Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Armenia and Turkey Make Progress on Delicate Task of Restoring Relations
After months of intensive negotiations, Armenia and Turkey appear to be heading toward a full normalization of their historically strained relations that could redraw the region's geopolitical map. Such a possibility has become even more likely after the latest flurry of face-to-face contacts between Turkish... MORE
Russia’s Air Force Modernizes for a “Virtual Cold War”
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov confirmed on February 9 that the Ministry of Defense (MOD) has decided to purchase 34 MiG-29SMT Fulcrum fighter aircraft originally intended for delivery to Algeria. The contract agreed upon by Russia and Algeria in 2006 was reportedly worth 25... MORE
Speculation Mounts over Protection for Retired Generals in “Deep State” Trial
The release from jail of the former Aegean Army commander, retired General Hursit Tolon, on February 7 on grounds of lack of evidence has sparked speculation that he and other four-star generals are being protected by the country's politically powerful Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). He... MORE
Bulgaria’s “Overgas,” a Russian Spy in Canada, and Gazprom
In February 2009, after the Ukrainian-Russian gas conflict ended and deliveries of gas were restored to Bulgaria, Bulgarian officials announced that they would once again seek to remove two middleman companies-Overgas, Inc., and Wintershall Erdgas Handelshaus Zug AG (WIEE)-from the gas supply chain between Russia... MORE
Russia Pledges to Rescue Post-Soviet Economies
Russia has pledged to finance a rescue fund to bail out its allies within the Eurasian Economic Community (EEC), as those former Soviet states now face an increasingly adverse economic environment against the background of the continuing global financial meltdown. At a summit meeting in... MORE
Nord Stream in the Russo-German Special Relationship
A former Stasi (East German secret police) officer and current Nord Stream general manager Matthias Warnig traveled around the world this week to promote that Russo-German gas transport project on the Baltic seabed. Warnig now also serves as an "independent member" of the board of... MORE
No Gas Sources Foreseen for Gazprom’s South Stream
Gazprom vice-president Aleksandr Medvedev's extensive briefing on the South Stream transport project for potential investors (see article above) left the matter of sourcing it with gas entirely obscure. This omission could not come as a surprise, given Russia's gas production shortfall now setting for several... MORE
Gazprom Reveals Unaffordable Costs of South Stream Project
On February 6 in Moscow, Gazprom vice-president Aleksandr Medvedev gave a detailed presentation for potential investors regarding the South Stream gas transport project as well as the outlook on gas extraction. The presentation revealed huge increases in South Stream's cost projections, coupled with stagnant gas... MORE
Russia’s Arms Sales to Sudan a First Step in Return to Africa: Part Two
In March 2005, an earlier 2004 UN arms embargo on non-government forces in the Darfur conflict was expanded by the UN Security Council to include the Sudan government. Russia approved the passage of UN Resolution 1591, which bans the transfer of weapons to Darfur without... MORE
Russia’s Coming War with Georgia
Six months after the French-brokered agreement ended the Russo-Georgia war on August 12, 2008 the ceasefire continues to be fragile with constant incidents that both sides describe as "provocations." Last month the Defense Ministry of the separatist South Ossetia said Georgia was moving troops towards... MORE