Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
KOZAK LEAVES MIXED RECORD AS PUTIN’S ENVOY IN THE RUSSIAN SOUTH
On September 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin reorganized his cabinet. Among the new appointments was Dmitry Kozak, who was named regional development minister. This ministry is tasked with working out the Russian government’s regional policies and monitoring relations between Russian regions and the federal center.... MORE
ECONOMIC REALITIES DISCOURAGE BAIKONUR CLOSURE
The Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan has just finished a series of anti-terror exercises staged by Russia's National Anti-Terror Committee and the Federal Security Service (FSB), codenamed “Baikonur-Anti-Terror 2007” (Itar-Tass, September 26). Established by the USSR in 1955, Baikonur is the world's oldest and largest continuously... MORE
TURKISH OFFICIALS ACCUSE BARZANI OF PREVENTING “HOT PURSUIT” BEING INCLUDED IN ANTI-PKK AGREEMENT
Turkish officials have accused Massoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, of excluding the right of hot pursuit from a list of measures to be taken against militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) based in northern Iraq (NTV, Radikal,... MORE
ESTONIA WILL NOT ALLOW THE NORD STREAM PIPELINE ON ITS SEABED
Estonia's government has turned down the Russo-German company Nord Stream's request to survey the seabed off the Estonian coast. The survey was to precede the construction of the Russian gas pipeline on the Baltic seabed to Germany for Gazprom. The Estonian coalition government took the... MORE
NORD STREAM PROJECT: BILATERAL RUSSO-GERMAN, NOT EUROPEAN
The publics in the Baltic states and Poland generally feel that Moscow and Berlin or interested German circles -- have unjustifiably consorted over the heads of countries situated between Russia and Germany to launch the bilateral gas pipeline project, Nord Stream. At the same time... MORE
PARTIES MOBILIZE FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN KYRGYZSTAN
Following Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s decree to hold a constitutional referendum on October 21, most political forces in Kyrgyzstan are almost certain that the referendum will lead to snap parliamentary elections as early as December 2007 or January 2008. The current constitutional draft presented by... MORE
TURKISH OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE ANTI-PKK AGREEMENT WITH IRAQ
Turkish officials have announced that Turkey and Iraq have finalized details of a list of measures to be taken against militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) based in northern Iraq. The announcement came after a 90-minute meeting in Ankara between Turkish Interior Minister Besir... MORE
SPORTS BECOMES PUBLIC DIPLOMACY OPPORTUNITY FOR AZERBAIJAN
Baku hosted the world wrestling championship September 17-23, reopening the long-standing dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia regarding the status of Karabakh. According to the rules of the tournament, all sportsmen from other countries, including Armenia, were to be provided with security and other arrangements for... MORE
SERDYUKOV’S FAKE RESIGNATION
Russia’s new prime minister, Viktor Zubkov, announced in Sochi last week that Acting Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov had submitted a letter of resignation to President Vladimir Putin. Zubkov said he had discussed the matter with Serdyukov, who is his son-in-law, and they had decided that... MORE
YANUKOVYCH SAYS YUSHCHENKO’S TEAM WILL RIG ELECTION
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has accused President Viktor Yushchenko of illegal interference in the parliamentary election campaign and his team of harboring plans to rig the vote in the September 30 parliamentary election. Ironically, three years ago it was Yushchenko who held Yanukovych responsible... MORE