, BISNIS Representative in Armenia
Asel Sulaimanova, BISNIS Representative in Kyrgyzstan
Iulian Bogasieru, BISNIS Representative in Moldova
Andryi Vorobyov, BISNIS Representative in Ukraine
Michele Smith, OPIC Investment Services Manager for Russia and the CIS

INDUSTRIES SECTORS TO BE COVERED: IT, Telecommunications, Construction, Agribusiness, Pharmaceuticals/Medical, Consumer Goods, Environmental Technologies and Banking/Finance.

COUNTRIES COVERED: Armenia, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine

Presentations: Speakers will provide executive briefings on the business climate in their countries, and present trade and investment leads, as well as information on promising projects. A Q&A session will follow the presentations, and then an opportunity for one-on-one meetings with individual BISNIS representatives.

For more information or to register, please contact Mortada Mohammed (mmohamed@governor.state.tx.us; tel:512-936-0530 or Karen Parker (karen.parker@mail.doc.gov ; tel: 512-916-5939)

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REGISTER DEADLINE: July 13, 2004!

IF INTERESTED IN ONE-ON-ONE APPOINTMENTS, please circle selected country:

Armenia Kyrgyzstan Moldova Russia Ukraine

Number of people attending Names of attendees

Company: __________________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________ _________________________

Phone: _____________________ Fax: __________________ E-mail: __________________________

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WHAT IS BISNIS?

BISNIS (), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
was founded in 1992 to assist in the economic development and
transition of the countries of the former Soviet Union by helping
U.S. companies to export to and invest in the region. BISNIS has 20
representatives posted throughout Eurasia, including 11 in Russia. In
addition, BISNIS has 10 trade specialists in Washington, DC. BISNIS
mainly assists U.S. and Eurasia companies by identifying and
disseminating trade and partner leads, preparation of regional
overviews, commercial news updates, and industry reports, counseling
U.S. companies interested in entering Eurasian markets, and referrals
to U.S. government programs as well as sources of financing and other
resources. Since 1992, BISNIS has helped U.S. companies generate over
$3.5 billion of export and investment transactions. In FY03 alone,
BISNIS facilitated transactions exceeding $204 million. In 2002,
2003, and 2004, BISNIS was recognized by Forbes Magazine as “One of
the Best of the Web” for information on Eurasia. The BISNIS website
gets over 1 million hits per month.

PROGRAM SPEAKER PROFILES

· Irina Mitchell is an International Trade Specialist at BISNIS
Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She is covering Construction/Real
Estate, Transportation, Customs and Certification portfolios for all
Eurasian (a.k.a. NIS) markets. She also manages one of BISNIS core
trade facilitation programs – Trades and Tenders and the newest BISNIS
PartnerLink Eurasia initiative. Irina also covers Northwest Russia
region working closely with BISNIS representative located in
St. Petersburg, Russia as well as the country of Moldova. Irina’s
current responsibilities are a continuation of her educational
background in Civil Engineering and previous private-sector experience
in the realm of contract procurement, logistics and operations
management. She has extensive hands-on experience in importing goods
into Russia and exports to Middle East and Japan.

· Asel Sulaimanova – BISNIS Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic
Ms. Sulaimanova has worked for BISNIS in the Kyrgyz Republic since
late 2002. Before joining BISNIS, she worked both in the private
sector and for international donor institutions. Specifically, she was
Project Manager for the European Union Program “Small and Medium
Business Development” and an international consultant for several
Asian Development Bank projects in the Kyrgyz Republic. Her commercial
experience has been gained through working for several foreign
companies doing different businesses in the Kyrgyz Republic. She
graduated from Kazakh State Economic University in Economics and later
received an MBA from the Bishkek International School of Management
and Business in 1995.

· Andriy Vorobyov – BISNIS Representative in Ukraine
Andriy Vorobyov has worked for BISNIS in Kiev since October 2000. He
has a background in agriculture, having graduated from the National
Agricultural University of Ukraine. His previous work experience
includes agribusiness and food processing, and work for the Department
of Foreign Economic Relations at the Ukrainian Ministry of
Agriculture. His recent reports for BISNIS have covered the Ukrainian
Construction Sector, Trade and Project Financing in Ukraine, Customs
Procedures in Ukraine, and overviews of several Ukrainian
regions. Last year, Mr. Vorobyov accompanied a delegation of 25
Ukrainian companies to the International Builders Show in Las Vegas,
and he has organized a number of U.S. Product Literature Centers at
the largest Ukrainian trade events, including construction,
automotive, food processing, pharmaceuticals shows.

· Iulian Bogasieru – BISNIS Representative in Moldova
Iulian Bogasieru joined BISNIS in December 2000. His previous
experience includes working with the Moldovan Agency of Enterprise
Restructuring ARIA as a consultant for three years on World Bank and
European Union projects. His responsibilities were analyzing markets
and providing turnaround management consulting for Moldovan
businesses. Mr. Bogasieru graduated from the Academy of Economic
Studies, Chisinau, Moldova, with bachelor degree in foreign economic
relations. He speaks English, Russian, Romanian and Italian. Among his
achievements as BISNIS representative, he organized three catalog
shows of U.S. products in Moldova, which resulted in U.S. export
contracts.

· George Isayan – BISNIS Representative in Armenia
George Isayan has represented BISNIS in Yerevan, Armenia, since
January 1998. During 1989-1992, he worked in Armenia’s Chamber of
Commerce as the head of business information department. In 1992-1997,
Mr. Isayan worked at a private export-import company in Prague, Czech
Republic, covering the company’s financial issues. As BISNIS
representative, Mr. Isayan accompanied delegations of Armenian
companies at Comdex IT show in Las Vegas (2000), BILISIM IT show in
Istanbul (Turkey) in 2001, International Builders’ Show in Dallas,
Texas, in 1999 and 2000, and SviazExpoComm ICT show in Moscow, Russia,
in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Mr. Isayan speaks Russian, Armenian, English,
Czech, and Arabic fluently.

· Michele Smith, OPIC Investment Services Manager for Russia and the CIS
Michele R. Smith is the Investment Services Manager for Russia and the
CIS at the Overseas Private Investment corporation (OPIC) in
Washington, D.C. In this capacity Ms. Smith develops and reviews
investment opportunities across all sectors in project finance and
political risk insurance with U.S. and international businesses.
Ms. Smith is scheduled to manage OPIC’s new investment development
office in Moscow, Russia later this year.

Ms. Smith holds an MBA from Thunderbird, The Garvin School of
International Management, in Glendale, Arizona where she specialized
in international finance. Prior to this she managed business outreach
for the Port of Portland in Oregon; served as the co-director of an
international development organization in Vladivostok, Russia; and
managed housing and real estate reform projects in the Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia. She received her BA from the College of
William and Mary, Virginia, where she majored in Economics and
International Relations.

COUNTRY OVERVIEWS

Armenia

Area: 29,800 sq. km. (11,500 sq. mi.); Population (est.): 3 million;
GDP growth rate: 13.9% (2003)
Natural resources: Copper, zinc, gold, and lead; hydroelectric power;
small amounts of gas and petroleum.
Agriculture: fruits and vegetables, wines, dairy, some livestock.
Industry: chemicals, electronic products, machinery, processed food,
synthetic rubber, and textiles.
2003 Trade: Exports-$678.1 million (81.3% to countries outside CIS):
diamonds, scrap metal, machinery and equipment, brandy, copper
ore. Export partners-Belgium 18.3%, Israel 21%, Russia 13.9%,
U.S. 8.3%, Iran 3.3%. Imports-$1.269 billion (73.6% from countries
outside the CIS): natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products,
foodstuffs, diamonds. Import partners-Russia 16.4%, Belgium 10.2%,
Israel 9.7%, Iran 5.3%, U.S. 8%.

Approximately 70 U.S.-owned firms currently do business in Armenia,
including such multinationals as Procter & Gamble, M&M-Mars, Xerox,
Dell, and IBM. Recent major U.S. investment projects include the Hotel
Armenia; the Hotel Ani; 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 the joint venture Jermuk, which produces one of
the more popular brands of mineral water in Armenia.

Recent BISNIS efforts have facilitated U.S. sales to Armenian private
firms of medical diagnostic equipment and construction materials
equipment, as well as the signing of an exclusive dealer contract
between Ford and an Armenia company.

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Kyrgyz Republic

Area: 77,181 sq. mi; Population: 5.03 million: GDP Growth Rate: 6.7% (2003)
Natural Resources: coal, oil, natural gas, antimony, gold, tungsten,
tin, mercury, uranium, zinc, lead, rare earth metals, copper, iron,
bauxite, hydropower, water resources.
Agriculture: Tobacco, cotton, wheat, vegetables and fruits, berries;
sheep, goats, cattle, wool.
Industry: small machinery (electric motors, transformers); light
industry (cotton and wool processing, textiles, food processing),
construction materials (cement, glass, slate), shoes, furniture,
mining, energy.
Trade (2002): Exports-$4485.5 million: Precious metals, minerals,
textiles, tobacco, hydropower. Partners: Switzerland 19.4%, Russia
16.2 %, United Arab Emirates 13.5 %, China 8.8%, U.S. 7.9%, Kazakhstan
7.8%. Imports: $586.7 million: oil and gas, machinery and equipment,
foodstuffs. Partners: Kazakhstan 21.5%, Russia 19.5%, Uzbekistan
10.2%, China 10%, US 8.2%, Germany 5%, Netherlands 2.8%.

Major foreign investments: Hyatt Regency Bishkek Hotel (renovation),
Metromedia International (cable TV venture), Marvel worldwide Ltd. (80
% of VLKSM Garment Factory), WimmBillDann (dairy, juices), Kumtor
(gold mining), Coca-Cola (bottling), Philips (light bulb manufacture &
equipment), Malaysian Company (semiconductor production plant)

Recent BISNIS efforts have facilitated establishment of an office in
Bishkek for a small U.S. firm seeking contracts with the U.S. airbase
in the Kyrgyz republic – the company has already won one tender and
has additional projects in the pipeline for FY04, sales of restaurant
equipment to Kyrgyzstan, assistance to a U.S. company to set up
production in the Bishkek free economic zone.

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Moldova

Area: 33,843 sq. km. (13,000 sq. mi.); Population: 4.4 million: GDP
real growth (Jan.-Sept. 2003): 7.0%
Natural Resources: Lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone.
Agriculture: vegetables, fruits, wine and spirits, grain, sugarbeet,
sunflower seeds, meat, milk, tobacco.
Industry: Processed foods and beverages, including wine and refined
sugar; processed fruit and vegetable products, including vegetable
oil; dairy and meat products; tobacco items; metal processing and
production of machinery; textiles and clothing, shoes; furniture.
Trade (2002): Exports $644 million (of which 46% go to countries
outside the former Soviet Union): foodstuffs, wine, tobacco, textiles
and footwear, machinery, chemicals. Major export markets: Russia,
Ukraine, Italy, Romania, Germany. Import: $1,039 million (of which 61%
come from countries outside the former Soviet Union): gas, oil, coal,
steel, machinery and equipment, chemical products, textiles,
foodstuffs, automobiles, and other consumer durables. Major suppliers:
Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Germany, Italy.
U.S. companies active in Moldova include McDonalds, FoodPro
International, Food Master International, Coca-Cola, Trans Oil Invest,
Europharm, MetroMedia International, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, KPMG,
Caterpillar, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Proctor & Gamble, John Deere,
General Electric, and Apple Computer.
Recent BISNIS efforts have facilitated sales of
U.S. telecommunications equipment and medical diagnostic equipment to
Moldova, as well as assisted in the development of ties between North
Carolina and Moldova and supported efforts of OPIC and TDA to find
projects for possible financing.

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RUSSIA
Area: 17 million sq. km. (6.5 million sq. mi.); about 1.8 times the
size of the United States. Broad plain with low hills west of Urals;
vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains
(Caucasus range) along southern borders.
Cities: Capital–Moscow (pop. 8.3 million). Other cities–St. Petersburg
(4.6 million), Novosibirsk (1.4 million), Nizhniy Novgorod (1.3 million).
GDP: 7.3% during 2003 to 13.255 trillion rubles or U.S. $460
billion. (Purchasing power parity estimated at $1.27 trillion in 2002)
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, timber, furs, precious and
nonferrous metals.
Agriculture: Products– Grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, meat,
dairy products.
Industry: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing
coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building
from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles;
shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications
equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction
equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment;
medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles,
foodstuffs, handicrafts
Exports (F.O.B.): $$134.4 billion (2003 est.)
Export commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas,
wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of
civilian and military manufactures
Export partners: Germany 7.5%, Italy 6.9%, Netherlands 6.7%, China
6.3%, US 6.1%, Ukraine 5.5%, Belarus 5.4%, Switzerland 5% (2002)
Import (C.I.F) $74.8 billion (2003 est.)
Import commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods,
medicines, meat, sugar, semifinished metal products
Import Partners: Germany 14.3%, Belarus 8.9%, Ukraine 7.1%, US 6.4%,
China 5.2%, Italy 4.8%, Kazakhstan 4.3%, France 4.1% (2002)

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Ukraine

Area: 603,700 square miles; Population: 48 million: GDP real growth
(2003 est.): 5.5-6.0%
Natural resources: Vast fertile lands, coal, ironstone, complex ore,
various large mineral deposits, timber
Agriculture: Products-Grain, sugar, sunflower seeds.
Industry: Types-Ferrous metals and products, coke, fertilizer,
airplanes, turbines, metallurgical equipment, diesel locomotives,
tractors.
Trade (2002): Exports-$17.95 billion: Ferrous and nonferrous metals,
mineral products, chemicals, machinery, transport equipment, grain,
and textiles. Imports-$16,97 billion: Energy, mineral fuel and oil,
machinery and parts, transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles,
and paper.

More than 300 U.S. companies are represented in Ukraine. Among the
major U.S. companies are: Apple Computer, Avon Cosmetics, Automobile
Group (Cadillac, Chevrolet, Hummer), Bechtel National, Inc., Citibank,
Colgate-Palmolive, General Electric, Kraft foods Motorola, Monsanto,
Mary Kay Ltd.

Recent BISNIS efforts have facilitated sales of U.S. machinery and
machine tools, as well as medical, printing, and telecommunications
equipment to Ukraine, as well as creation of joint projects in the
financial services sector. telecommunications equipment to Ukraine,
as well as creation of joint projects in the financial services
sector.

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********** Provided by: **************************
Irina C. Mitchell, International Trade Specialist
BISNIS, U.S. Department of Commerce
Tel: 202/482-3729, Fax: 202/482-2293
e-mail: Irina_Mitchell@ita.doc.gov

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress