Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
FSB CLAIMS GEORGIA PLANNING “PROVOCATION” DURING G-8 MEETING
On July 9 Oleg Alborov, secretary of South Ossetia’s security council, was killed by a remote-controlled bomb as he opened his garage door. Officials in the breakaway Georgian republic immediately accused the Georgian special services of carrying out this assassination. As the simmering conflict between... MORE
YUSHCHENKO’S ENERGY TEAM CONSIDERS CEDING TRANSIT PIPELINES TO GAZPROM
President Viktor Yushchenko’s associates in charge of Ukraine’s energy system are negotiating to cede control over the country’s gas transit pipelines to Gazprom. Although national control over the transit pipelines is generally deemed a major safeguard to Ukraine’s security and independence, and most political forces... MORE
KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT RISKS RELATIONS WITH U.S. BEFORE G-8 SUMMIT
On Monday, July 10, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs threatened to expel two U.S. diplomats for allegedly interfering in Kyrgyzstan’s internal affairs and having inappropriate contacts with local non-governmental organizations. According to the Ministry, the allegations are based on facts acquired by the Kyrgyz... MORE
BISHKEK COURTS ASTANA FOR BIG INVESTMENT
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev paid an official visit to Astana, Kazakhstan, July 4-5 at the invitation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Bakiyev was given an exceptionally warm, brotherly welcome, and he was obviously satisfied with the outcome of his visit, despite some difficult talks on... MORE
FRADKOV PROPOSES MULTIPLE JOINT VENTURES WITH MONGOLIA
During a visit to Mongolia this week, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov reiterated earlier pledges to strengthen economic ties with Ulan-Bator, once Moscow's closest ally in Asia. Russia and Mongolia can achieve a breakthrough in trade and economic ties, Fradkov said. Both sides have drafted... MORE
BASAEV’S DEATH DOES NOT SOLVE KREMLIN WORRIES IN NORTH CAUCASUS
Chechen warlord Shamil Basaev died in Ingushetia on Monday, July 10. He perished either accidentally while preparing a sabotage operation or, according to the official version, he was eliminated by Russian special forces. Following the news, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, visited Grozny, the Chechen... MORE
GEORGIAN COURTS, MEDIA, CRITICIZED FOR UNPOPULAR DECISIONS
As top Georgian leaders conducted diplomatic trips abroad, the domestic political situation at home heated up. President Mikheil Saakashvili returned from his July 3-6 visit to the United States with declarations of support from the Bush administration. Parliamentary Chair Nino Burjanadze was not as fortunate,... MORE
BTC PIPELINE COULD MAKE CEYHAN AN ENERGY HUB
On Thursday, July 13, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline will be inaugurated at a ceremony in Ceyhan, Turkey. More than 40 high-level officials from some 30 countries plan to attend (Trend.az, July 11). President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia have already... MORE
BASAEV GONE, BUT MOSCOW STILL HAS HEADACHES IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS
The July 9 death of Chechen warlord Shamil Basaev from an accidental explosion -- not a Russian-planned operation -- removes the Chechen rebels’ most charismatic and probably most ruthless commander from the scene. Although Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev claimed, “The effort became... MORE
ARMENIA’S GREEK-OWNED TELECOM OPERATOR PUT UP FOR SALE
Greece’s Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) is pressing ahead with the surprise sale of its commanding share in Armenia’s national telephone company, ArmenTel. Four companies and consortiums, two of them Russian, have already been short listed to take part in a tender called by the Greek... MORE