Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
KULOV MODERATES HIS DEMANDS AGAINST PRESIDENT, BUT BISHKEK STILL TENSE
On April 11 thousands of people gathered in central Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, to demand early presidential elections and a return to the November 2006 constitution. According to various estimates, between 4,000 and 12,000 supporters of two major opposition blocs, United Front and For Reforms,... MORE
VORONIN PRESSURED TO ACCEPT RUSSIAN SETTLEMENT PLAN FOR TRANSNISTRIA
In several policy conferences with a small number of top officials in recent days, most recently on April 11, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has presented a new Russian scenario to settle the Transnistria conflict. It stems from Russia’s Security Council, whose deputy secretary, Yuri Zubakov,... MORE
MOSCOW NOW SEEKS TO TEMPT VORONIN INTO DISSOLVING PARLIAMENT
Moscow is using the negotiations on resolving the Transnistria conflict as a means to weaken Moldova’s political system. This is a collateral goal of the negotiating channel run by Security Council Deputy Secretary Yuri Zubakov with core members of the Moldovan presidential team. Moscow’s specific... MORE
SECURITY SERVICE VETERANS RISING TO THE TOP IN UZBEKISTAN
Uzbekistan remains the focus of terrorists in Central Asia. This situation has encouraged a “siege mentality” among the higher echelons of the Uzbek government, which is seeking to strengthen the country’s political and security institutions by combining them. Tashkent’s obsession with security also extends to... MORE
MOSCOW ENLISTS POST-SOVIET SECESSIONIST LEADERS TO PRESSURE THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL
“Parliamentary” leaders and the “foreign ministers“ of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria met in Moscow on April 9 and in Sukhumi on April 10, respectively. By the participants’ explicit admission, the meetings were timed to the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) April 10 session on... MORE
BESLAN MEMORIAL SPARKS RELIGIOUS TENSION IN NORTH OSSETIA
On April 10 Emma Tagaeva-Betrozova, head of “Voice of Beslan,” asked for Muslim input on plans to build a memorial to commemorate victims of the Beslan tragedy. Her organization unites victims and survivors of the terrorist raid on the North Ossetian town of Beslan on... MORE
CHERNOBYL MARCH WILL FOCUS ON VICTIMS
Following the large rally that took place in Minsk on March 25 to commemorate the Day of Freedom (see EDM March 28), plans are well under way for the "Path of Chernobyl" event on April 26, traditionally the largest public demonstration of the season. The... MORE
CIS AND OTHER ISSUES SOUR U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS
While visiting Moscow last week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez painted a rosy picture of U.S.-Russian relations. "The only thing people read once in a while is that we have a disagreement, but even family members have disagreements," Gutierrez was quoted as saying. "We are... MORE
RUSSIA DETAILS PLANS TO DEVELOP REMOTE FAR EASTERN REGIONS
On April 5 the Russian government disclosed the details of its pledge to spend billions in government funding to speed up development of the country's Far East. In response, local leaders rushed to demand more money for their respective regions. The government plans to allocate... MORE
RUSSIA POISED TO LEAD AN EVOLVING CARTEL OF GAS-EXPORTING COUNTRIES
Convening in Doha, Qatar on April 9, the Gas-Exporting Countries’ Forum (GECF) has taken a first step toward creating an exporters’ cartel at the intergovernmental level. However, the Western gas-exporting countries -- Canada, Norway, and the Netherlands -- oppose this initiative, as does Azerbaijan; while... MORE