Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
IMF STUDY HIGHLIGHTS WESTERN DONOR PRAISE FOR ARMENIAN REFORMS
The Armenian authorities' economic policies have received another Western endorsement with the publication of extensive research conducted by a group of economists from the International Monetary Fund. In a research paper unveiled on December 6, they describe as "impressive" Armenia's decade-long economic growth and offered... MORE
LONG-EXPECTED PERSONNEL CHANGES BEGIN IN AZERBAIJAN
Immediately following Azerbaijan's November 6 parliamentary elections, President Ilham Aliyev began cadre changes in the government. Some local experts believe the changes are long overdue. On December 14, he replaced Yusif Humbatov, chief of the territorial-administrative division at the President's office, with Zeynal Nagdaliyev, a... MORE
OSCE-RUSSIA MILITARY PLAN FOR MOLDOVA CRITICIZED IN VIENNA
Moldova remains at the top of the European security agenda in the aftermath of the OSCE's year-end ministerial conference. On December 8 at OSCE headquarters in Vienna, Russian special envoy Valery Nesterushkin, the OSCE Moldova Mission's American chief William Hill, and that Mission's Military Consultant,... MORE
PUTIN PROTECTS ISLAM AND PRAISES DEMOCRACY IN GROZNY
The newly elected Chechen parliament held its first session on Monday, December 12, and the big surprise was the unscheduled appearance of Russian President Vladimir Putin (Vremya novostei; Kommersant, December 13). His seventh visit to Chechnya lasted only about an hour, including time to change... MORE
TYMOSHENKO FACES RIVAL CLAIM TO BE ANTI-YUSHCHENKO ORANGE FACTION
The youth group Pora (It's Time), which played an important role in Ukraine's Orange Revolution in November-December 2004, is set to contest the March 2006 parliamentary elections in an alliance with the Reforms and Order (RiP) party (pora.org.ua). The once united Orange coalition will now... MORE
OFFICIALS MEET TO DISCUSS SOUTH CAUCASUS RAIL SYSTEM
Last week, officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey met in Tbilisi to discuss further steps in the construction of another strategically important project in the South Caucasus, the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku (KATB) railway system. The idea to build a railroad that would connect Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey... MORE
RUSSIA EYES STRONGER ECONOMIC TIES WITH JAPAN
In the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Tokyo, Russian officials have reiterated their calls for stronger economic ties with Japan. However, there have been no indications of movement towards a solution of the bilateral territorial row. Disputed issues, including ownership of... MORE
BELARUS FACING SEVERE DEMOGRAPHIC PROBLEMS
The image of Belarus propagated for domestic consumption by the authorities is one of relative prosperity, civil peace, and stability. However, that image is increasingly belied by the evident failure to take adequate measures to offset a looming demographic crisis. According to some analysts, the... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN PLAYS THE NATO CARD
Kazakhstan has again raised the prospect of closer relations with the NATO Alliance, despite its already close relations with Russia and China and the restrictions placed upon its room for maneuver due its membership of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation... MORE
KYRGYZ JOURNALISTS CLAIM GOVERNMENT SUPPRESSES FREE SPEECH
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has announced that his government would restructure control over a number of state-controlled media outlets to encourage greater public participation. However, due to previous unsuccessful attempts to reprivatize a number of popular mass media sources, the president's latest initiative raises doubts... MORE