Azerbaijan and the Shah Deniz gas producers’ consortium have just signed bilateral agreements with Turkey on gas transit to Europe (see EDM, November 1). Meanwhile, the Shah Deniz consortium is nearing a final decision to select a pipeline route, out of four options, through Turkey... MORE

On September 15, on the eve of the NATO EULEX mission’s takeover of the Kosovo customs’ points Brnjak and Jarinje, Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Konuzin created a diplomatic scandal in Serbia that has apparently since grown. Speaking at the Belgrade Security Forum, Konuzin lambasted the audience... MORE

Planning to create a new branch of service in the Russian military, Aerospace Defense (Vozdushno Kosmicheskaya Oborona –VKO), has reached its final stages with its formal completion due on December 1, 2011. The nature of these changes, timescale and attending uncertainty will have profound implications... MORE

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have co-chaired the first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in Turkey’s Aegean city of Izmir. The HLSCC, which follows on the partnership model Turkey has been seeking to develop with neighboring... MORE

On October 25 in Izmir, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, witnessed the signing of agreements on the delivery and transit of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey and onward to European Union territory (Trend, Anatolia news agency, Platts Commodity News, October... MORE

Kazakhstan’s President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, signed a tough religious law on October 13, which, among other aspects, bans prayer rooms in state buildings and requires re-registration of all religious organizations and missionary activities. The law, which also makes the building of new places of worship subject... MORE

On October 23, the Russian military command called on the insurgents in Kabardino-Balkaria to surrender, promising fair trials and assistance with adapting to civilian life. The Russian military even consented to hear “constructive proposals” by rights activists that they be allowed to participate in investigations... MORE

The event of crucial importance for Russia’s wellbeing happened last week in Brussels where EU leaders managed to put together a half-deal on containing the Greek debt crisis and on preserving the integrity of the eurozone. Russia had no say in their desperate deliberations and... MORE

Former President Robert Kocharian appears to have reopened potentially serious cracks in Armenia’s governing coalition by offering more indications of his desire to return to active politics. He has also signaled his dissatisfaction with the track record of President Serzh Sargsyan, his successor and longtime... MORE

Kyrgyzstan’s voters will choose their next president on October 30. Contrary to earlier expectations, the campaign period was rather orderly and uneventful. Both international and local observers have so far concluded that all competing candidates had equal access to the media and were able to... MORE