On May 24, the Russian OrthodoxChurch, and Moscow authorities more generally, commemorated the day ofSaints Cyrill and Methodius, the two Bulgarian monks who were responsible forthe creation of the Cyrillic alphabet, Russian television reported. The broadcastnoted that Russian Patriarch Aleksii II had decided to ask... MORE

In two actions,the State Property Commission limited the prospects for further privatization:first, it began to compile the government-mandated list of "strategic"enterprises that will not be privatized, and second, it announced thatenterprises would be sold for current market value rather than on the basis oftheir assets... MORE

Yeltsin foreignpolicy advisor Dmitri Ryurikov charged in the May 23 Kievskie vedomosti that"the Ukrainian government intends to form its relations with Russia on anegative basis, forgetting about the special character of relations." That, hesaid, is "the main problem" between Moscow and Kiev. Professingdissatisfaction with Ukraine's... MORE

Bonn's aid to the German nationaldistrict in southern Russia is creating tensions between ethnic Germans andlocal Russian authorities, Segodnya reported May 24. The paper said that thelocal governor was unhappy that the money was going directly to the Germancommunity and not passing through his hands.... MORE

Estonian foreignminister Riivo Sinijarv told visiting Russian journalists that Estonian-Russianrelations should be modeled on those between Finland and Russia, BNSreported May 24. Sinijarv's comments are likely to spark controversy in Estoniafrom those who believe Tallinn should not make any concessions to Moscow. Moscow Group Says... MORE

Drug smugglers were responsible for the sinking of the "Estonia" ferry severalmonths ago, and authorities in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia are blocking aninvestigation because senior officials in all three countries are involved, theRussian "Feliks" Research Group told Segodnya May 24. The group offered noevidence to... MORE

Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma andLatvian president Guntis Ulmanis said that they believed that threats andpressures from a certain "bordering state" were prompting ever more countriesto seek membership in stable political alliances, BNS reported May 24. In theirjoint statement at the end of Kuchma's visit to... MORE

300students marched in Minsk May 24 to protest the restoration of Soviet-erasymbols in Belarus; Minsk radio reported. Some of the students were beatenwith truncheons by the police, and 29 were detained by the authorities. Severalof the students shredded the Soviet-era flag that Belarusian presidentAleksandr Lukashenko... MORE

At a May 24 meetingchaired by President Mircea Snegur, Moldova's Higher Security Councilapproved Kishinev's plan for cooperation with NATO under the Partnership forPeace program. Moldova participates in the program "because itsimplementation will strengthen the country's security," a presidential statementnoted. In compliance with Moldova's constitution, the... MORE

Azerbaijani foreign minister Hasan Hasanov sharply criticized Armenia forsuspending its participation in the OSCE-sponsored talks on Karabakh,Interfax reported May 24. Hasanov denied that Azerbaijanis had been behindthe explosion of a pipeline carrying gas to Armenia; he suggested theArmenians had staged this as a provocation. The... MORE