At a recent meeting with United States military officials, the defense ministers of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have decided to hold the 1999 CentrasBat military exercise in May in the U.S. state of Louisiana. CentrasBat brings together company-size units from those three Central Asian countries,... MORE

The Armenian Republican Party (RP) congress, held January 29-30, formally launched itself in the role of Armenia's party of power. Originally small, the RP had recently been absorbed, and its title assumed, by the powerful Yerkrapah [Paramilitary Volunteer] Union led by Defense Minister Vazgen Sarkisian.... MORE

Ion Ciubuc resigned today as prime minister of Moldova (Itar-Tass, February 1). Three days ago he had feistily announced that he was hanging on to his post and "the press would have no story" (Flux, Basapress, January 29, 30). Parliament Chairman Dumitru Diacov, who is... MORE

On January 29-30 parties and groups of the national-democratic Belarusan opposition held a Congress of Democratic Forces in Minsk. The participants discussed both a joint platform and common tactics to defend sovereign statehood and get Belarus back on the path of democratic development, from which... MORE

On January 29 armed groups in Chechnya seized two more oil wells in the republic. According to the state oil company "Chechentransneft," 14,000 tons of oil have been stolen from Chechen pipelines in January alone. In Friday's incidents, twenty people blocked the "Severnaya Dzhalka" well,... MORE

On January 29 A Russian space official denied reports that there will be yet another delay in the launching of a key component of the International Space Station (ISS). NASA officials were quoted late last week as saying that they had been told by their... MORE

Russia joined its five Western Contact Group partners---the United States, Germany, France, Britain and Italy--in approving, on January 29, a strongly worded ultimatum aimed at compelling Yugoslav authorities and Kosovo Albanian leaders to launch peace talks over the worsening conflict in Kosovo. But Moscow drew... MORE

During an interview with NTV television last night, Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov was asked about last week's controversy surrounding his proposal to State Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznev for a "nonaggression pact." The proposal involved an agreement among the cabinet, the parliament and the Kremlin,... MORE

Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov met yesterday with Stanley Fischer, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s first deputy managing director, during the annual international economic forum in Davos, Switzerland. In an interview with NTV television last night in Davos, Primakov said he was satisfied with the... MORE

The Russian-Ukrainian treaty's setback in Russia's Federation Council (see the Monitor, January 27, 28). signifies a defeat for Russia's foreign policy, not only toward Ukraine but toward CIS countries in general. The Russian executive branch undertook an all-out effort to secure ratification. Foreign Minister Igor... MORE