Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
POLL SUGGESTS AKP CLOSURE CASE HAS BOOSTED PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR EU MEMBERSHIP
A recent opinion poll suggests that the closure case brought by Public Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has boosted Turkish public support for EU membership, particularly among AKP voters. A survey conducted by A&G Araştırma (A&G Research) found that... MORE
ANALYSTS EXPECT A POWERFUL PRIME MINISTER AND A WEAK PRESIDENT IN RUSSIA
State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, who also heads United Russia, has confirmed rumors that outgoing President Vladimir Putin will be picked as the party’s new leader during a party congress scheduled for April 14 and 15 (see EDM, March 28). “If Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin heads... MORE
UKRAINIANS DIFFER ON NATO SUMMIT RESULTS
Both President Viktor Yushchenko and opposition leader and former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych have claimed that the April 2 to 4 Bucharest NATO summit’s decision on Ukraine was a “victory.” It was a victory for Yushchenko, because NATO members promised that Ukraine would definitely be... MORE
BELARUS IS BACK TO A POLICY OF CONFRONTATION
Three recent events in Belarus have apparently returned the country to the repressive atmosphere of the late 1990s and thrown into doubt the prospects for any significant democratic changes under the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The actions suggest a government under intense pressure but bereft... MORE
IRAN AND TURKEY COOPERATE ON ELECTRICITY
In a move certain to raise hackles in Washington, Iran and Turkey have agreed to connect their electrical power grids. According to an amendment to the Electricity Market Law submitted to parliament, Turkey’s isolated eastern and southern regions will be able to import electricity on... MORE
THE PRO-MAP FACTION SUCCEEDS AT NATO SUMMIT
NATO’s recently concluded summit in Bucharest highlighted the political weight of the new member countries from Central and Eastern Europe in the alliance’s decision-making processes. Aligned with the United States, Canada and two small West European countries, the new members formed the critical mass that... MORE
IS THE PARTY OF REGIONS SLIDING INTO CRISIS?
The Party of Regions (Regions) should be riding high in Ukrainian polls as opposition parties traditionally have golden opportunities to increase their popularity. Instead, Regions and its leader and former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych have been declining in popularity and are in a crisis. On... MORE
KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT INCREASES HYDROPOWER PRICES AMID HIGH INFLATION
Following an exceptionally cold winter that made hydropower resources scarce and led to frequent rolling blackouts throughout Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov announced the government’s plans to increase prices for electricity by 13 percent and water by 20 percent. The Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek... MORE
THE AKP SCRABBLES FOR AN ANTI-CLOSURE STRATEGY
On April 7 the National Executive Committee of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) held a six-hour meeting to discuss the party’s response to the closure case filed with the country’s constitutional court by Public Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya (see EDM, April 1). Speaking after... MORE
NATO MAKES POLITICAL COMMITMENT TO UKRAINIAN, GEORGIAN MEMBERSHIP
At its Bucharest summit, NATO postponed a decision on approving Membership Action Plans (MAPs) for Ukraine and Georgia; but it gave the two countries much more than immediate MAPs. The Alliance committed itself clearly--albeit without a deadline--to the political and strategic goal of Ukrainian and... MORE