Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
ARMENIAN SECURITY SERVICES SUSPECTED OF SPYING ON OPPOSITION LEADER
Armenia’s intensifying parliamentary election campaign has been jolted by a scandal over the secret recording of a recent confidential meeting between a top opposition leader and a Yerevan-based Western diplomat. Details of that conversation have been controversially disclosed by a pro-establishment newspaper, in what is... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN RELYING ON THE CSTO
Kazakhstan’s Defense Minister Daniyal Akhmetov recently described the country’s participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and its military partnership with members of the organization as priorities. “Kazakhstan's new military doctrine clearly outlines issues of international military cooperation, in which a priority for the... MORE
IN FAREWELL ADDRESS, PUTIN DISTRIBUTES OIL MONEY
It was the “moratorium” on implementing the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, a largely symbolic gesture of little practical consequence, that captured Western attention in Putin’s address to parliament on Thursday, April 26. The 72-minute speech (the longest in this genre) was, however, predominantly... MORE
RUSSIA PRESSES FOR MORE CASPIAN COOPERATION WITH TURKMENISTAN
At a summit meeting in the Kremlin on April 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to press his Turkmen counterpart on a variety of issues, notably Caspian energy. But during his first official visit to Moscow Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov refrained from making any new commitments. During... MORE
AZERBAIJAN MOVES TO SHAPE IMAGE OF ISLAMIC WORLD
On April 26 a major international conference, “The Role of Media in the Promotion of Tolerance and Understanding,” opened in Baku, Azerbaijan. The conference was held under the auspices of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) with several high-ranking guests such as the Secretary-General... MORE
RED ARMY MONUMENT REMOVED FROM TALLINN AMID MOSCOW-ENCOURAGED RIOTS
At 5 am on Friday, April 27, the Soviet-Russian occupation of Estonia ended in a symbolic sense with the removal of the Red Army monument known as the Bronze Soldier from downtown Tallinn. The expected event triggered riots by young local Russian hooligans and drunks... MORE
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT RAISES CONCERN IN BAKU AND YEREVAN
On March 6, the U.S. Department of State released its 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, prepared by its Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The annual report contains updates on human rights conditions in countries around the world. This year’s reports on... MORE
MOSCOW MOVES TO RAISE PROFILE IN CENTRAL ASIA
Earlier this month the Collective Security Treaty Organization held the third element of its “Rubezh” (Frontier) command staff exercise in Tajikistan. The CSTO was established after the collapse of the USSR in December 1991. The initial CSTO members were Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and... MORE
YELTSIN, PUTIN AND THE NORTH CAUCASUS: CONTRASTING APPROACHES TO THE VOLATILE REGION
The death of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin has produced numerous evaluations of his legacy, including his policy towards the North Caucasus. Many people in the North Caucasus consider Yeltsin’s regional policy to have been more harmful than helpful. Residents of Chechnya are particularly angry... MORE
BAKIYEV-KULOV CONFLICT RESUMES DESPITE GOVERNMENT’S CRACKDOWN
Since the Kyrgyz government's crackdown on opposition rallies on April 19, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has embarked on a series of suppressive activities against unwanted political figures. The Kyrgyz security service arrested Omurbek Suvanaliyev, former minister of interior and the United Front opposition bloc’s key leader,... MORE