Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
GUAM SUMMIT REVERBERATIONS
The meeting of heads of state of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova -- the GUAM group of countries -- in Chisinau on April 22 reverberated beyond the GUAM region. Presidents of other countries -- in this case, NATO and European Union members Lithuania and Romania... MORE
GUAM REVIVAL SUMMIT INCONCLUSIVE
Presidents Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia, Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine, Ilham Aliev of Azerbaijan, and Vladimir Voronin of Moldova -- the GUAM group of countries -- took part in the group's summit in Chisinau on April 21-22. Presidents Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania and Traian Basescu of... MORE
YUKOS ASSET SEIZURE YET ANOTHER BLOW TO INVESTOR CONFIDENCE
As the remaining assets of the oil giant Yukos were seized last week, the fate of Russia's former leading oil company and its subsidiaries has come to symbolize the country's investment climate. The Moscow Arbitration Court agreed on April 19 to freeze the remaining key... MORE
UKRAINE STRENGTHENS CURRENCY, RUSSIAN OIL COMPANIES BENEFIT MOST
On April 23 Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko claimed a victory over Russian oil companies, saying they had agreed to her cabinet's demands to lower gasoline prices in Ukraine. But the reality is more complicated. Gas prices were lowered via a steep hike in currency... MORE
NAZARBAYEV’S ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN: HONEST EFFORT OR ONE-MAN SHOW?
On April 14 Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a new presidential decree on stepping up the fight against corruption and strengthening discipline in state bodies. However, even the president's own entourage gave lukewarm support to the new campaign. Understandably, corrupt government officials could hardly be... MORE
RUSSIAN OBSERVERS ASSESS CONDI’S VISIT
The Russian press has been mulling the significance of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Moscow this week. And while most observers noted her criticism of the Kremlin for what she characterized as its excessive centralization of power and restrictions on the media,... MORE
OKRUASHVILI MAY RESIGN TO BETTER POSITION HIMSELF AGAINST SAAKASHVILI
Embattled Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili has dropped hints that he might resign from the cabinet. Okruashvili has made headlines recently due to several scandalous statements about his opponents. First, the opposition New Rights Party criticized Okruashvili for patronizing known smuggling operations. In a televised... MORE
YUSHCHENKO TURNS FOCUS TO SOUTHERN UKRAINE AND CRIMEA
Anatoliy Matvienko's confirmation as prime minister of Crimea on April 20 follows an April 4 Odessa court decision to overturn the 2002 mayoral elections and confirm Eduard Hurfits as mayor (Ukrayinska pravda, April 4, 20). Both cases represent a strategic breakthrough by President Viktor Yushchenko's... MORE
PRIMAKOV’S RUSSIA/INDIA/CHINA TRIANGLE NEARS REALIZATION
Although the world media emphasized the proclamation of a Sino-Indian strategic partnership during Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's recent visit to New Delhi, it overlooked another equally important development. Wen Jiabao announced that three "influential countries" -- China, India, and Russia -- "share identical or similar... MORE
GUAM SUMMIT: A NEW LEASE ON LIFE (Part 2)
The meeting of presidents of GUAM countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) in Chisinau on April 21-22 has the potential to turn GUAM from a virtual into a real and possibly effective organization by capitalizing on the ongoing transformation of the regional environment. Four factors, directly... MORE