Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
PUTIN PLEASES ENVIRONMENTALISTS BY RE-ROUTING PACIFIC PIPELINE
As Russia prepares to start construction of a major oil pipeline from East Siberia to the Pacific tomorrow, April 28, the Kremlin offered a generous gesture towards environmentalists unhappy with the pipeline's route. The pipeline is considered to be a major channel for implementing Moscow's... MORE
RUSSIAN FORCES DRILL FOR POSSIBLE REBEL OFFENSIVE IN NORTH CAUCASUS
Russian authorities are preparing for a summer or autumn rebel offensive in the North Caucasus. "It will be a hot summer," Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer told AFP. As far back as January Russian generals had recognized the possibility of rebel attacks in any part... MORE
AZERBAIJAN FEARS STANDOFF BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN
Yesterday, April 26, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev began a three-day visit to the United States. This is his first official visit to Washington, which many observers believe will boost U.S.-Azerbaijan strategic relations. Heading the list of topics that President Aliev and President George W. Bush... MORE
MOSCOW MOVING AGAINST YUKOS AND LITHUANIA AHEAD OF G-8 ENERGY SUMMIT
Surprisingly, the United States and European Union are not raising the issue of Russia's destruction of the Yukos oil company and attempt to grab its assets in Lithuania ahead of the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, which Russia wants to focus on energy cooperation. Perhaps... MORE
YUSHCHENKO’S TEAM REJECTS TYMOSHENKO’S PRIME MINISTERIAL AMBITION
Yulia Tymoshenko's desire to return to the prime minister's chair has become the main obstacle to restoring the Orange Revolution coalition in order to form a majority in Ukraine's newly elected parliament. President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc has rejected Tymoshenko's demand that the distribution... MORE
CRITICS PRESS FOR IMPROVED JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE IN GEORGIA
Tbilisi has responded to international and domestic complaints that Georgia's judiciary frequently makes unfair, politically motivated decisions. President Mikheil Saakashvili, known as the "Godfather" of Georgia's 1997-98 judicial reforms, now admits that the reform drive has not been a complete success. During a meeting with... MORE
POLITICAL CONFRONTATION DETRACTS FROM ACUTE CHERNOBYL PROBLEMS IN BELARUS
As the 20th anniversary of Chernobyl approaches in Belarus, and the opposition forces plan a final protest march on April 26 in the aftermath of the presidential elections, there is no sign that the country has come close to overcoming the profound health, social, and... MORE
CIS SPLIT AT MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
The meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States member countries, held on April 21 in Moscow, exposed a profound split in the organization. Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Azerbaijan formed a common front on issues of shared concern, opposing Russian policies... MORE
BISHKEK WELCOMES EXPANDED RUSSIAN MILITARY PRESENCE IN KYRGYZSTAN
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his first state visit to Moscow on April 24-25. The meeting began with Bakiyev stating that Kyrgyzstan today needs economic assistance, which Russia is able to provide. Putin welcomed the idea of intensifying bilateral... MORE
EUROPE CALLS GAZPROM’S BLUFF AND PONDERS ITS THREAT
The unprecedented exchange of public demarches between Gazprom and the EU last week left both sides dissatisfied and the issues muddled rather than clarified. The firm message issued by the European Commission last Thursday, April 20, with the emphasis on the need to diversify energy-supply... MORE