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Latest articles from Vladimir Socor
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Georgian Government Fine-Tunes its Response to Radical Opposition Offensive
Georgia's extra-parliamentary opposition has launched its third attempt since mid-2007 at "regime change" -a post-modern version of the old-fashioned toppling of governments through other than electoral means (EDM, April 10 and the article above). This new campaign finds Georgia's state institutions considerably better prepared to... MORE
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Georgia Opposition Escalates Rhetoric Amid Dwindling Numbers
Extra-parliamentary opposition groups continue pushing for regime change in Georgia despite the diminishing numbers at their daily rallies in Tbilisi. All of Georgia's television channels are covering the events -including the leaders' dangerously inflammatory rhetoric- in full detail (Rustavi-2 TV, Imedi TV, April 10-13). Predictably... MORE
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Opposition Launches Another Offensive at Mass Rally in Tbilisi
Opposition groups drew some 60,000 participants (by average estimates) for a rally in Tbilisi on April 9 and threatened to continue rallying on a daily basis. All Georgian television channels covered the advance preparations for the rally, as well as the event itself and the... MORE
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Moldova Tense After Post-Election Violence in Chisinau
Opposition protests against the outcome of Moldova's parliamentary elections triggered the seizure and ransacking of the presidency and parliament buildings by young rioting crowds on April 7 (EDM, April 7). Some 2,530 observers from local NGOs and 620 international observers monitored the elections. The International... MORE
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Violent Riots Devastate Moldovan Presidential and Parliament Buildings
Crowds of young rioters overran, ransacked, and set on fire the presidential and parliament buildings in Moldova's capital Chisinau on April 7. This outbreak may serve to embolden radical groups in Georgia on the eve of their April 9 demonstration, the declared goal of which... MORE
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Ten Reasons Why the Communist Party Won Moldova’s Elections Again
As anticipated (see EDM, March 13, 16) the Communist Party has won Moldova's parliamentary elections on April 5, far outdistancing the parties that ran on anti-communist platforms. On paper at least--and every fourth year in real practice--Moldova is a parliamentary republic. The new parliament will... MORE
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Blast Reminds the EU of Moldova-Balkans Gas Transit Pipeline
Deliveries of Russian natural gas to Balkan countries via Ukraine and Moldova are down by approximately one half, following the April 1 explosion on the transit pipeline in Moldova. The blast is attributed to a landslide that followed days of heavy rain. It crushed the... MORE
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Surgut’s Move Against MOL: A New Stage in Russian Acquisition Strategy in Europe
Russian expansion into European energy industries stands poised to cross a new threshold with the stealthy acquisition of a large stake in Hungary's privately owned MOL by Russia's Kremlin-controlled Surgut Neftegaz (EDM, April 2,). This move entails a number of bold novelties. First, Surgut's lack... MORE
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Hungary Blindsided By Russian Entry Into Oil and Gas Company
Surgut Neftegaz appears to have vastly overpaid for OMV's stake in MOL. The Russian company bought the 21.2 percent stake for 1.4 billion Euros on March 30 on the Budapest stock exchange. The average purchase price per share was 19,200 Hungarian Forint, almost double the... MORE
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Major Russian Oil Company Secretly Buys Into Hungary’s MOL
The Kremlin-connected oil company Surgut Neftegaz has surreptitiously bought Austrian OMV's entire 21.2 percent stake in Hungary's MOL Oil and Gas Company. European Union authorities, the privately owned MOL, and Hungary are aghast at Surgut's move and OMV's collusion with it. Budapest and Brussels were... MORE