TheGrozny peace talks continued over the weekend with no end in sight,despite Russian suggestions that a political agreement would beinitialed soon. Both sides were hardening their position: on July21, the lead Chechen negotiator said that Chechnya would be independent,and on July 22, Chechen president Dzhokhar... MORE

As the Russiangovernment continues to press its legal case against NTV for its"Puppets" television show, Russian nationalist leaderVladimir Zhirinovsky said he had no intention of joining the government'scase against the show's presentation of him, Interfax reportedJuly 20. "In a civilized country, if somebody dislikes somepuppets,... MORE

Uzbek officialson July 20 dismissed as exaggerations media reports that therehad been an assassination attempt against Uzbek president IslamKarimov, Interfax reported. Those reports surfaced when a stone,or some other object, bounced off the window of Karimov's limousineon July 19. Tajik, Turkmen Presidents Agree to Cooperate... MORE

At a July 19 summit in Ashgabat, the presidents of Tajikistanand Turkmenistan discussed the possibility of holding the nextround of inter-Tajik talks there, praised the role being playedby Russia and Iran in the resolution of the Tajik civil war, andagreed to form a commission to... MORE

In a move intended to attract more Western investment andone that sets Kazakhstan apart from Russia and other post-Sovietstates, President Nursultan Nazarbayev issued a decree July 20giving foreign and local companies equal rights in to the developmentof the country's oil resources, Interfax said. Uzbeks Reject... MORE

The Egyptiangovernment will build, and then give to the Turkmenistan authorities,a University of the Arab East, Turkmenistan reported June24. The university is intended to be a "major regional scientificresearch center" which will promote Central Asian studiesof Arab culture and history. The idea for such an... MORE

Turkishprime minister Tansu Ciller will visit Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,and Turkmenistan in the near future, the Noyan Tapan news agencyreported July 20. Ciller only recently returned from the two otherTurkic former Soviet republics, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. Egyptians to Build Arab University in Ashgabat.

The Armenian RevolutionaryFederation Dashnaktsutiun, which Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosianhas accused of terrorism and which he banned until July 13, isstill waiting for government permission to resume its activities,Moscow radio reported July 20.

In next week'sOSCE-sponsored talks on Karabakh, the Azerbaijani authoritiessay that they will press for Armenian withdrawal from Lachin,the corridor between Armenia and Karabakh, Interfax reported July20. This Azerbaijani demand will be opposed by Yerevan, whoseleaders believe that any withdrawal from this corridor beforea final settlement... MORE

As the Latviangovernment struggles to cope with the financial fallout of thecountry's banking crisis, the Saeima passed an austerity budgetwhich severely cuts the amount of money that will be availableto pay the country's governmental bureaucracy, BNS reported July20. Moscow Paper Sees a Chechnya in Crimea's... MORE