Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
YUSHCHENKO’S REFERENDUM THREATS RING HOLLOW
President Viktor Yushchenko used the dual anniversary of Ukraine's unification into an independent state in 1919 and his own inauguration in January 2005 to provide concrete suggestions to escape the political crisis resulting from parliament's January 10 vote of no confidence in his government (see... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN CLAIMS REGIONAL LEADERSHIP ROLE
The inauguration ceremony of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, held in Astana on January 11, witnessed more than the expected national display of Nazarbayev's tight grip on power. According to sources within the Foreign Ministry, it also conveyed the impression that Kazakhstan is now the leader... MORE
INTEREST REBOUNDS IN TRANS-CASPIAN PIPELINE FOR TURKMEN GAS
Russia's New Year "gas attack" on Ukraine and its impact on gas supplies Europe-wide has suddenly reawakened interest in obtaining direct access to the gas reserves of Turkmenistan. Such interest reemerged even before the second round of Russian gas supply shortfalls to Europe in the... MORE
ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN LEADERS SET FOR MAKE-OR-BREAK MEETING ON KARABAKH
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan have set the stage for yet another meeting of their presidents that could prove fateful for the protracted search for a solution to the Karabakh conflict. Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev are due to meet in France... MORE
SCAREMONGERING AND SCARED PEOPLE: THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN CONTINUES IN BELARUS
The campaign to collect signatures for the remaining seven candidates in the Belarusian election (Alyaksandr Voytovich has dropped out of the contest) is in full swing. Each candidate needs to gather at least 100,000 signatures of support to be eligible for the March 19 vote.... MORE
RUSSIAN ENERGY SUPPLY CUTOFF TO GEORGIA: ANOTHER WAKE-UP SIGNAL TO THE WEST
At 2:52 and 3:15 AM, Moscow time, on January 22, TNT bomb explosions in Russia's North Ossetia damaged the North Caucasus-South Caucasus main pipeline and Mozdok-Tbilisi auxiliary pipeline that supply Georgia (and Armenia through Georgia) with gas. At 11:50 AM that same day, another TNT... MORE
RUSSIA STRUGGLES WITH COLD AND SHIVERS FROM ENERGY INSECURITY
For a second week Russia has been making international news even though its political life remains close to hibernation. Arctic air has spread over its vast territory, bringing bitterly cold temperatures that most cities have not seen for the last 25 years. Moscow, with daytime... MORE
DAMAGE CONTROL FOR RUSSIA AND CHINA AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
The November 2005 benzene spill came as an unwanted irritant for Moscow's and Beijing's stated policy of "strategic partnership." Subsequently, both sides went ahead with damage control measures, which were summed up at talks in Moscow. To deal with the slick's aftermath, a Chinese mission... MORE
GAS FROM IRAN TO BREAK GAZPROM’S MONOPOLY IN ARMENIA
Moscow's intention to double the price of gas supplies to Armenia (see EDM, January 17) vindicates Yerevan's decision to de-monopolize the market by importing gas from Iran. Armenia thus becomes the first among formerly Soviet-ruled countries (outside Central Asia) to diversify its supply sources away... MORE
KREMLIN ENERGY POLICY IN EUROPE: DIVIDE ET IMPERA
The jury is still out on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin's idea to turn his country into an "energy superpower" is a viable long-term development strategy. Yet in the short run, Moscow appears likely to continue aggressively using its seemingly boundless mineral resources to re-assert... MORE