On August 10 President Dmitry Medvedev accused President Viktor Yushchenko of taking Ukraine on an "anti-Russian course" (www.blog.kremlin.ru, August 10). Moscow also recently engaged in tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions (EDM, July 31). The two Ukrainian diplomats expelled were Ukraine's General-Consul in St.Petersburg Natalia Prokopovych and Oleh... MORE

Recent changes to the federal laws in Kabardin-Balkaria concerning education in schools have provoked controversy. "Representatives of minorities will be able to teach their children their mother tongues only at home," - lamented Muazin Khachetlov, the head of the Kabardin Congress in Kabardin-Balkaria. Khachetlov said... MORE

On August 14 President Dmitry Medvedev held a short meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel in his Sochi residence, and its agenda was rather unusual in the long annals of Russo-German summits. There was not much personal bonding as Merkel had already taken a good measure... MORE

Since Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that his government is preparing a plan to address the Kurdish question, the domestic Turkish political debate has focused on whether peace between Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Turkey is achievable. The Turkish President Abdullah Gul, during his... MORE

If implemented, the Burgas-Alexandroupolis and/or Samsun-Ceyhan projects would reinforce Russia's quasi-monopoly on oil transportation from Kazakhstan to international maritime ports. Approximately one half of Western companies' production from Kazakhstan is already being delivered through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's (CPC) existing pipeline, via the North Caucasus,... MORE

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a protocol on cooperation in the oil sector during Putin's recent visit to Ankara (EDM, August 10, 11, 12). This protocol -one of several ambitious declarations of intent during Putin's visit- focuses... MORE

Public discourse in Dagestan is currently dominated by the subject of two anniversaries: last year's occupation of Georgian territory by Russian troops in August 2008, and the tenth anniversary of the rebel incursion into the Dagestani village of Botlikh led by Bagauddin Kebedov, then-Amir of... MORE

On August 10 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi with the leaders of political parties represented in the Russian legislature, the State Duma, to discuss important issues including the current political, economic and social development in... MORE

One retired Turkish ambassador told Jamestown that the latest energy deals signed between Turkey and Russia are as promising as the 1970 agreement on establishing an iron and steel plant in Iskenderun in southern Turkey, with the assistance of Soviet technology. Turkey and Russia, despite... MORE

On August 10, Kyrgyz authorities detained Dilmurat Akbarov, the leader of the Ittipak Uyghur society, and his deputy Jamaldin Nasyrov. These leaders had organized demonstrations calling for an independent investigation into last month's riots in Xinjiang. They featured images and posters accusing Beijing of implementing... MORE