Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
KARIMOV TELLS ARMY TO PREPARE FOR PRE-EMPTIVE CAPABILITIES
President Islam Karimov, delivering a key speech on the eve of Army Day in Uzbekistan , declared that the Uzbek army must be prepared to launch pre-emptive strikes against international terrorists and the centers that direct them. Alluding to the attacks within Uzbekistan in 2004,... MORE
LITHUANIA BRACES FOR RUSSIAN MOVE ON MAZEIKIAI OIL COMPLEX
The Russian government's ongoing seizure of the private Yukos oil company threatens to extend into Lithuania . There, a Yukos subsidiary is the majority-owner and operator of the oil-processing and oil-transport industry, Lithuania 's largest industrial asset. The country seeks to prevent, or limit the... MORE
WILL ASYMMETRICAL FEDERALISM WORK FOR ABKHAZIA?
The Georgian government has crafted a new framework to facilitate the reintegration of Abkhazia and South Ossetia into the Georgian state. A special blueprint drafted by the National Security Council reportedly proposes an asymmetric federation with an unprecedented degree of sovereignty for Abkhazia. Giorgi Khaindrava,... MORE
NEW ELECTION COALITIONS IN AZERBAIJAN PROMISE HEATED PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Two newly formed election coalitions have awakened Azerbaijan 's seemingly indifferent political scene, promising heated parliamentary elections later this year. On January 10, 26 NGOs and representatives from various political parties formed a new election coalition, "Solidarity and Trust." Ilgar Gasimov, chairman of the public... MORE
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