Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
KOSOVA AND THE “FROZEN” CONFLICTS OF THE FORMER USSR
The leaders of the breakaway mini-states of Transnistria in Moldova, Karabakh in Azerbaijan, as well as Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia welcomed Kosova's unilateral declaration of independence this week and its subsequent recognition by the international community. At a joint press conference this week... MORE
MEDVEDEV EYES FAR EASTERN REVIVAL
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's leading presidential candidate, believes the social and economic problems of the Russian Far East can be solved eventually, as the government currently has sufficient financial resources. Touring Khabarovsk on February 7, he conceded that the Far East regions still faced serious infrastructure... MORE
KYRGYZ PUBLIC CONDEMNS RUSSIAN SKINHEADS, SUPPORTS MOSCOW
Since early 2008 eight Kyrgyz citizens have been brutally killed in Moscow and St. Petersburg by members of local skinhead movements. All of the victims were male labor migrants from rural Kyrgyzstan who had come to Russia to find work. Besides the murders, over 30... MORE
TEHRAN LOOKS TO DUSHANBE TO PROMOTE IRAN’S ROLE IN CENTRAL ASIA
Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon has further deepened bilateral relations with Iran. During his visit to Tehran on February 9-10, he signed three main agreements relating to energy and transport cooperation. However, the bilateral talks also included meetings between the defense ministers and other officials, signaling... MORE
PUTIN AND MEDVEDEV SPEECHES SUGGEST THE FORMER WILL BE CALLING THE SHOTS
President Vladimir Putin’s February 8 speech on Russia’s development strategy through to 2020 and his final annual president press conference on February 14, together with the speech that his designated successor, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, delivered to the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum on February... MORE
LUKOIL REDUCES OIL SUPPLIES TO GERMANY, AGAIN
Russia’s Lukoil has halted oil supplies to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline for the remainder of February and “until further notice.” This is the third interruption in Russian oil deliveries by pipeline to Germany in the space of 13 months. Russia’s pipeline monopoly Transneft halted... MORE
YUSHCHENKO’S CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS, MAY LAUNCH NEW PARTY
Viktor Baloha, the head of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko’s staff, has left Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine–People’s Union party (NSNU). Baloha apparently gave up on making NSNU a reliable, strong political party capable of winning national elections. It is widely expected that Baloha will launch a new... MORE
TURKEY RECOGNIZES KOSOVA OVER RUSSIAN PROTESTS
Yesterday, February 19, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan began a two-day official visit to Russia. The trip comes on the heels of Ankara’s recognition of Kosova’s declaration of independence, made the previous day. Underlining the complexities of Turkish-Russian relations, Babacan released a statement noting that... MORE
KOSOVAR INDEPENDENCE RECOGNIZED, RUSSIA’S BLUFF CALLED IN ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA
On February 17 Kosova declared officially its independence from Serbia. On February 18 the United States and several major European countries recognized Kosova as an independent state. More than 20 (out of 27) European Union member countries are prepared to extend recognition. Russia anticipated this... MORE
NAZARBAYEV’S MESSAGE TO HIS PEOPLE FUELS CONTROVERSIES
The most salient features of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s February 6 address to the nation, presented at a joint session of government and parliament and broadcast on two national television channels, were its brevity and poor delivery. Occasionally interlacing his discourse in Russian with passages... MORE