Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
EUROPE’S PATRONIZING ATTITUDE TOWARD TURKS CAN PUSH ANKARA CLOSER TO MOSCOW
Turkey’s prospects of becoming a full-blown member of the European Union are again seriously endangered -- this time by a fierce row with France over the “Armenian genocide” bill. According to analysts, the West’s continuous snubbing of the Turks could result in Ankara’s moving strategically... MORE
RUSSIA UNFAZED BY NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR TEST
Although North Korea’s nuclear test on October 9 transformed the Northeast Asian landscape, it apparently has not changed the postures of the members of the six-party talks all that much. Russia’s reaction to this test is very much a linear progression from its previous stance... MORE
MOSCOW BEEFS UP SECURITY TIES WITH KYRGYZSTAN
Russia has moved to boost security ties with Kyrgyzstan in a perceived bid to guarantee the loyalty of the Central Asian state, once considered to be among Moscow's most trusted allies in that strategically important region. Russia and Kyrgyzstan held joint anti-terrorism exercises October 2-5... MORE
RUSSIA REVERSES PLANS ON SUPERGIANT SHTOKMAN GAS FIELD
On October 9 Russia’s Gazprom announced that it has canceled the international tender for part-ownership and development of its supergiant Shtokman offshore gas field in the Barents Sea. Instead, Gazprom will itself develop the field as 100% owner. Moreover, the eventual output’s planned destination has... MORE
SAAKASHVILI’S PARTY WINS LOCAL ELECTIONS AMID STANDOFF WITH RUSSIA
As expected, President Mikheil Saakashvili’s National Movement party won Georgia’s October 5 local elections by a landslide. Held amid Tbilisi’s sharpest confrontation with Moscow in a decade, the elections provided an opportunity for the ruling party to tout its tough stance toward Russia in connection... MORE
UZBEKISTAN WELCOMES COOPERATION WITH KYRGYZSTAN DESPITE FUNDAMENTAL DISAGREEMENTS
On October 3 Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev visited Tashkent to meet with Uzbek President Islam Karimov. Both presidents tried to restore friendly relations between their countries by referring to common cultural roots and the necessity to boost economic cooperation. Although a number of bilateral agreements... MORE
KREMLIN SUGGESTS EXILED OLIGARCHS KILLED POLITKOVSKAYA TO EMBARRASS MOSCOW
Yesterday, October 10, Anna Politkovskaya, the 48-year-old star investigative reporter of the Novaya gazeta newspaper, was buried in Moscow. Politkovskaya was gunned down near her apartment building Saturday in an apparent contract killing. The funeral and public mourning was held at a small cemetery on... MORE
SOLANA BLINKS, DEEPLY
The European Union’s High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, opined in a European Parliament hearing that international recognition of Kosovo’s independence from Serbia could set “a precedent” adversely affecting Georgia in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. With some trepidation Solana imagined, “We... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN DEEPENS ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH NATO
Kazakhstan is pursuing efforts to deepen its existing partnership with the NATO Alliance, as it explores various foreign policy options aimed at securing greater help in reforming its armed forces. Moscow is watching this process warily and making overtures towards solidifying bilateral relations and offering... MORE
PEOPLE OF NORTH CAUCASUS BELIEVE THEIR HOPES FOR JUSTICE DIED WITH POLITKOVSKAYA
The October 7 murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian journalist who wrote about human rights violations in the North Caucasus, has enraged the people of the region. “I regard the death of Anna Politkovskaya as an act of political terror,” Chechen student Osam Masaev told... MORE