Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Turkey: a Source of Strategic Reinsurance for Georgia
Following recent miscalculations regarding Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Armenia, US policy in the South Caucasus also suffers from an erosion of credibility with regard to Georgia. A recent spate of commentaries in US mainstream media has taken cognizance of Washington’s and NATO’s de facto strategic disengagement... MORE
The FSB Returns to Ukraine
After the second round of Ukraine’s 2010 elections, Russia demanded that President, Viktor Yanukovych, undertake measures to improve relations between both countries. Moscow demanded that Yanukovych re-admit the Federal Security Service (FSB) to the Black Sea Fleet (BSF) and “end all cooperation with the Central... MORE
Rebels Mount Small-Scale Attacks Across the North Caucasus
Violent incidents have been reported across the North Caucasus over the last several days. A businessman was shot and killed yesterday (May 23) in Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala. The victim was identified as one of the owners of a large media holding, but was not named.... MORE
The Iranian Trap for Medvedev’s Opportunistic Foreign Policy
The draft resolution on new sanctions against Iran introduced by the US at the UN Security Council last Tuesday has caught Moscow in a trap set primarily by its own unprincipled diplomatic maneuvering. On previous occasions, Moscow tried to reconcile the pragmatic bargaining with the... MORE
Rebel Attacks on the Rise in Kabardino-Balkaria
The uneasy situation in Russia’s Kabardino-Balkaria republic in the troubled North Caucasus region has been making headlines over the past month. Most often it is about armed assaults and explosions against Russian law enforcement officers (siloviki). The initial festive mood of the Russian authorities after... MORE
Yanukovych Rejects Putin’s Gazprom-Naftohaz Ukrainy Merger Proposal
Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych, for the seventh time this year, in Kyiv on May 17-18, but contrary to general expectations no new gas agreements were reached. Ukraine rejected Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin’s, April 30 offer to merge... MORE
Non-Bloc Status Covers Ukraine’s Shift to Russian-Vector Orientation
Opening, alongside Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, the Interstate Commission’s session, Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, turned the clock back to 1990. Invoking that year’s declaration of Ukraine’s sovereignty (still within the USSR), Yanukovych selectively underscored the document’s stipulation of “non-bloc status” for Ukraine. The country can... MORE
Medvedev’s Second Visit Pulls Ukraine Closer to Russia
Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev’s, May 17-18 visit to Kyiv capped a ten-week campaign to lay the basis for “reintegrating” Ukraine with Russia. It was Medvedev’s seventh meeting with Ukraine’s new leaders since early March, not counting Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin’s, similar number of meetings... MORE
Russia Will Construct Turkey’s First Nuclear Power Plant
During Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev’s, visit to Ankara last week, Turkey and Russia enhanced their multi-dimensional partnership by signing 17 agreements. Major deals concerned energy cooperation, which has been the driving force in bilateral relations. In what might be considered as the most substantial achievement... MORE
Medvedev Meets with Local NGO Leaders in Bid to Stabilize North Caucasus
On May 19, President Dmitry Medvedev had a unique meeting with North Caucasian NGO’s and Russian civil society activists who work on issues involving the region. The closed-door meeting lasted for nearly three hours. The main outcome for the civil society members appeared to be... MORE