This is a non-exhaustive world-wide list of government-owned companies. The paragraph that follows was paraphrased from a 1996 GAO report which investigated only the 20th-century American experience. The GAO report did not consider the potential use in the international forum of SOEs as extensions of a nation's foreign policy utensils. A government-owned corporation is a legal entity that undertakes commercial activities on behalf of an owner government. Their legal status varies from being a part of government to stock companies with a state as a regular stockholder. There is no standard definition of a government-owned corporation (GOC) or state-owned enterprise (SOE), although the two terms can be used interchangeably. The defining characteristics are that they have a distinct legal form and that they are established to operate in commercial affairs. While they may also have public policy objectives, GOCs should be differentiated from other forms of government agencies or state entities established to pursue purely non-financial objectives. Afghanistan In 2009, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan formed the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) as a "state owned enterprise" subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. By presidential decree, the APPF is mandated to replace all non-diplomatic private security companies by 20 March 2013 to become the sole provider of pay-for-service security contracts within Afghanistan. Albania Air Albania (51%; 49% Turkish Airlines) Albgaz KESH OSHEE Posta Shqiptare Radio Televizioni Shqiptar Algeria Air Algérie Anesrif Agence algérienne pour le rayonnement culturel Agence nationale des autoroutes Agence nationale pour la promotion et la rationalisation de l’utilisation de l’énergie Algérie Télécom Algérie Poste Entreprise Métro d’Alger Entreprise de transport algérien par câbles Entreprise de transport urbain et suburbain d'Alger Groupe Cosider TRANSTEV GCB (entreprise) Mobilis Naftal Office national algérien du tourisme Public Establishment of Television (ENTV) Radio Algeria (ENRS) Sonatrach Sonelgaz Société nationale des véhicules industriels Société nationale de sidérurgie Société algérienne des ponts et travaux d'arts Société d'exploitation des tramways Société d’Exploitation des Gares Routières d’Algérie Tassili Airlines Argentina Administración de Infraestructura Ferroviaria Administración de Recursos Humanos Ferroviarios Administración General de Puertos Sociedad del Estado Aerolíneas Argentinas Aguas y Saneamientos Argentinos Astilleros DOMECQ GARCÍA Astilleros TANDANOR Austral Líneas Aéreas - Cielos del Sur Banco de Inversiones y Comercio Exterior Banco de la Nación Argentina Banco Hipotecario Casa de la Moneda Combustibles Nucleares Argentinos CONUARSA Compañía Nacional del Mercado Mayorista de Electricidad CAMMESA Construcción de Viviendas de la Armada COVIARA Contenidos Públicos