Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Crisis Looms for Moscow’s Policies in the Northwest Caucasus
On June 6, the Caucasus Times reported a massive influx of Russian security forces into Kabardino-Balkaria. According to the website, an estimated 2,000 servicemen were deployed overnight in the republic, with the principal city of Kabardino-Balkaria, Nalchik, being patrolled by Russian military intelligence (Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye... MORE
Economic and Defense Ties Between Turkey and Israel in Crisis
In the wake of the flotilla crisis between Israel and Turkey, attention is shifting to the question of what this development might mean for their bilateral relationship. Angered by the Israeli army’s treatment of Turkish citizens seeking to break Israel’s blockage of Gaza, which resulted... MORE
First 100 Days of Viktor Yanukovych Explodes Six Myths
Viktor Yanukovych was elected on February 7 and inaugurated as Ukraine’s fourth president on February 25. June 5 marks his first 100 days in office.Yanukovych won the 2010 Ukrainian presidential elections by the lowest margin in Ukrainian history (3.5 percent, compared to the traditional 8... MORE
More Disagreements Emerge Between Abkhaz and Russian Interests
On June 1, the head of Abkhazia’s state committee on tourism, Tengiz Lakerbaya, lashed out at Sochi Mayor, Anatoly Pakhomov, for publicly diminishing Abkhazia’ touristic value. The criticism followed comments made by Pakhomov on May 28, when he said that Abkhazia had once been popular... MORE
Medvedev’s Visit Shows Slackening of Russian-German Special Relationshp
In official reporting, there was nothing unusual about President, Dmitry Medvedev’s, working visit to Germany last weekend, except perhaps the rather short notice. German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, greeted him in her official residence in Meseburg outside Berlin and politely expressed agreement on a wide range... MORE
EU’s Special Representatives’ Posts Need Strengthening in Moldova and South Caucasus
Abolishing the EU’s Special Representative posts in Moldova and South Caucasus, as proposed, would look like de-prioritizing the solution of frozen conflicts, and the European neighborhood’s security (“The EU’s Declaration of Impotence,” RFE/RL, June 2).Since their inception in 2003 and 2005, respectively, these posts are... MORE
Ashton’s Office Proposes Abolishing EU’s Special Representatives for Moldova and South Caucasus
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, has proposed abolishing the posts of EU Special Representative for Moldova and for the South Caucasus region, the scenes of “frozen” conflicts in the EU’s neighborhood. Scrapping the two posts would reduce the... MORE
EU Disappointed by Medvedev’s “Modernization”
The 25th Russia-EU summit this week in Rostov-on-Don had a new format as the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, was for the first time accompanied by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy. There were all the usual handshakes, friendly... MORE
Militant Attacks Reported in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and Ingushetia
The head of administration of Dagestan’s Magaramkentsky district, Azadi Shikhbabaev, was killed today (June 4) when unidentified gunmen opened fire on the car in which he was driving in the village of Magaramkent. His driver was wounded in the attack and hospitalized. The attackers escaped... MORE
Who Was Behind the Recent Bombing in Stavropol?
Against the background of Chechen President, Ramzan Kadyrov’s, growing concerns about the number of rebels operating throughout Chechnya (EDM, May 28), it has been decided in the capital Grozny to set up a special commission charged with counting how many Chechens are in fact engaged... MORE