Since the deployment of U.S. and coalition forces to Ganci airbase at Manas, Kyrgyzstan has been keen to develop its case for increased U.S. security assistance. Numerous agreements have been signed and revised, keeping alive the current tenuous and controversial security relationship between the two... MORE

Iran has never ranked as a top priority for Kazakhstan's foreign policy. On the contrary, Kazakhstan has adopted a remarkably reserved stance towards Iran, so as not to irritate the United States and its new geopolitical interest in Central Asia. To a great extent Iran's... MORE

A poll conducted over September 24-27 by the Levada Center, the independent polling agency headed by the eminent sociologist Yuri Levada, found that for the sake of fighting terrorism, Russians are prepared to limit the right to travel abroad and move within the country, to... MORE

In late September, two remarkable anniversaries passed nearly unnoticed in Moscow. On September 20, 1994, the first contract on developing Caspian oilfields was signed between the government of Azerbaijan and the consortium of ten international oil companies (AIOC). On September 29, 1999, Russian troops moved... MORE

The attempted poisoning of opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko last month has taken a new turn that suggests a return to Soviet-era KGB methods. A fake letter from the Austrian clinic that treated Yushchenko was sent to Reuters news agency and then widely disseminated abroad... MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Tajikistan, originally due earlier this year, rescheduled for the first half of September and then for October 4-5, is now expected in the second half of October (Avesta, October 1). Differences over both substance and details on four... MORE

On October 4, Abkhazia's Central Election Commission (CEC) declared Raul Khajimba winner of the October 3 presidential election. Outgoing Abkhaz leader Vladislav Ardzinba had backed Khajimba's candidacy. According to the CEC, Khajimba received 101,500 votes (52.84%), runner-up Sergei Bagapsh took 64,500 (33.58%), Sergei Shamba 19,050... MORE

Presidents and prime ministers of the Baltic states, meeting in Vilnius and Riga on October 4, responded to Russia's recent claims for compensation of Soviet occupation costs. The claims, presented by Russia's Audit Chamber in a report published September 30, bring a new dimension to... MORE

The Russian military is being increasingly tasked with countering terrorism within the Russian Federation, in an attempt to increase security and strengthen the state's capacity to respond to and effectively combat terrorism. This shift is reflected in many of the security measures announced by Defense... MORE

Last week Kazakhstan began construction of a 962-km oil pipeline from the Atasu settlement in Karagandy region of Kazakhstan to Chinese Alashankou. Although Kazakhstan's huge oil and gas reserves have attracted the giants of the Western oil industry, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell, perhaps the... MORE