Russian finance minister Aleksandr Livshits is expected in Bonn tomorrow to discuss the restructuring of Russia's debt to Germany and the issue of the second tranche of Russian eurobonds. Russia plans to follow last November's highly successful $1 billion debut issue with two or three... MORE

China's ambassador to Russia yesterday slammed regional leaders in Russia's Far East for their efforts to force revisions in a 1991 agreement governing the ongoing demarcation of the border between the two countries. The remarks by Li Fenglin, who called such efforts "very serious and... MORE

Madeleine Albright, recently confirmed as U.S. secretary of state, will visit Moscow on February 20-21 as part of a ten-day overseas trip that will take her to a total of nine European and Asian capitals. (Itar-Tass, Reuter, February 3) Although viewed by many in Moscow... MORE

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at its current session has elected Moldova's Vladimir Solonar as a vice-chairman. (Basapress, January 30) An ethnic Ukrainian and head of the Moldovan parliament's Human Rights and Ethnic Affairs Commission, Solonar is the leader of the Civic... MORE

The Kremlin had drafted a plan for future relations with Chechnya even before Chechnya's election campaign began, but is keeping its contents secret. Security Council secretary Ivan Rybkin, who is responsible for executing the program, refuses even to acknowledge its existence. (NTV, February 2) However,... MORE

Russian TV reports that Chechnya has already printed its own currency, to be called the nakhar. For the time being the new bank notes are being kept in vaults, since Chechnya has no gold reserves to back the currency. (NTV, February 2) Yeltsin to Have... MORE

Russian president Boris Yeltsin is concentrating on drafting a message to the Russian parliament and will have few working meetings this week, his press secretary said yesterday. Yeltsin does plan, however, to hold his regular Tuesday meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin today. (Interfax, February... MORE

Chechnya's president-elect, Aslan Maskhadov, has called on foreign states to recognize Chechnya's independence. (Itar-Tass, February 2) Russia has warned the international community that Moscow will break off relations with any country that does so. ...Sends Regrets.

The speaker of the Federation Council has invited Maskhadov to attend a session of the upper house of the Russian parliament on February 12. Maskhadov has already said Chechnya is an independent country and that he will therefore not take up the seat in the... MORE

The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan last week sentenced four Popular Front activists to prison terms of 11-12 years on charges of conspiring to assassinate President Haidar Aliev. The main defendant, Popular Front vice-chairman Faraj Guliev, has already been serving a prison term for his role... MORE