Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
AZERBAIJANI PUBLIC OUTRAGED BY SLAUGHTER OF AZERIS IN IRAN
A peaceful demonstration by Azeris in the Iranian city of Tabriz and the subsequent violent crackdown on the protestors by Iranian law-enforcement agencies has resulted in public outrage in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Politicians, non-governmental organizations, and the general public have condemned the Iranian... MORE
BELARUS: THE MYTH OF “PEOPLE POWER”
On May 23 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka delivered a "state of the nation address" that was broadcast live on Belarusian TV and lasted a relatively modest 51 minutes. The speech was significant for being his first major post-election broadcast, and it provided some rationale behind... MORE
GUAM IN KYIV: ANOTHER SUMMIT OF GOOD INTENTIONS
Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia, Vladimir Voronin of Moldova, and Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine met on May 23 in Kyiv for another effort to revitalize the GUAM group of countries. Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus attended as well, in line with his... MORE
ENERGY INSECURITY, FROZEN CONFLICTS PREOCCUPY GUAM SUMMIT
The GUAM summit in Kyiv on May 23 called international attention to the challenges and threats posed to the four member countries by energy insecurity and secessionist conflicts. Furthermore, Moldova and Georgia are the targets of politically motivated Russian embargoes on agricultural products and wine,... MORE
RUSSIAN REGIONS CONTINUE TO RESIST KREMLIN CENTRALIZATION POLICY
On May 14, Sergei Mironov, speaker of the Federation Council, dismissed four members of the upper house of the Federal Assembly. The sacked MPs represented one northern and two Siberian regions (Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and Khakassia) and one region in the Far... MORE
PUTIN LEANING ON NAZARBAYEV TO THWART WESTBOUND ENERGY PROJECTS
Russian President Vladimir Putin used the May 20 meeting in Sochi with his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to ensure that Russia remains the route for the great bulk of Kazakhstan's oil and gas exports and nip trans-Caspian pipeline projects in the bud. Putin's move counters... MORE
INCONSISTENT LANGUAGE POLICY CREATES PROBLEMS IN UKRAINE
The Party of Regions (PRU), which strengthened its grip on Ukraine's Russophone east and south after the March 26 parliamentary election, continues to probe the government's weaknesses, challenging it on the sensitive issue of language. The PRU-dominated Donetsk regional council has followed the example of... MORE
LAW-ENFORCEMENT REVIEW PROVOKES CONFLICT IN SAAKASHVILI’S GOVERNMENT
A report presented to Georgia's Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights on May 19 exposed severe violations in Georgia's law enforcement system and correctional facilities. The unusually harsh report by State Ombudsman Sozar Subari, known as a staunch backer of the Rose Revolution and President Mikheil... MORE
RUSSIAN INFLUENCE ON THE UPSWING IN KYRGYZSTAN
On May 19, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev told a visiting group of international journalists that Kyrgyz authorities would go ahead with the plan to ask the United States to vacate the Manas air base by June 1 unless Washington agrees to a massive increase in rent... MORE
KYRGYZSTAN FIGHTS ONE-DAY WAR WITH UNKNOWN BANDITS
Early on the morning of May 12 an armed group of about 10 people attacked a Tajik border checkpoint in Isfara oblast. They seized weapons and killed three Tajik guards. A few hours later the group moved into Kyrgyzstan through Batken oblast and headed toward... MORE