Interfax
Aug 6 2004

Belarus has highest Jan-June inflation in CIS

Moscow. (Interfax) – Belarus posted the highest inflation rate – 8.1%
– in the Commonwealth of Independent States in January-June 2004, the
CIS Inter-State Statistics Committee reported.

Prices for goods rose 9.3% over this period in Belarus, prices for
non-food items 4.1% and services 9.0%.

Inflation was also high in Russia at 6.1% for the first half, with
food prices rising 6.0%, non-food goods prices 3.4% and service
prices 11.0%.

Moldova and Armenia each posted first-half inflation of 4.5%, Ukraine
inflation of 4.4%, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan 2.4% apiece, Kyrgyzstan
and Tajikistan 1.0% apiece.

The only country where consumer prices dropped in January-June was
Georgia, with 0.8% deflation.
The Statistics Committee did not report data for Turkmenistan or
Uzbekistan.