Apart from the prospect of increased Japanese investment and economic activity in Russia's Far East, Tokyo has also repeatedly spoken in recent months of its support for Russia's economic reform efforts. Such aid is presumably contingent, however, upon progress in talks on the territorial issue.... MORE

Russia's Foreign Ministry has drafted the Kremlin's official response to an earlier Japanese proposal aimed at resolving the Kuril Islands territorial dispute, ministry officials said yesterday. The response, to be given to Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi during next week's scheduled summit meeting in Moscow,... MORE

and Russian officials are reportedly near agreement on an emergency food aid package worth some US$500 million to US$1 billion. The package will reportedly include anywhere from 1.5 million to 8 million tons of grain, according to various reports, along with 100,00 tons of meat... MORE

While the negotiations over the terms of a large U.S. food aid package were being discussed in Moscow, Russian officials reported that Kamchatka, a region in Russia's Far East, is in the grip of a near-catastrophic energy crisis. Officials from a special federal government commission... MORE

In a reversal of hitherto continuous praise for Kazakhstan's economic reforms, the IMF has urged the Kazakhstan government to tighten its economic policy so that the country can draw on the July 1996-approved US$440 million Extended Fund Facility (EFF) loan. The National Bank of Kazakhstan... MORE

A Russian soldier was killed and four were wounded in a Georgian guerrilla ambush in Abkhazia during the night of November 2-3. The incident bore a close resemblance to one on October 18 which killed a Russian soldier and wounded several. According to the Russian... MORE

A military force said to number at least 1,000 invaded northwestern Tajikistan from Uzbekistan at dawn today. Commanded by Colonel Mahmud Hudoberdiev, the force has captured Hujand, capital of Tajikistan's Leninabad region, and the town of Chkalov after full-scale fighting with government forces. President Imomali... MORE

The leader of Ukrainian communists, Petro Symonenko, has called on the Prosecutor General's Office to investigate "serious legal violations" of the president and government concerning nonpayment of wages and pensions. The leader of the largest parliamentary faction also called on the lawmakers to increase supervision... MORE

Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov will meet informally with U.S. President Bill Clinton later this month in Malaysia, a Russian government press secretary said yesterday. The meeting is to occur on the sidelines of the November 16-17 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum meeting in Kuala Lumpur.... MORE

Latvia's new parliament convened yesterday, electing its leadership after complex bargaining among its six parties. These are: the right-conservative People's Party with twenty-four seats, the right-of-center Latvia's Way with twenty-one, the right-conservative Fatherland and Freedom with seventeen, the leftist and mostly Russian People's Harmony with... MORE