Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
AKP PRESENTS DEFENSE AS POLL SUGGESTS POPULAR SUPPORT WAVERING
On April 30, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) presented its preliminary defense to the country’s Constitutional Court in the case filed for its closure by Public Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya on March 14 on charges of becoming a center for anti-secular activities (see EDM,... MORE
RUSSIA’S ROLE AS PUTIN BUILDS A POWERFUL PREMIERSHIP
In a question-and-answer session with journalists at the offices of the weekly Argumenty i Fakty on April 29, President-elect Dmitry Medvedev was asked whether a second “ruling party,” other than United Russia, might appear. “No one knows what the political system’s final configuration will be,... MORE
BAKIYEV SUPPRESSES PROTESTS AGAINST BORDER CONCESSIONS TO KAZAKHSTAN
On April 24 Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed a decree ceding 620 hectares of Kyrgyzstan's northeastern territory to Kazakhstan. The process has been unfolding gradually since 2001, but Bakiyev was only recently able to pass the decree in parliament. What began as a deal between... MORE
AZERBAIJAN SEES ARMENIA DIFFERENTLY AFTER ELECTIONS
“Democracy in Azerbaijan is at least no worse than in Georgia, but the comparison with Armenia is almost impossible,” said Khazar Ibrahim, the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (www.day.az, April 29). This statement came as a result of... MORE
TURKEY HOLDS JOINT AIR FORCE EXERCISES WITH PAKISTAN
While American and European airspace is crisscrossed with commercial aircraft, Eurasia's airspace is increasingly resounding to the roar of military aircraft. Last week the Commonwealth of Independent States held its “Ariel” exercises stretching from the Polish border to the Pacific, while in Afghanistan International Security... MORE
RUSSIA STRUGGLES TO ENCOURAGE JAPANESE INVESTMENTS
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has made his first trip to Russia since his election last September. Despite optimistic official pronouncements, Russia appears to be struggling to secure any significant economic commitments from Tokyo, notably on the Pacific-bound oil pipeline route. Meanwhile, both sides remained... MORE
NEW ARMENIAN LEADER FORMS CABINET
On April 22 Armenia’s new President Serzh Sarkisian completed the formation of his cabinet comprising representatives of four political parties and key loyalists of his predecessor Robert Kocharian. The appointment of the last five government ministers came after weeks of horse-trading within the ruling coalition,... MORE
TURKMENISTAN DOUBLES NATURAL GAS PRICES TO IRAN
Nearly four months after a pricing dispute shut down Turkmen natural gas deliveries to Iran, the pipelines are again open. The bad news for Tehran is that the new price per thousand cubic meters (tcm) is nearly twice what it paid Ashgabat in 2007. On... MORE
IS TURKEY PLAYING A REGIONAL ROLE AT LAST?
Turkey has played down hopes that it would soon be able to broker a peace agreement between Syria and Israel. “We are still at the very beginning of the process,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on April 28. “Talks will continue to take place... MORE
EXPERTS DOUBT THAT RUSSIA’S POPULATION DECLINE CAN BE HALTED
Health and Social Development Minister Tatyana Golikova told her ministry on April 25 that over the past 15 months, Russia had experienced what she called “a real demographic explosion,” with more than two million children born between January 1, 2007, and April 1, 2008. Golikova... MORE