Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
TAJIKISTAN’S BORDER SERVICE PLAGUED BY CORRUPTION
Tajikistan's border guard service, with enhanced and independent responsibilities for Tajik border security since the withdrawal of Russian border units, continues to be hampered by internal corruption and poor discipline. On August 4 senior officers serving in the State Border Protection Committee (SBPC) were arrested... MORE
UKRAINE OIL UPDATE
Ukraine's presidency and government are moving on three fronts to alleviate the country's overdependence on Russian oil supplies and Russian-owned refining capacities. Kyiv is set participate in launching the Odessa-Brody oil transport project; build Ukrainian-controlled, modern refining capacities for Caspian (non-Russian) oil; and, for the... MORE
THE CONSPIRATOR AS BRAGGART
On August 4 and 5, Azerbaijani television channels screened a videotape of a meeting held on July 29 in Tbilisi between Ruslan Bashirli, leader of the Baku-based Yeni Fikir (New Thinking) youth association, and two Georgians who claimed to represent a youth group supporting regime... MORE
PUTIN’S SINKING PRESIDENCY: WHAT EFFICIENCY?
Last week saw a significant shift of emphasis in the unseasonably hot political commentary in Moscow: It was not whether but how Vladimir Putin will secure a third presidential term for himself (Nezavisimaya gazeta, Grani.ru, August 3). The trigger for this re-targeting of professional speculations... MORE
DONETSK REGIONAL LEADER RELEASED FROM CUSTODY, VISIBLY TAMED
On August 2 the Kyiv Court of Appeals released from custody Donetsk regional council head Borys Kolesnykov. He is one of the two top representatives of the old corrupt elite that Ukrainian prosecutors have managed to catch since the Orange Revolution. Trans-Carpathia's former governor, Ivan... MORE
ARMENIAN NUCLEAR PLANT TO FUNCTION FOR ANOTHER DECADE
Armenia appears to have decided to keep its vital nuclear power station at Metsamor operational for another decade, despite persisting Western concerns about the safety of the Soviet-built facility. The authorities in Yerevan, reluctant to set a date for the plant's inevitable closure until recently,... MORE
U.S. REVIEWING OPTIONS IN CENTRAL ASIA
Faced with restrictions on the use of its air base in Uzbekistan and, now, an eviction notice (see EDM, August 4), the United States is looking for alternative or substitute basing options in the region. An active search had begun in the wake of the... MORE
ISSUES CLOUDING GOOD-NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS BETWEEN MOSCOW AND HELSINKI
On August 1-2, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a quick visit to Finland. Relations between the two neighboring countries are in an excellent state now, and the level of bilateral cooperation is intense, Finnish President Tarja Halonen told a news conference in the city of... MORE
RUSSIA’S DISREGARD FOR JAPANESE INTERESTS MAY REDUCE JAPANESE ECONOMIC INVESTMENT
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
YUSHCHENKO AND TYMOSHENKO CALL FOR CREATION OF PARLIAMENTARY MAJORITY
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