Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
BABACAN DISMISSES CLAIMS THAT TURKEY OFFERED SYRIA WATER FOR PEACE WITH ISRAEL
On May 29 Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan publicly denied newspaper reports that Ankara had offered water to Syria in return for engaging in indirect peace negotiations with Israel (CNNTurk, May 30). In recent months, Turkey has been acting as an intermediary between Syria and... MORE
TRANSIT SPACE CONCEPT LAUNCHED AT KYIV ENERGY SUMMIT
The presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, and the three Baltic states, along with officials from other European and Caspian region governments, the European Union and the United States, met on May 22 and 23 in Kyiv for a summit on energy security. It was... MORE
MEDVEDEV CONTINUES HARD LINE ON MISSILE DEFENSE
The main theme of President Dmitry Medvedev’s election campaign was a pledge of “continuity” of the politics of his predecessor Vladimir Putin, who is now the prime minister. The promise of continuity is being kept. Observers have been seeking out indications of change in the... MORE
UKRAINIAN PROSECUTORS TARGET SELF-DEFENSE LEADERS
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has opened criminal cases against Minister of the Interior Yuriy Lutsenko and businessman Davyd Zhvania. Both were among the leaders of the 2004 Orange Revolution, which brought President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to power. Since 2007,... MORE
TURKEY PREPARES TO PAY THE PRICE FOR DROUGHT, POOR PLANNING AND ECONOMIC POPULISM
Turkey is likely to face power cuts again this summer as a combination of drought, poor planning and economic populism result in electricity production failing to keep pace with demand. According to official projections by the Turkish Energy Ministry, Turkey will produce 191 billion kilowatt... MORE
DEATHS OF CORRUPTION FIGHTERS OVERSHADOW NEW ANTICORRUPTION CAMPAIGN
In the wake of President Dmitry Medvedev’s decree setting up a presidential anticorruption council to draw up a national anticorruption program (see EDM, May 21), a number of observers, including politicians, experts and journalists, have weighed in with their ideas on how best to get... MORE
DMITRY MEDVEDEV LOOKS FAR BEYOND AN ENERGY ALLIANCE WITH ASTANA
Apparently, there was a great deal of political calculation aimed at sobering up adamant western leaders to the hard-line stance of the post-Putin Kremlin in Dmitry Medvedev’s first foreign trip to Astana as Russian President on May 22. Whatever may be the true motives of... MORE
EURO-ASIAN OIL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR PROPOSED AT KYIV ENERGY SUMMIT
The presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania agreed on May 22 and 23 in Kyiv on steps to create a Euro-Asian Oil Transportation Corridor. The planned EAOTC is a centerpiece to the concept of an Energy Transit Space, which was also launched at... MORE
AKKUYU AND TURKISH NUCLEAR POWER
In an era of record-high oil prices, Turkey, which imports 90 percent of its energy needs, is considering any and all options, including nuclear. The country’s energy requirements are pitting the government against the country’s environmentalist lobby, one of the strongest in the Middle East.... MORE
RUSSIA AND CHINA: UNITED BY FOREIGN POLICY, DIVIDED BY ENERGY PRICES
The Kremlin has repeatedly pledged to forge what it calls a "strategic partnership" with China, and President Dmitry Medvedev came to the Chinese capital to reiterate these pledges. But while Moscow's and Beijing's respective positions have converged on international issues, bilateral economic ties have apparently... MORE