Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Russia Insists Ambitious Plans for Developing Far East Are Immune to Crisis
Russia's top officials insisted that the country's plans to develop the Far Eastern regions remained unaffected by the global economic downturn. The crisis will not force Russia to abandon its strategic development plans, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told the congress of the United Russia... MORE
Turkey and Iran Sign Accord on Natural Gas Cooperation
Ankara and Tehran signed an accord strengthening agreements on developing Iran’s gas fields and transporting Iranian gas to Europe. With the agreement, Turkey secures the operation rights for three offshore gas fields in Iran's South Pars region, off the southern gulf port of Assaluyeh. Under... MORE
Tension Mounts Between Tashkent and Astana as Uzbekistan Slams the EAEC Door
Uzbekistan’s recent decision to leave the Moscow-orchestrated Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) hardly surprised anyone in the Kazakh Foreign Ministry who was familiar with Uzbek President Islom Karimov’s constantly changing attitudes toward political and economic structures within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and his deep... MORE
Uzbekistan Charts a New “Uzbek Path”
The Uzbek government's decision to withdraw from the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) is yet another example of Uzbekistan's determination to remain focused on what has come to be known as the "Uzbek Path." The EAEC website announced on November 12 that it had received a... MORE
Brazilian and Russian Military Cooperation Deepens
According to Russia's Economic Development Ministry, Russia is negotiating to supply helicopters to the Forca Aerea Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force, or FAB). The Ministry noted in a statement, "In order to promote Russian helicopters, the Mi-171A helicopter has completed, and the Ka-32A helicopter is currently... MORE
Turkey Adjusts Its Foreign Policy to the Planned U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq
U.S. and Iraqi officials finally agreed on a withdrawal plan requiring Washington to withdraw its forces within three years. The withdrawal will have a direct impact on Turkish-Iraqi relations. Ankara’s immediate concern is related to the control of Iraqi airspace, which will fall under the... MORE
Kyrgyz Opposition Splits, Seeks Alternative Ways To Fight Regime
Amid an energy crisis in Kyrgyzstan mainly caused by corruption among top-ranking political leaders, the Kyrgyz opposition has begun taking swift action against President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s regime. Bakiyev, in turn, is trying to counter the opposition’s protests by making promises yet again about developing the... MORE
Russia Says It May Abandon Nord Stream Pipeline – Part II
The Kremlin has warned that it might abandon the Nord Stream gas pipeline project on the Baltic seabed from Russia to Germany (see EDM, November 19). The warnings seem designed to line up wider European support for the project as well as to distract attention... MORE
Russia’s Radical Military Reform in Progress
Russia's Radical Military Reform in Progress Russia's top military commander, First Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of General Staff General Nikolai Makarov told journalists that the Russian army structure was too bulky and not fit for modern warfare. Makarov stated that radical military reforms would... MORE
Greece and Turkey Spar over Offshore Oil Exploration
While Turkey and Greece historically agree on very little, one thing that they have in common is a deficit of easily useable energy resources. The U.S. government's Energy Information Agency (EIA) statistics tell the tale, listing Greece's proven oil and gas reserves as "none” (www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Greece/Profile.html).... MORE