Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
PUTIN SEEKS CLOSER TIES WITH TURKMENISTAN
The election of Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov as Turkmenistan’s new president, widely expected since he became acting president after the death of Saparmurat Niyazov in December, has already witnessed diplomatic overtures by a number of countries keen to develop closer ties with Turkmenistan. Russian President Vladimir Putin,... MORE
ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION RACE KICKS OFF
Armenia’s parliamentary elections have officially been scheduled for May 12, ushering in the traditional period of political upheaval that has defined just about every poll held in the country since independence. Although campaigning is to formally get underway in late March, the leading Armenian parties... MORE
POTENTIAL GAS CUSTOMERS LINE UP TO WELCOME NEW TURKMEN LEADER
Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov was inaugurated as Turkmenistan’s new president at the Ruhiyev palace in Ashgabat on February 14. Reporters noted that 2,487 members of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) and foreign guests, including heads of states and governments from 30 countries, attended the ceremony. The Russian... MORE
MOSCOW-BEIJING-NEW DELHI AXIS MOVES IN SLOW MOTION
On Wednesday, February 14, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Chinese and Indian counterparts Li Zhaoxing and Natwar Singh in New Delhi, where the three countries pledged to contribute to global peace, security, and stability. In a joint statement issued after the meeting,... MORE
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON TOP OF ALIYEV’S AGENDA
On February 13, the government of Azerbaijan organized a major conference on the implementation of the “State Program on Regional Socioeconomic Development.” The program was adopted in 2004, immediately following the election of President Ilham Aliyev, and 2007 marks the third year of its implementation.... MORE
TATAR TREATY SUGGESTS DISSENT INSIDE KREMLIN ON REGIONAL POLICY
On Friday, February 9, the Russian State Duma ratified a power-sharing agreement between the federal authorities and the Republic of Tatarstan, a Muslim-dominated republic in the Volga region. The treaty gives Tatarstan a degree of economic and political autonomy that no other region enjoys (see... MORE
RUSSIA AND THE KOREAN AGREEMENT: RELIEF MINGLED WITH GLEE AND WARINESS
True to past experience, Russia greeted the six-party agreement on Korea signed February 12-13, with official expressions of correct appreciation and relief that the “nightmare of the Korean crisis [was] over.” Also unmistakable was a delight at what its media regarded as Washington’s “capitulation” and... MORE
KULOV JOINS KYRGYZ OPPOSITION, BUT CAN HE BEAT BAKIYEV?
At a February 14 press conference, former Kyrgyz prime minister Felix Kulov announced his decision to join the forces opposed to President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Following the Kyrgyz government’s December 2006 resignation, Kulov’s move was predictable. However, many people doubt his ability to lead the opposition... MORE
A POTEMKIN DEMOCRACY, A POTEMKIN FREE MARKET, AND A POTEMKIN ARMS RACE
Using language rarely heard since the Cold War, last week Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the United States, European Union, NATO, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the West in general during a major policy speech at a security conference in Munich on... MORE
RUSSIAN MILITARY “MODERNIZING,” NOT REFORMING — IVANOV
On February 7 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told the State Duma that Russia will re-arm its armed forces, offering 5 trillion rubles to develop new hardware rather than simply maintaining the armed forces. The program will continue until 2015. More significantly, Ivanov reacted against... MORE