Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
THE RISE AND FALL OF SOCIAL DEMOCRACY IN BELARUS
On January 18, the organization "Free Belarus" nominated Mikalay Statkevich as a candidate for the next presidential election, stating that its campaign must adopt the flag of the European Union and that its symbol should be a cornflower. The nomination followed two others from the... MORE
SECURITY FORCES AND MILITANTS SHOOT IT OUT IN NALCHIK
Russian special forces backed by armored personnel carriers battled for more than five hours on January 27 with suspected Islamic militants holed up in two apartments in a building in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria. Seven people, including three women, died in the shoot-out, which followed a two-day... MORE
BAGAPSH, KOKOITI, SMIRNOV TOUCH BASE IN MOSCOW
On January 25-27, senior Russian officials conferred in Moscow with Igor Smirnov, Eduard Kokoiti, and Sergei Bagapsh and Raul Khajimba, Russian-installed leaders of Transnistria, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia, respectively. Although their schedule of meetings was kept confidential, there was official confirmation of meetings with First... MORE
YUSHCHENKO OUTLINES UKRAINE’S DESIRE TO “RETURN TO EUROPE”
This week the EU finally came round to the conclusion that Viktor's Yushchenko's support for Ukraine "returning to Europe" is no hollow rhetoric. Former president Leonid Kuchma also spoke of "returning to Europe" in 1998, when he first outlined plans for Ukraine to join the... MORE
PRESIDENT ALIEV VISITS IRAN, DESPITE U.S.-IRANIAN TENSIONS
While local newspapers and political analysts continue to speculate about whether the United States will attack Iran during President George W. Bush's second term, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev departed for a three-day official visit to Tehran. Turan News Agency reported on January 24 that eight... MORE
GEORGIAN PRESIDENT LAUNCHES SOUTH OSSETIA PEACE INITIATIVE
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg on January 26, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili unveiled an offer of full autonomy for South Ossetia. Under this offer, South Ossetia would enjoy -- both de facto and de jure -- a higher... MORE
KREMLIN POLITICAL REFORMS FACE FIRST REAL CHALLENGES
On January 1 a new law came into force, whereby Russia's regional executive leaders will be appointed by the president rather than elected directly by the people. The people's voice will only be able to sway local parliaments, but even this influence will be limited... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN INCHES TOWARDS NATO
Kazakhstan's Deputy Defense Minister, Major-General Bolat Sembinov, concluded a successful series of meetings with senior NATO officials in Brussels on January 21. The meetings signify a clear turning point in Kazakhstan's relations with the Alliance, seeking mechanisms through which the Kazakhstani armed forces may benefit... MORE
RUSSIAN-KAZAKH BORDER AGREEMENT SPARKS NATIONALIST REACTION
The Russia-Kazakhstan border delimitation agreement concluded during President Nursultan Nazarbayev's January 17 visit to Moscow was heralded as an historic accord. It was the first such agreement ever signed between Caspian states and took five years to conclude. Now, for the first time in its... MORE
YUSHCHENKO IN STRASBOURG: EUROPEAN ASPIRATIONS VERSUS ZERO-SUM GAMES
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on January 25, President Viktor Yushchenko defined "Ukrainians as a European nation that could not tolerate an assault on its freedoms, [and] stood up and defended their right to a free and fair election."... MORE