Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
DAGESTAN ‘S INSURGENTS REGROUP AS NEW “SHARIA JAMAAT” ORGANIZATION
Fighting between insurgents and Russian special forces erupted on January 15 in Dagestan . Two battles broke out almost simultaneously in Makhachkala , the capital of the North Caucasus republic, and in the town of Kaspyisk . Federal troops stormed private houses believed to be... MORE
MOSCOW THREATENS GEORGIA AS BUSH-PUTIN SUMMIT NEARS
Testing the West's collective credibility, Russia is again fabricating pretexts for possible military action on Georgian territory, ostensibly to go after "Chechen and international terrorists" in the Pankisi Gorge. This latest cycle of threats is more dangerous than previous ones because Moscow has just dictated... MORE
KARIMOV VOWS TO HEAD OFF ORANGE REVOLUTION IN UZBEKISTAN
Dismissing the idea of an "orange revolution" in Uzbekistan , President Islam Karimov said in a rare interview printed in the Russian news daily Nezavisimaya gazeta on Friday (January 14) that foreign influence would play no role in Uzbekistan because, "Foreign interference is effective only... MORE
KYRGYZSTAN TEETERS ON VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
Ukraine 's Orange Revolution has produced a not unexpected reaction throughout Central Asia , a region where elections, more often than not, are orchestrated endorsements of the ruling party and its leader. This reaction is one of profound fear and alarm. Throughout Central Asia leaders... MORE
KREMLIN USES MIX OF OIL AND WEAPONS TO RESOLVE FAR EASTERN BORDER DISPUTES
Moscow has offered Japan and China different packages to improve bilateral relations. Russia and Japan remain divided by the Kuril territorial dispute, despite recent moves to mend differences through energy cooperation. Meanwhile, Moscow has so far refrained from large-scale commitments in energy ties with China... MORE
RUSSIA SENDS MIXED SIGNALS ON ANTI-TERRORISM
Senior officials within the Russian Navy confirmed that Russia would participate in the NATO-led Active Endeavor anti-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean Sea in 2005, though it has not committed as yet to permanent participation. In December 2004 NATO and Russian officials signed an agreement in... MORE
MOSCOW AND ANKARA STRENGTHEN ECONOMIC TIES AND EXPLORE PROSPECTS FOR STRATEGIC COOPERATION
The January 10-12 visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Moscow demonstrated a dramatically increased level of Russian-Turkish economic and political relations. As it took place just one month after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Ankara, the charismatic Turkish leader's trip appears to... MORE
MOSCOW THREATENS, SLOVENIAN CHAIR DITHERS, UKRAINE RALLIES AT OSCE
Addressing the 2005 inaugural session of the OSCE Permanent Council on January 13, Russia openly threatened to sink the organization unless it accepts Russian-prescribed "reforms." Permanent representative Alexei Borodavkin declared, "The situation has reached the critical point, and any further delay in reforming the organization... MORE
MISSILES FOR SALE : MOSCOW FINDS NO PROBLEM WITH SYRIA
As Russians returned to work following the extended New Year's holidays, the repercussions from a major arms-export deal began to be felt. Following a surprise cabinet meeting on January 2, Israel pulled every political string possible in order to tell Moscow to "stop it" in... MORE
GAS PRICES FUEL NEW DISPUTE BETWEEN BELARUS AND RUSSIA
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka has accused Russia of failing to fulfill its agreement on prices for gas delivered from Russia to Belarus and has threatened to retaliate by amending the prices for the transit of Russian gas through Belarusian territory. The dispute has once again... MORE