OnJuly 28, the Russian Federation Council ratified the bilateralagreement setting the terms for Russian participation in the buildupof the Tajik armed forces. Russian personnel are not to participatein combat, and Tajikistan is to ensure the security of Russiantroops and their families and to pay all... MORE

As of July 29,the first 500 Tajik refugees had returned to their lowland homesfrom Tajikistan's mountainous south, Moscow's Echo radio reported.8500 more are supposed to do so over the next month. Russian Military Faces More Difficulties in Tajikistan.

The currentround of OSCE-sponsored talks in Austria between Armenia andAzerbaijan on the war in Karabakh have not discussed the futurestatus of that area, Noyan Tapan news agency reported July 29.Instead, the two sides focused on the question of the return ofthe Lachin corridor to Azerbaijani... MORE

Statements byUzbek president Islam Karimov and Russian prime minister ViktorChernomyrdin during the latter's visit to Tashkent suggest thetwo countries do not agree on just how committed Uzbekistan isto joining the Russian-led customs union. Karmic stressed in hiscomments that the agreements signed are those "between normalcountries."... MORE

Armenia'sNational Security Agency arrested the leadership of the ArmenianRevolutionary Federation (Dashnak) July 29, Noyan Tapan news agencyreported. The government said that those arrested were involvedin terrorism. The ban on the activities of the Dashnak party lapsedJuly 12, but the Armenian government clearly has no plans... MORE

Azerbaijanishave formed a new group to protest American refusal to providemost forms of aid to Azerbaijan because of its war with Armenia,Segodnya reported July 28. The group is to be called "Anti-907,"a reference to the provision of American law that imposes theserestrictions.

Deputy foreignminister Albert Chernyshev told Interfax July 29 that Russia "doesnot grant asylum" to representatives of the separatist KurdishWorkers Party, nor does it allow it to launch actions from Russianterritory. Chernyshev's comments came as he warned Turkey notto allow Chechen groups to operate on its... MORE

The Russianmedia have been full of reports of the joint US-Ukrainian militaryexercises in the Mykolayiv region. Russian television had featureda report on pro-Moscow pickets chanting "Yankee Go Home"when the American troops first landed. Later reports on NTV July28 suggested that Russian observers at the exercises... MORE

Duringhis July 28 meeting with Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev,Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said that Kiev was preparedto contribute troops to any OSCE peacekeeping operation in Karabakh,Turan news agency reported. The two presidents also agreed tosupport each other's position on the Black and Caspian seas--whereeach finds... MORE

OnJuly 30, the Russian and Ukrainian presidents issued a joint statementto the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet, Moscow and Kiev media reported.The statement said that both countries were seeking to solve theproblems of dividing the fleet, and to do so quickly and in away... MORE