Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
IS ABKHAZIA A PAWN IN THE GLOBAL POWER GAME?
The reactivated confidence-building measures for settling the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict have not moved Georgia any closer to restoring its territorial integrity, but instead has raised hopes among the separatists. On June 30 the UN-sponsored Georgian-Abkhaz Coordinating Council's working group convened after a five-year pause and discussed... MORE
ROBBERY, RACKETEERING, RANSOM FUND NORTH CAUCASUS INSURGENCY
Dagestan has experienced a wave of armored-car robberies this spring. The costliest attacks took place in Khasavyurt, Makhachkala, and in the mountainous Utsukul district. In March a bank vehicle in Khasavyurt was robbed of 1 million rubles. In April gunmen held up a bank vehicle... MORE
KYRGYZ NGOs WARN ABOUT RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROBLEM
This year more and more Kyrgyz mass media outlets and NGOs are urging the Kyrgyz government to address the problem of radioactive waste left after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the March 23 Eurasian Economic Community meeting in Minsk, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev... MORE
PARTY OF REGIONS BLOCKS PARLIAMENT
Ukraine still has no new cabinet in place, and the parliament elected in March still has not started work either. On July 4 President Viktor Yushchenko described this situation as a “parliamentary crisis.” It took months to form the majority in parliament required by the... MORE
GAZPROM EYES CENTRAL ASIA IN ITS DRIVE TOWARD “GLOBAL MARKET LEADERSHIP”
Russia's natural gas giant Gazprom has plans to expand to Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Iran in pursuit of “global market leadership,” Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller announced at the company's annual shareholders meeting on June 30. Gazprom is exploring hydrocarbon reserves in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN’S PARLIAMENT RATIFIES STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH AZERBAIJAN
Kazakhstan’s parliament has ratified a strategic partnership with Azerbaijan that has positive implications for Astana’s future dealings with Western countries promoting security in the Caspian region. On June 23 the Senate (upper chamber) of Kazakhstan’s parliament approved the bill on the ratification of an agreement... MORE
WHAT “HOLY ALLIANCE” DOES PUTIN WANT TO AVOID?
Kidnappings and executions in war-torn Iraq are hardly a novelty, but last month Moscow had its first brush with the problem. On June 3, one Russian diplomat was shot dead and four others kidnapped; on June 19, the Mujahideen Shura Council, a grouping linked to... MORE
GAZPROM’S SEGP PROJECT, ROSUKRENERGO CONFLICT WITH EU PRIORITIES IN HUNGARY
One day before U.S. President George W. Bush’s recent visit to Hungary, that country’s Economics Minister Janos Koka and Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller signed on June 21 non-binding agreement that could open the way for Gazprom’s expansion via Hungary deeper into European Union territory. Hungarian... MORE
GEORGIAN WINE WAR — IS HANGOVER MORE POLITICAL THAN ECONOMIC?
Despite huge losses, Georgian wine merchants continue to suffer the consequences of Moscow’s March 27 ban on imported Georgian wines. Russian authorities claimed to be protecting the Russian consumer market from fake beverages. According to Gennady Onishchenko, Russia’s chief health inspector, more than 1.5 million... MORE
PIPELINE PROJECT CAN DIVERSIFY EUROPE’S GAS SUPPLIES
On June 26 in Vienna, the Energy Ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Turkey as well as the European Union's Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs signed a Ministerial Statement of commitment to the Nabucco gas pipeline project. According to Piebalgs, the EU regards the planned... MORE