As Russian President Vladimir Putin looks toward a scheduled state visit to Japan November 20-22, the pace of bilateral diplomatic activity has recently quickened. The upswing in contacts is also related to the resumption of the six-party talks over North Korean nuclearization and Russia's efforts... MORE

After Ukraine's parliament recessed for summer on July 8, the government issued a damning indictment of parliament and parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn for not facilitating the passage of legislation required for Ukraine to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the fall (kmu.gov.ua, July 8).... MORE

On August 3, Uzbek state media announced that the government had asked the United States to vacate the Karshi-Khanabad air base and withdraw its military units from Uzbekistan. The government had delivered that request to the U.S. Embassy on July 29, but did not immediately... MORE

Senior Russian security officials are once again confirming the importance and priority of terrorism in Russia's domestic security agenda. A mixture of exercises, discussions, and initiatives to advance the interests of the Federal Security Service (FSB) has culminated in substantial increases for Russian spending on... MORE

Turkmenistan has been keen to expand the export markets for its abundant natural gas resources. Not surprisingly, Turkmen authorities have been eyeing China's lucrative energy markets, although pipelines to funnel Turkmen gas to China are still at the planning stage. Last month, Turkmen President Saparmurat... MORE

In an unprecedented development, a European head of state has publicly and outspokenly refuted Russian President Vladimir Putin's accusations that Estonia and Latvia oppress their Russian residents. Most European officials are aware that those accusations are unfounded, but would not contradict the Kremlin publicly. Visiting... MORE

The recent anti-terrorist operations in Georgia (see EDM July 25, 29) have overshadowed coverage of anti-Georgian developments flaring in Georgia's turbulent Javakheti region, a southern area predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians. On July 17, Armenian residents of Samsar blocked efforts by students and nuns from... MORE

While President Viktor Yushchenko remains outwardly confident that his Our Ukraine party, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc, and parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn's People's Party (NPU) will enter the 2006 parliamentary elections as a coalition, this scenario is now unlikely (Ukrayinska pravda, July 25). As a... MORE