On February 27, President Dmitry Medvedev made a surprise trip to the North Caucasus, visiting Nalchik in Kabardino-Balkaria and Cherkessk in the neighboring republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia. The Russian president reiterated that the government remains concerned about the situation in the North Caucasus. Recognizing the growing... MORE

Alexander II, Tsar of Russia, visited France at the invitation of Emperor Napoleon III in 1867, three years after the Russian army’s bloody suppression of Poland’s revolt for independence. The French emperor, political establishment, and big players on the Paris Bourse were all eager to... MORE

Kyrgyz President, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, is continuing to centralize control over military and security structures to strengthen the protection of his regime. Last year, he disbanded the Security Council and National Guard and appointed his cronies, including his own brother and son, to head key security... MORE

Dagestan’s new president-elect, Magomedsalam Magomedov, is the son of the republic’s former leader, Magomedali Magomedov. The younger Magomedov became the head of Dagestan’s parliament after Mukhu Aliev was elected the republic’s president in 2006 (www.runewsweek.ru, February 10). It is difficult to determine if this was... MORE

President Dmitry Medvedev has commenced his state visit to France today, and over the next three days he will receive red carpet treatment and dine in style. There is certainly a rich cultural program marking the officially sponsored “Russian year” in France and an opportunity... MORE

Turkey and Azerbaijan have proven unable to conclude their negotiations on natural gas cooperation, which have been in progress for over one year. Turkish-Azeri gas talks include several issues involving the revision of the price Turkey pays for its imports from Shah Deniz-I, the determination... MORE

Russian Prosecutor-General Yuri Chaika yesterday (February 25) painted a negative picture of the security situation in the North Caucasus. Speaking at a meeting of prosecutors and officials of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Interior Ministry and State Narcotics Control Committee (FSKN) on the subject of... MORE

Croatian Prime Minister, Jadranka Kosor, is expected in Moscow on March 2 for her first official visit (HINA, February 24). Kosor’s talks with the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Kremlin-connected energy companies may yield a breakthrough into Croatia’s energy sector. Such a breakthrough could... MORE

Pierre Lellouche was for many years a staunchly Atlanticist politician in a Gaullist-minded France. Currently serving President Nicolas Sarkozy as his State Secretary for European Affairs, Lellouche follows Sarkozy’s line in defending the French Mistral warship sale to Russia, regardless of its corrosive effects on... MORE