Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
KREMLIN USES NATO-RUSSIA COUNCIL AS A PLATFORM FOR ANTI-NATO POLEMICS
Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a session of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) at the level of heads of state and governments on April 4 in Bucharest, as an epilogue to the NATO summit. NATO had initiated the invitation, while Putin played hard to get in... MORE
PUTIN’S “NEAR ABROAD” IS “NATO’S EAST” AS DISAGREEMENTS CONTINUE
At his press conference following his address to the session of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC), Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged in a lengthy indictment of NATO policies across the board (www.kremlin.ru, Interfax, April 4, 5). Predictably criticizing the alliance’s open door to former Soviet-controlled countries,... MORE
PUTIN AND BUSH IRON OUT DIFFERENCES OVER MISSILE DEFENSE
Last week Russia's foreign policy transformed, at least in tone and spirit. The atmosphere of confrontation that has dominated official Russian statements and the state-controlled propaganda machine has been diluted by offers of friendship and cooperation. Vladimir Putin did not act as a lame-duck president... MORE
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