Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Lukoil Embarking on a Vast Expansion Program Despite Financial Crisis
Apparently undaunted by the financial and credit crisis, Russia’s Lukoil company has embarked on a vast program of expansion into European Union territory. Where Russian state-controlled companies may encounter resistance, Lukoil presents itself as privately owned. This distinction has, however, become almost meaningless in practical... MORE
Ergenekon’s Alliance with the Eurasia Movement in Russia
The daily Sabah has published a document from February 7, 1997, about Tuncay Guney, a former journalist who worked in various news outlets and is now seeking asylum in Canada. Guney is revealed to have been an informant for the Turkish National Intelligence Service (MIT),... MORE
Hydroelectricity or Irrigation: a Central Asian Dilemma
A regular lack of hydroelectric power during the winter in upstream Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and shortages of water during the summer in downstream Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are making it necessary that the Central Asian states find common grounds for long-term cooperation on water management in... MORE
Georgia Dispute Casts Shadow over NATO
On November 25 Georgia’s former ambassador to Russia, Erosi Kitsmarishvili, questioned by a parliamentary panel probing the circumstances of the war with Russia, quoted Saakashvili’s entourage as saying, “the U.S. leadership had given the green light to Georgia’s military operation in South Ossetia.” The following... MORE
Armenian Foreign Minister Visits Turkey, Reaffirms Determination for Dialogue
Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia continue to take steps toward resolving their problems through diplomatic channels. High-level meetings coinciding with international gatherings have become an ordinary development, showing the confidence and progress gained so far.Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian visited Turkey on November 24 to discuss... MORE
Azerbaijan Quietly Lending Impetus to Nabucco Project
Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov of Turkmenistan, and Abdullah Gul of Turkey met on November 28 and 29 in Turkmenistan to discuss trilateral cooperation with a focus on natural gas deliveries. The presidents held bilateral talks in Ashgabat before meeting in the trilateral... MORE
Berlusconi, Centrex, Hexagon 1 and 2 and Gazprom
Sergio Berlusconi, the billionaire Italian Prime Minister, arrived in Moscow on November 6 to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and sign an Italian-Russian deal that will involve Russia in constructing third and fourth generation nuclear reactors in Italy. The head of Russia’s Rosatom (the... MORE
Mismanagement of Russian Economy Could Lead to Social Unrest
The standard Kremlin spiel on Russia’s economic crisis is that it is all America’s fault. President Dmitri Medvedev said in his Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on November 5: “…the U.S. economy…pulled financial markets all around the globe [down] with it... MORE
Arms Shipment to the Kurds May Be a Sign of Conflict Between the KRG and Baghdad
The Washington Post has reported that three C-130 cargo planes delivered small arms and ammunition from Bulgaria to Iraq in September. Three U.S. military officials indicated that the weapons shipment procedure did not comply with Iraqi government regulations. Kurdish officials declined to answer questions about... MORE
Medvedev’s Refusal To Attend Famine Commemorations Worsens Already Poor Relations
Ukraine’s relations with Russia have deteriorated to their lowest level in two decades, with Zerkalo Nedeli (November 22) stating that the Russian authorities and society have never been as negatively disposed toward Ukraine as now, even during the Orange Revolution. The deterioration has taken place... MORE