The IMF has resumed consultations with Belarus, though it has not committed to lending funds before Minsk demonstrates further efforts to reform its economic policies (Belapan, February 20). Talks in February focused on the preconditions for a six-month monitoring program, which is slated to begin... MORE

Moldova has become the first post-Soviet country to have brought the Communist Party back to power, and, by the same token, the first East-Central European country to hand power to an unreformed Communist Party. This Moldovan aberration stems from unique local circumstances and is therefore... MORE

Confusion has continued to swirl around the South Korean capital over the meaning and significance of this week's Russian-South Korean summit. At issue is the joint communique Presidents Vladimir Putin and Kim Dae-jung issued on Tuesday (not Wednesday, as was reported in yesterday's Monitor). The... MORE

The North Caucasus district military court yesterday took up the case of Colonel Yury Budanov, the former commander of the 160th tank regiment, who is accused of murdering an 18-year-old Chechen woman, Kheda Kungaeva (her documents show her first name as Elza), near the village... MORE

On February 28, Nezavisimaya Gazeta published an interview with Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov. The Monitor's correspondent has learned that the newspaper's editors approached Maskhadov's press secretary, Mairbek Vachagaev, who is living in Paris, with questions for the Chechen president. Using his own channels, Vachagaev somehow... MORE

Nearly a year after parliament voted his government action plan into effect, Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko is facing dismissal. Several oligarchic factions in the parliament (Verkhovna Rada) have withdrawn their support and are threatening a no-confidence vote. The communists, apparently, stand alongside them. Yushchenko's... MORE

The telecommunications sector is often seen as a success story in transition economies. Local mobile phone companies typically benefit from rapid growth in telecommunications markets, and this growth often helps convince foreign investors to make large investments in the sector. Estonia is no exception: In... MORE

Despite favorable FDI trends, the Elcoteq announcement of stop in production and plant sell-off came at a time of growing Estonian concerns about unemployment. Some 98,700 workers were listed as unemployed (according to the definitions used by the International Labor Organization) in the fourth quarter... MORE

Elcoteq has been one of the top exporters in Estonia over the past few years, and was the single largest exporter in 2000. In the first nine months of 2000, Elcoteq exports totaled 9.8 billion kroons (US$580 million), out of total exports of 37.8 billion... MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin completed a high-profile three-day visit to South Korea yesterday which appeared to be a considerable success for him on a host of geopolitical issues--though perhaps less so with regard to bilateral trade and economic issues. Given Russian foreign and security policy... MORE