Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
TNK-BP, LUKOIL, ROSNEFT VIE FOR YUKOS LEGACY IN LITHUANIA
On October 18, the Lithuanian government decided unanimously to begin negotiations with TNK-BP regarding the sale of a majority stake in Lithuania's oil-refining and oil-transport sector, the last major remaining asset of Yukos. The government's decision follows Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas' unexpected October 11 statement... MORE
GULIYEV STOPPED BEFORE REACHING BAKU
As Azerbaijan's November 6 parliamentary elections draw near, public interest in election-related events has increased dramatically. Perhaps counting on this heightened public attention, the chairman of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP), Rasul Guliyev, recently announced that he would return to his country. Guliyev has been... MORE
“MULTICULTURALISM” FORUM GATHERS MOSCOW’S SUPPORTERS
On October 15 in Moscow, officials from the presidential administration and other Kremlin-connected figures hosted a "Forum on Democracy and Multiculturalism in the Euro-East." The participants included representatives of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria, and Karabakh, activists of pro-Russia parties and associations from several post-Soviet countries,... MORE
GEORGIA’S OPPOSITION TAKES STEPS AGAINST SAAKASHVILI, SOROS
Two separate events affecting Georgia's opposition groups vividly demonstrate the extremes of contemporary political life in Georgia. On October 17, the Conservative and Republican parties announced the establishment of a new parliamentary faction composed of former members of the ruling National Movement and former allies... MORE
DUSHANBE CLAIMS ANTI-DRUG SMUGGLING SUCCESS AS RUSSIA INCREASES MILITARY PRESENCE
Dushanbe's efforts to stem the flow of narcotics through its porous borders have been highlighted by the authorities in an attempt to reassert Tajikistan's domestic security credentials. Yet, despite these moves by the regime itself, security officials continue to seek international help for Tajikistan's security... MORE
BAM’S EFFECTIVENESS HINGES ON UKRAINE’S INTEGRITY
The success or failure of the European Union's first-ever Border Assistance Mission, now being launched on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border (see EDM, October 13) will depend on three highly uncertain factors: cooperation by the Ukrainian government, political consistency in Brussels and by EU diplomatic representatives in... MORE
WILL RE-PRIVATIZATION OF KYRGYZ MEDIA QUIET OPPOSITION VOICES?
On October 15, KOORT (Kyrgyz public radio and television) was re-privatized as a result of a legal investigation of the previous management on corruption charges. This news came shortly after the highly popular newspaper, Vecherny Bishkek, was returned to its previous owner, Alexander Kim, under... MORE
RUSSIA SHEDS NO TEARS OVER PEACE TREATY WITH JAPAN
As Russia has failed to secure any significant economic commitments from Tokyo, notably on the Japan-bound Pacific oil pipeline route, the Kremlin is losing interest in resolving a long-standing territorial dispute any time soon.Russia appears to have ruled out any compromise over the Kuril Islands,... MORE
PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE ASSASSINATED IN AFGHANISTAN
On Monday, September 27, Ashraf Ramazan, a prominent parliamentary candidate from Balkh, a northern province, was assassinated in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in broad daylight. One of his bodyguards was also killed, while another bodyguard and their driver were injured. Ramazan reportedly was running third... MORE
WAS IT MOSTLY IRAN THAT RICE DISCUSSED WITH LAVROV AND PUTIN IN MOSCOW?
The content and the outcome of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s “emergency” visit to Moscow last Friday and Saturday remain clouded by diplomatic smoke and mirrors. That overnight stay had certainly not been planned. After visiting three Central Asian states (Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan)... MORE