Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
AK PARTY APPOINTS MODERATE AS SPEAKER AS TENSIONS INSIDE PARTY MOUNT OVER PRESIDENCY
Following the election of a known moderate to the post of Turkish parliamentary speaker, attention has now switched to the forthcoming vote for the presidency, amid signs of an intensifying power struggle within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). In the election in... MORE
RUSSIA TIGHTENS CONTROL OVER SAKHALIN-1 OUTPUT
On August 2, during a meeting of a special government commission, the Russian government formally notified Sakhalin-1 consortium stakeholders that they should prioritize the domestic delivery of all natural gas to the Russian Far East, according to a statement from the Russian Industry and Energy... MORE
NEW STATE IDEOLOGY BOUND TO FAIL IN KYRGYZSTAN
On July 30, Kyrgyz State Secretary Adakhan Madumarov officially presented his national ideological project called “Development through Unity.” Creating and spreading national ideologies in Kyrgyzstan has been the state secretary’s main function since the early 1990s. However, after completing his task responsibly, Madumarov faced widespread... MORE
LUKOIL SEEKING RETURN TO IRAQ WITH RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
On August 8-9, Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani encouraged the Russian government and companies to return to Iraq’s oil industry. He conferred with Lukoil president Vagit Alekperov, whose company hopes to return to the West Qurna-2 project in Iraq. Shahristani also held talks in Moscow... MORE
RUSSIAN ADMIRAL ANNOUNCES AMBITIOUS NAVAL BUILD-UP
President Vladimir Putin appointed Admiral Vladimir Masorin commander of the Russian Navy in 2005. This year Masorin will turn 60 and, under Russian law, he must retire from active service. However, top generals and admirals may continue to serve in high command positions until age... MORE
PROJECT OPERATOR ANNOUNCES MASSIVE DELAYS AND COST OVERRUNS AT KASHAGAN
The government of Kazakhstan is considering imposing severe penalties on the company or companies responsible for cost overruns and production delays at the supergiant Kashagan offshore oilfield. Deemed the largest oil discovery worldwide in the last 35-40 years, Kashagan is estimated to hold almost 2... MORE
REGIONAL COOPERATION WOULD ADDRESS KAZAKHSTAN’S SECURITY CONCERNS
Kazakhstan’s leaders have sought Moscow’s help to reduce crimes with security implications, such as membership in extremist groups or drug trafficking. On July 30, for example, Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry and the Russian Federal Service for Drug Control signed an agreement to cooperate in combating the... MORE
IRAQI DIPLOMACY LIKELY TO FORESTALL TURKISH INCURSION
On Tuesday, August 7, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MoU) between Iraq and Turkey. The memorandum does not commit Baghdad to take many of the concrete actions against the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) forces that Turkey wanted (Today’s Zaman,... MORE
RUSSIAN DENIALS OF AIR RAID ON GEORGIA FLY IN THE FACE OF EVIDENCE
Two Sukhoi fighter-bombers with Russian Air Force markings, flying together from the direction of North Ossetia, intruded by some 80 kilometers into Georgia’s air space on August 6. At 18:20 local time, one of these planes dived from 3,000 meters altitude and dropped a missile... MORE
ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SEEKS SINGLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Armenia’s fragmented opposition, reeling from its crushing defeat in recent parliamentary elections, is looking to join forces ahead of the presidential ballot due early next year. Leaders of the country’s main opposition parties have begun consultations on the possibility of fielding a single presidential candidate.... MORE