Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Medvedev’s Indecisiveness Permeates his Presidency
President Dmitry Medvedev made a surprisingly strong claim for leadership five weeks ago in his article “Go, Russia!” arguing that the country could only overcome the devastating recession by breaking the pattern of “endemic corruption.” The article is still lively debated; the key point of... MORE
U.S. Delegation Displays More Caution Than Usual on Georgia
Also on October 13 the head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Aleksandr Bortnikov, publicly accused Georgia of harboring “al-Qaida” agents, arming and training “international terrorists,” infiltrating them into Chechnya, and orchestrating “terrorist” sabotage of oil and gas pipelines in Dagestan. He offered no... MORE
U.S. Delegation Returns Empty Handed From Moscow
The Kremlin blindsided U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with unexpected challenges during her October 13-14 Moscow visit, her first to Russia in that official capacity. The Russian side distorted the agenda previously agreed with Washington and frustrated U.S. goals across the board. Moscow timed... MORE
Turkey Signs Strategic Cooperation Agreements with Syria and Iraq
As Turkish-Israeli relations reveal fresh signs of tension, Ankara appears to be moving closer to its two Arab neighbors, Syria and Iraq. On October 13, the first ministerial meeting of the Turkey-Syria High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council began in the Syrian city of Aleppo, and then... MORE
Yatseniuk’s Presidential Election Campaign Stagnates
On October 1 the central election commission laid out the timetable for Ukraine’s January 17, 2010 presidential elections. However, the candidate who began his campaign first –Arseniy Yatseniuk– might already be in trouble before the registration of candidates begins on October 20. A poll published... MORE
Violence and Political Turmoil Link South and North Ossetia
On October 13, the investigative committee of the Russian prosecutor-general’s office announced that a criminal group had been uncovered, which had carried out a number of high-profile killings in North Ossetia in 2007-2008. The victims included both the acting and a former mayor of Vladikavkaz... MORE
Rebels and Police Killed and Wounded in North Caucasus Violence
Fighting between security forces and militants continued in Chechnya and Ingushetia this week, with dead and wounded reported on both sides.A police official in Chechnya reported today (October 16) that a militant was killed in a shootout in the village of Eshelkhatoi in Chechnya’s southeastern... MORE
Postponed Military Exercise Tests Turkish-Israeli Cooperation
Turkish-Israeli relations face a new test over Ankara's decision to change the format of a joint international military exercise to a national exercise. Following some Israeli officials' charges that the move was based on political motivations, the Turkish side called on Tel Aviv to behave... MORE
Uzbekistan Challenges Regional Electricity Supplies Network
Kyrgyzstan’s growing list of troubles has recently been further complicated by yet another predicament. Tashkent has announced that Uzbekistan is likely to leave the Central Asian power supply cascade in the coming months. According to Tashkent’s official interpretation, Uzbekistan can now provide its population with... MORE
Azerbaijan-Russia Gas Agreement: Implications for Nabucco Project
On October 14 in Baku, Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company president Rovnag Abdullayev and Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller signed an agreement on Azerbaijani gas exports to Russia. The move is a logical follow-up to the June 29 agreement, signed by the same company chiefs –in the... MORE