Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
U. N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION SEEKS TO FILL GAPS IN THE KARABAKH “PEACE PROCESS”
On March 14 the United Nations General Assembly adopted an Azerbaijan-authored resolution, calling for: • “immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”; • “respect and support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally... MORE
YEREVAN CONTINUES POST-ELECTION WITCH-HUNT
Armenia’s embattled leadership has unleashed an unprecedented crackdown on the opposition following the bloody suppression of street protests against the official results of last month’s disputed presidential election. More than a hundred supporters of the main opposition presidential candidate, former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, have been... MORE
UZBEKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN EYE STRONGER PARTNERSHIP BASED ON ENERGY NEEDS
On March 10-11, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov visited Uzbekistan, Central Asia's most populous country, where he was greeted by Uzbek President Islam Karimov. The visit was intended to further develop ties between the two countries, Karimov commented. In response, Berdimukhamedov hailed Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan’s "constructive... MORE
AKP FACING THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL REPERCUSSIONS OF ITS FAILURE TO CREATE JOBS
The latest employment figures released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) suggest that, despite six years of robust macro-economic growth, Turkey is failing to create enough jobs for its growing population. On March 17, TURKSTAT reported that, at the end of 2007, the unemployment rate... MORE
RUSSIA TO INCREASE PURCHASE PRICES FOR CENTRAL ASIAN GAS: OUTLOOK AND IMPLICATIONS
Moscow has decided to increase significantly the price of gas it purchases from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. As announced on March 11 and confirmed on March 13, Gazprom has agreed with Turkmengaz, KazMunayGaz, and Uzbekgaz to raise that price in 2009 to levels nearer the... MORE
RUSSIAN ENERGY POLICY REMAINS UNDER PUTIN’S CONTROL
The purpose of a transitional period between a presidential election and the winner’s inauguration is to secure a smooth transfer of authority to the new leader and his team. Nothing of this sort has happened in Russia in the last two weeks. Outgoing President Vladimir... MORE
RUMORS ABOUND OVER POSSIBLE CABINET AND KREMLIN APPOINTMENTS
With Dmitry Medvedev set to be inaugurated as Russian president in May and to name his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, to serve as prime minister, speculation over the likely composition of the next presidential administration and the next cabinet has been intensifying. According to Ekho Moskvy... MORE
TURKEY HEADING FOR PERIOD OF SUSTAINED POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY
The application by Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya, the public prosecutor at the High Court of Appeals (Yargitay), to the Turkish Constitutional Court for the closure of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has initiated what appears likely to be a period of sustained uncertainty amid the... MORE
U.S. AMBASSADOR LEAVES BELARUS
A diplomatic dispute between Belarus and the United States reached a new low on March 12, when U.S. Ambassador Karen Stewart was recalled to Washington for talks. Earlier State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey had declared that the ambassador would remain in Minsk despite the... MORE
MOLDOVA SEEKS GREAT-POWER ENDORSEMENT OF ITS NEUTRALITY
Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin will attend NATO’s summit in early April to seek a post-summit endorsement of Moldova’s permanent neutrality, in a document to be signed by the Western powers with Russia. Chisinau defines such neutrality as a commitment to never join military alliances and... MORE