Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
TURKISH CHIEF OF STAFF FACING DILEMMA OVER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
On July 26 the Turkish press quoted Devlet Bahceli, leader of the ultranationalist National Action Party (MHP), as stating that the party would not boycott the parliamentary vote to elect the country’s next president, thus effectively opening the way for the AKP to appoint any... MORE
TURKEY’S CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC PRESENCE GROWS IN KYRGYZSTAN
Like other Central Asian states, Kyrgyzstan’s relations with Turkey have considerably strengthened since the collapse of the Soviet Union. A July 23 conference held in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, on the role of political actors in state-building in Turkic countries in the 20th century showed... MORE
FOREIGN TV CHANNELS CLOSED IN AZERBAIJAN: POLITICS, ECONOMICS, OR SOMETHING ELSE?
Russia’s ORT television, the successor to the first TV station in the Soviet Union, was officially closed in Azerbaijan as of July 11. The decision came as a result of failed negotiations between the governments of Russia and Azerbaijan to continue broadcasting the channel in... MORE
RUSSIA PLANS TO DEPLOY COMBAT AIRCRAFT IN TAJIKISTAN
On July 17 Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defense announced plans to allow Russian combat aircraft to be deployed in Dushanbe. The agreement involves the aviation support component of the Russian 201st Motor Rifle Division based in Tajikistan and will result in Russian combat aircraft being quartered... MORE
AKP SENDS MIXED SIGNALS OVER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Today, July 25, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul today refused to confirm that he would withdraw as a candidate for the country’s presidency when parliament meets in early August 2007 to elect a successor to the incumbent, Ahmet Necdet Sezer. “I cannot ignore the will... MORE
SOVIET-STYLE VEIL OF SECRECY HIDES RUSSIAN MISSILE FAILURES
Last month the Russian Navy announced a successful launch of the new Bulava (SS-NX-30) sea-based intercontinental ballistic missile. Igor Digalo, chief of the navy press service, declared, “The test was successful, the missile performed according to plan on all stages of flight, the warheads hit... MORE
GAZPROM TAKEOVER IN HUNGARY LOOMS BEHIND POSSIBLE OMV TAKEOVER
Apart from the oil business (see EDM, July 24), Hungary’s gas transmission network is also at stake in the attempted takeover of the national energy company MOL by the Austrian counterpart OMV. And, as with the oil business, the gas transmission network may end up... MORE
ARMENIA DEEPENS ECONOMIC TIES WITH IRAN
Armenia and Iran have agreed to give new impetus to their bilateral relations and press ahead with the implementation of more multimillion-dollar energy projects. The agreements were announced in Yerevan after the July 20 meeting of their intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, co-chaired by Iranian... MORE
DIVERSITY OF OPINIONS EXPECTED IN NEW TURKISH PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES
For the first time in ten years, pro-Kurdish candidates have won seats in the Turkish parliament. Twenty-four independent candidates affiliated with the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) were elected on Sunday, July 22. An additional four non-affiliated independents also won seats. These new lawmakers will... MORE
MOSCOW ESCALATES DIPLOMATIC ROW WITH LONDON
Russian President Vladimir Putin has characterized the current deterioration of Russian-U.K. relations as a “mini-crisis” that would be overcome in the “interests of common sense.” In fact, however, this diplomatic row is shaping up like no other, and Putin’s definition of “common sense” might prove... MORE