Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
NEW DRAFT TURKISH CONSTITUTION FORESEES EASING RESTRICTIONS ON RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC IDENTITY
A draft of the planned new Turkish constitution has been leaked to the media, and it suggests that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is planning to ease restrictions on the expression of religious and non-Turkish ethnic identities while reducing the political influence of the... MORE
TURKISH POLICE FOIL MASSIVE BOMB ATTACK IN ANKARA
The discovery of a vehicle packed with explosives in the center of Ankara has once again raised questions about Turkey’s vulnerability to a mass-casualty terrorist attack. On the morning of September 11, two police sniffer dogs identified explosives in a Mercedes panel van in a... MORE
OLD RUSSIAN STRATEGIC BOMBERS CONTINUE TO MAKE NEWS
This summer Russian strategic bombers flew exercise missions to the North Pole, near Alaska, and down the coast of Norway toward Great Britain and other far-off destinations. During the Cold War, such flights were routine. Russian strategic bombers such as the older Tu-95 “Bear” and... MORE
SCHROEDER’S MESSAGE TO EUROPE FROM MOSCOW
On September 8 in Moscow, former German chancellor and current Gazprom official Gerhard Schroeder launched the Russian edition of his memoirs, courtesy again of Gazprom. Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Gazprom chairman Dmitry Medvedev contributed the preface to the memoirs’ Russian edition and acted... MORE
PARTY OF REGIONS CHALLENGES PRESIDENT WITH REFERENDUM PLAN
The Party of Regions (PRU), led by Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, has come up with a plan for a referendum touching on the sensitive issues of language, NATO membership, and local governance. The party’s rivals have been skeptical about the referendum: President Viktor Yushchenko... MORE
IS NUCLEAR POWER A REALISTIC OPTION FOR BELARUS?
The issue of building a domestic nuclear power station in Belarus has cropped up several times of late, but there is no definitive program in place. A year ago, the issue appeared to be resolved, with a proposed location in Mahileu region and a timetable... MORE
OIL MONEY TO FUND NGOs AND OPPOSITION PARTIES IN AZERBAIJAN
Different groups in Azerbaijan are clamoring for their share of the massive flow of oil revenue generated by the completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Lobbying from the ministries for additional financial resources to complete new, massive projects is leading to a new era in Azerbaijani... MORE
MOSCOW PLEASED WITH OSCE’S RESPONSE TO MISSILE DROP ON GEORGIA
The OSCE has completed its own inquiry into the August 6 missile drop on Georgia by Russian aircraft intruding via South Ossetia (see EDM, August 8, 13, 14, 16). Moscow is pleased with the OSCE’s response: “We have no objection to this assessment by the... MORE
TURKEY LINES UP ALONGSIDE SYRIA TO CONDEMN ISRAELI INCURSIONS
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan’s blunt condemnation of an alleged violation of the Turkey’s airspace by Israeli warplanes has dealt another blow to already deteriorating relations between the two countries. In 1996 a military training agreement between Israel and Turkey was hailed by many as... MORE
RUSSIAN ELECTORAL SEASON OPENS LOW ON COMPETITION AND HIGH ON INTRIGUE
The publication of the presidential decree on holding elections to the State Duma on December 2 formally opened the electoral season in Russia, which should culminate in the inauguration of a new president in mid-May next year (Rossiiskaya gazeta, September 5). So far, the public... MORE