On July 10, five moreRussian border guards and Tajik militiamen were killed in fightingthere, bringing the 1995 death toll there to 33 Russian borderguards and 41 Tajik policemen, Russian media reported. Both Tajikand Russian commanders say that insurgents are increasing theirinfiltration from Afghanistan, and apparently... MORE

Oppositionmembers of the Central Electoral Commission dismissed governmentclaims and media reports that Armenians had ratified the constitutionand elected a pro-government parliament, Noyan Tapan news agencyreported July 11. The opposition leaders said that they believedboth the results reported thus far, and those to be reported,have been... MORE

Citing Armenian sources,Pravda on July 11 said that Moscow was pushing Baku toagree to the establishment of two Russian bases in Azerbaijan.One would be at the radar site at Gabalin; the other would beat a former Soviet base near Gyandja. Azerbaijan currently isthe only CIS... MORE

On the second dayof her official visit to Azerbaijan, Turkish prime minister TansuCiller signed documents on postponing from 1995 until 1997 therepayment of Turkey´s 1990 loan to Azerbaijan of $250 million.Azerbaijan´s deputy prime minister Samed Sadykov told InterfaxJuly 11 that Azerbaijan seeks Turkish investments to... MORE

A three-day roundof staff-level negotiations in Bucharest on the Moldovan-Romanianbasic treaty failed to yield results, Flux reported July 11. Diplomatson both sides told the agency that the negotiations may last anothertwo to three years. They have been held intermittently since 1991.Chisinau wants a treaty in... MORE

A Russian governmental commission empowered to ascertainAbkhazia's relief needs announced July 10 that it would recommendgiving Abkhazia 90 billion rubles in aid, rather than the 10 billionalready earmarked. The announcement ignores Georgian presidentEduard Shevardnadze`s continuing protests against direct Russian-Abkhazdealings bypassing Tbilisi. Moreover, the commission's statementas... MORE

The UkrainianNational Bank has identified 77 of the country's 200 banks asbeing in difficulty and needing rehabilitation, Interfax-Ukrainereported July 11. Five of the banks have been closed and threehave been merged with larger banks, but most of those in troublehave been unable to find buyers.... MORE

In a televisedaddress July 10 summing up the current state of negotiations forTransdniestr autonomy, Moldovan president Mircea Snegur said thatTransdniestr´s reintegration with the rest of Moldova willhave to result in launching reforms in that region. "It isunacceptable that the old system of planning should prevail... MORE

A more ominousconsequence of Latvia's banking crisis is Riga's announcementof plans to sell foreigners shares in its energy complex, BNSreported July 11. According to the news service, Russia's Gazpromhopes to purchase the gas storage facility--the largest in theBaltic states--near Riga. Such a purchase would give... MORE

As partof its effort to cope with the country's banking and financialcrisis, the Latvian government asked visiting Russian deputy foreignminister Sergei Krylov to help return Latvian funds now held andblocked in Russian banks, BNS reported July 11. The news servicealso reported that a World Bank... MORE