Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
PUTIN MAKES FOREIGN POLICY ABROAD, MEDVEDEV CHAIRS SECURITY COUNCIL AT HOME
It has been almost a month since Russia embarked on its experiment in governance which features a previously all-powerful president serving “under” his successor as prime minister. However, the question of who really is in charge, President Medvedev or Prime Minister Putin, remains unanswered; and... MORE
PUTIN ENJOYS HIS MOVEABLE FEAST WITH NO WORRY ABOUT GEORGIA
Putin’s working visit to Paris last week was organized as if the French hosts wanted to emphasize that in their opinion the change of his political status was only a formality and that he remained the man in Moscow they were ready to do business... MORE
IS UKRAINE RETURNING TO KUCHMA-ERA REPRESSION?
In a television interview on May 20 Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko raised the stakes in her worsening relations with President Viktor Yushchenko by bringing up the question of impeaching the president if a continuing investigation into the Vanco contract (see EDM, May 21) finds proof... MORE
TURKEY’S PUBLIC PROSECUTOR LAMBASTS EU, U.S. OVER AKP CLOSURE CASE
On May 30 Public Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya presented his response to the initial defense of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) against the application for the party’s closure which he originally he filed with the Constitutional Court on March 14 (see EDM, March 17).... MORE
OIL REFINERY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT EXAMINED AT THE KYIV ENERGY SUMMIT
The Energy Summit in Kyiv (see EDM, May 28, 29) looked at a detailed proposal for construction of a refinery in Ukraine to process Caspian oil. The underlying idea is to reduce Russia’s strong influence on Ukraine’s refining industry and oil-product market by building a... MORE
PRIVATIZATION OF HYDROPOWER SECTOR INTENSIFIES COMPETITION BETWEEN KYRGYZ RULING ELITES
Recent showdowns between Kyrgyz Parliament Speaker Adakhan Madumarov and members of Ak Zhol, a pro-regime political party, reveal the intensifying rivalry between two camps among Kyrgyzstan’s political circles. The first camp is informally led by Madumarov, Bishkek Mayor and influential businessman Daniyar Usenov and State... MORE
AFGHAN-TURKMEN RELATIONS IMPROVE
Last month’s meeting between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov was more than a mere photo opportunity. The implications of deeper Afghan-Turkmen bilateral ties could have a positive impact on a number of issues, including Afghanistan’s rising drug traffic, the insurgency and... MORE
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