Η Ρωσία διατάζει την USAID να διακόψει τις δραστηριότητές της και να εγκαταλείψει τη χώρα έως την 1η Οκτωβρίου

Η Ρωσία διατάζει την USAID (Yπηρεσία Διεθνούς Ανάπτυξης των ΗΠΑ) να διακόψει τις δραστηριότητές της και να εγκαταλείψει τη χώρα έως την 1η Οκτωβρίου
Russia Orders USAID to Stop Operations, Leave by October 1

19 Sep 2012 - 11:06 by OOSKAnews Correspondent

MOSCOW, Russia — The Russian government has ordered the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which reports to the US State Department, to stop all operations and shut the doors to its Moscow offices by October 1.

According to the USAID in Russia website, the US agency has been working in the country for two decades.

In the water sphere, USAID in 2010 funded the Community Development Support Program (CDSP) that was administered by the Moscow-based Fund for Sustainable Development (FSD). The project focused on improving the drinking water quality of remote villages in Russia’s Khabarovsk region along the Amur River.

Russia has accused USAID of trying to manipulate Russian elections. President Vladimir Putin has previously claimed the US State Department is behind the ongoing protests related to his election.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website last week that “the character of the agency’s [USAID] work…did not always comply with the declared aims of cooperation in bilateral humanitarian cooperation. We are talking about issuing grants in an attempt to affect the course of the political processes in the country, including elections at different levels and institutions in civil society.”

It went on to say that Russia’s civil society is now “fully mature” and does not require any “external direction.” However, the Russian government will continue to work with USAID in other countries.

US State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a press statement issued September 18: “While USAID’s physical presence in Russia will come to an end, we remain committed to supporting democracy, human rights, and the development of a more robust civil society in Russia and look forward to continuing our cooperation with Russian non-governmental organizations.”

USAID motives have also recently been questioned in Ecuador. As previously reported by OOSKAnews in July, Ecuadorian newspaper El Telegrafo has published a series of questions about four USAID projects and the agency’s activities in general.

One of the areas of concern was with the Sustainable Forests and Coasts Project, which USAID said aimed to teach farmers “how to prevent erosion, protect water sources, and reduce the use of chemicals.”

However, the newspaper asked whether the real intentions of the project are to draw up an inventory of the country’s “natural resources, biodiversity and sources of water” in order to use that information for “commercial aims.”

αναδημοσιεύεται από το http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/russia-orders-usaid-stop-operations-leave-october-1_24409