24.04.2008
Eurasia: News In Review
Central Asia and Eastern Europe
and their Relations with Russia
April, 2008The following resource is meant to give readers a quick overview of recent events within the FSU but outside of Russia. Much of the news here concerns how Russia and/or the US are affected by these generally small but politically, economically, and militarily important nations. This news review is part of SRAS's monthly "obzor" publications. For more reviews, see the newsletter for this corresponding month. To receive the free monthly newsletter and obzori by email, simply sign up. Belarus
America Caught Spying? Belarus Reports U.S. Spying on TV
The Belorussian Channel One television station reported on last Friday's news broadcast that the country's KGB has uncovered a ring of about ten Belorussian citizens spying for the United States. Gas in Exchange for Propaganda
New problems emerged in the gas relations of Russia and Belarus during the visit of Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov to Minsk. Ambassador of Evil Will
The Belarus Ambassador to the United States Mikhail Khvostov had been recalled to Minsk over additional sanctions that Washington imposed on Belneftekhim consortium. Minsk urged Washington to follow the example, to no avail though. Dark dance
What is going on in Belarus? Central Asia
Turkmenistan, SCO, Armenia, and Azerbaijan Central Asia Unwilling to Be Left Out of Natural Gas Policy
Turkmenistan agreed to reserve 10 billion cubic meters of gas for the EU from 2009. Russia, China Unlikely to Welcome Tehran into SCO
After meeting Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki announced that Rahmon has promised to support Tehran's bid to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Europe's Caspian Opportunity
Talk of a trans-Caspian pipeline to bring Turkmenistan's vast natural gas reserves through Azerbaijan to the European Union has gone on for over a decade. So far, it has remained just that – talk – while Russia and China have been busy making actual deals for Turkmen gas. Developing skills to tackle poverty
Smallholders and livestock herders in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are being taught basic agronomics in a pilot scheme designed and supported by the European Training Foundation, based in Turin, Italy. Baku Threatens to Break Relations
U.N. General Assembly focused Friday on the resolution on Azerbaijan’s occupied territories that demands from Armenia to immediately pull out the troops of Nagorny Karabakh. Russia, the United States and France that co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group for Nagorny Karabakh voted against the resolution. Baku rebuffed by threatening to break relations with the opposing states and change the format of the Minsk Group. Emergency Rules Lightened in Armenia
Subsections 6 and 7 of paragraph 4 of his order imposing a state of emergency in the country's capital are no longer in force. The first of the points banned the activities of political parties that hinder government efforts to restore order. The second allows persons who violate emergency measures to be expelled from the city. Kosovo
New Journal Explores Russian-Serbian Relations Russian-Serbian Relations
This issue of the Russian Analytical Digest examines Russian-Serbian relations. First, it draws attention to the history of relations since 1948 and then considers the political direction of Serbia after Kosovo’s independence. Further, it looks at the self-declared country's impact on Russia and discusses US-Russian disagreement over the matter. This issue also includes a Russian popular opinion poll concerning Kosovo. Russia Requested The Hague Tribunal to Report on Crimes against Ethnic Serbs in Kosovo
Carla del Ponte is the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and her book, "Hunt, Me and War Criminals", has caused a worldwide outcry. Eastern Europe
The Baltics, Moldova, and Poland Poland, Czech Republic Yet Unready to Tolerate Russia’s Military
Poland and the Czech Republic are yet unready to agree to the missile defense proposal that Washington has made to Moscow, but the dialogue will continue. Poland’s President Played Back Threats to Russia, EU
Poland's President Lech Kaczynski refuted the information that Poland conditions lifting its veto on European Union’s partnership talks with Russia to NATO’s agreement to grant MAP to Ukraine and Georgia. The New Iron Curtain
In today's 'borderless' Europe, an economic wall separates the haves from the have-nots. Inflation Drives Baltic Out of Euro Zone
An International Monetary Fund report published yesterday on the world economy states, that the countries of Eastern Europe, particularly the Baltic countries, could be especially hard hit current turbulence on the financial markets. Riga Okays SS March
Riga city authorities have given permission for Latvian SS veterans to march on Legionnaire's Day March 16. Members of the radical Union of National Forces will join them. Russia to Solve Transdniestrian Conflict to Spite the West
Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin and Transdniestria’s leader Igor Smirnov talked to each other on the phone on Monday, first time in the last seven years. Feature: NATO
No MAP, but Georgia, Ukraine Will Join in Future To Steady EU and Ukrainian Courses, Rock the Boat
Pro-Western Ukrainians have long expressed the fear that their country's place on the map could doom it to a fate as a buffer between Russia and Europe. Putin warns NATO against further expansion to Russia's borders
Any further expansion by NATO toward Russia's borders will be interpreted as a direct threat to the country's security, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. Donald Rumsfeld: NATO Expansion Should Continue
There the alliance will make critical choices about its mission in Afghanistan and expanding to several former Soviet-bloc nations. These decisions need not and should not be further delayed for yet more "meetings" and "consultations" in capitals across Europe. Georgia’s Membership in NATO to Threaten Peace in Caucasus
Deliberating on Georgia’s membership in NATO at the summit of the alliance may have the most negative consequences for peace and security in Caucasus. Under Russian pressure, NATO summit delays membership track for Ukraine, Georgia
But Moscow's victory may be short-lived: The NATO allies said clearly for the first time that strategically important Black Sea nations would one day join the Western alliance, and suggested they may launch membership procedures by the end of this year. Statement and Answers Following a Meeting of the Russia-NATO Council
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! First of all, I would like to thank our Romanian colleagues for the warm welcome and for arranging this Russia-NATO summit. Does NATO Enlargement Pose a Threat to Russia?
It is up to decision-makers in Washington not here in Moscow to answer the question about the purposes of NATO enlargement. We are not NATO members, though we have our understanding of the reasons behind the enlargement. I think that NATO enlarges to move eastward, to secure Ukraine and Georgia as its members and to keep Russia out - to further divide the post-Soviet space. The Wrong MAP for Ukraine and Georgia
Merkel is trying to save America from a dangerous mistake, one potentially worse than Iraq. Ukraine
More Troubled Relations with Russia Ukrainian Orthodox Church Could Split From Russian Church In 2008
The Ukrainian authorities are preparing to break up the Church in Ukraine, and this could take place as early as this year, Kremlin-connected political scientist Sergey Markov claimed. A Ukrainian Pop Star's Would-Be Revolution
To be honest, she says, she's a little bit afraid of starting a public relations campaign about climate change or Ukraine's appetite for fossil fuels. She says, she needs more allies, and sponsors. Ukrainian Special Forces to Fight Serbs
The situation in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica is aggravating each hour. Local Serbs are clashing with the U.N. and KFOR peacekeepers in continuous street fighting. Ukraine: In Between
What’s happening in Ukraine is natural for the stage of political development the country has found itself at. This stage is called electoral democracy. Having some traits of the power of the people, it still falls short of the accountability of mature democracy. Russian Relations Putin Hints At Splitting Up Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin hinted at last week's NATO summit in Romania that Russia would work to break up Ukraine, should the former Soviet republic join the military alliance, Kommersant reported Monday. Ukraine Rebuffs Statements of Russia’s Leadership
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has forwarded a protest note to Russia in response to the recent statements of Moscow leaders about Ukraine. Lavrov rejects rumors of Putin's threats against Ukraine
Russia's top diplomat gave assurances on Tuesday that in a recent speech to NATO leaders, President Vladimir Putin did not seek to undermine the sovereignty of Ukraine. Russian Lawmakers Dismiss Genocide Claim From Famine
The 1930s famine that killed millions of peasants, mainly in Soviet Ukraine, should not be considered genocide, Russia's lawmakers said in a resolution Wednesday. Russia, Ukraine: New Scandal Impending
Russia and Ukraine will clash anew very soon, this time on issues of environmental protection. Kiev intends to demand from Moscow the compensation of billion dollars for polluting the Kerch Strait by petroleum. Talks on Russian fleet withdrawal from Ukraine to start in June
Moscow and Kiev will start consultations on the withdrawal of the Russian Black Sea Fleet from Ukraine in June this year, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's spokesman said on Wednesday. Ukraine heads for more tension with Moscow
Ukraine is likely to be in a position to block Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organisation later this year, giving it significant leverage that it could use in natural gas supply talks or in retaliation over Moscow’s opposition to plans by Ukraine and Georgia to join Nato. Tymoshenko Ukraine's Chief Picks Big Targets
A poster on the Web site of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko shows her in a long black coat, carrying a Samurai sword. "Get out of the darkness," orders a scrawled caption. March Issue of Policy Matters - Focus on Ukraine
The first 100 days of Ukraine’s new government led by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko have been dominated by debate on the country’s potential NATO membership and gas supply and transit issues. Yulia Tymoshenko Won't Be President
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko stated that her country will not join NATO, if the Ukrainian people vote against that move in a referendum. Tymoshenko Says Ukraine Should Become Parliamentary Republic
Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko believes that the Constitution of Ukraine should be changed in favour of parliamentary republic. Economy Rampant inflation in Ukraine
Why nothing is being done to fight inflation in Ukraine. No more cheap gas for Ukraine
This year, Ukraine imported Russian gas without a coordinated agreement until April 1. Gazprom has warned it three times and twice introduced restrictions on its gas supplies. Naftogaz Accused of Gas Trafficking
Ukrainian Customs Service has initiated a case against Naftogaz on count of gas trafficking, RBC-Ukraine reported, specifying that the information was confirmed by a few top-ranked officials of Ukraine. Ukraine Ready to Assume Responsibility for Short Supplies of Russia’s Gas to Europe
Ukraine is ready to assume responsibility for short supplies of Russia’s gas to Europe, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko vowed, RIA Novosti reported. Georgia
More Troubled Relations with Russia Georgia in the firing line: who's watching?
It is hard to overstate Georgia’s importance for the West. This week’s news that the European Union had reached an initial gas deal with Turkmenistan, for example, highlights yet again Georgia’s role as an energy corridor linking Europe with Central Asia. McCain accuses Russia of undermining Georgia
U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Thursday accused Russia of seeking a de facto annexation of part of Georgia and urged European governments to join in condemning Moscow. Relations with Russia Spying Jet to Cloud Relations of Russia and Georgia
The relations of Georgia and Russia that had just made a few reconciliatory moves towards Tbilisi aggravated anew. Abkhazia announced they shot down a spying pilotless plane of Georgian Air Force past weekend. West Urges Restraint As Tempers Flare In Moscow, Tbilisi Over Plane Incident
The war of words between Russia and Georgia about the apparent downing of an unmanned Georgian reconnaissance plane over the separatist region of Abkhazia has prompted calls for caution from both the United States and the United Nations. U.N. Security Council to Focus on Georgia’s Claims to Russia
Urged by Georgia, the U.N. Security Council will focus on the situation in the area of its conflict with Abkhazia at the extraordinary meeting slated for April 23. Abkhazia and South Ossetia Patrick Buchanan: Should We Fight for South Ossetia?
Fortunately, Germany is prepared to veto any Bush attempt to put Ukraine or Georgia on a fast track into NATO. But President Bush is no longer the problem. John McCain is. Russia tightens ties with Georgian rebel areas
Russia announced on Wednesday it would establish legal links with neighboring Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a move Georgia condemned as a breach of international law. "Kosovo... will speed up the recognition of our independence"
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia, Sergei Shamba, gave an exclusive interview to The Moscow News on the evolving situation. Georgia Proposes New Abkhazia Solution
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili held an unscheduled meeting of the Georgian National Security Council on Saturday to initiate the development of a new set of measures for the settlement of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. U.N. Security Council to Extend UNOMIG Mandate in Abkhazia
The U.N. Security Council meets Tuesday to adopt a resolution on extending the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) till October of 2008. Abkhazia Wants to Reopen Its Airport
Abkhazian authorities have announced that they may reopen Babushera Airport in Sukhumi, which was closed in 1993, right after the Georgian-Abkhazian war. Russia to Georgia: don't use NATO to quell regions
Russia warned its ex-Soviet neighbour Georgia on Friday against trying to use NATO membership as a tool to regain control over its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Internal Politics New Details of Patarkatsishvili Inheritance
New details have become known about the arrest of Emmanuil Zeltser in Belarus. They are accused there of forging documents. Ex Georgian Minister Makes New Claims
According to the former minister, Saakashvili has obtained large packages of stock in Georgia's leading companies under false names. Georgian Opposition Faces Uphill Election Struggle
The May 21 parliamentary vote is being seen by some Georgian analysts, as well as international experts, as no less significant than the early election which Saakashvili called – and duly won – following mass protests in November. Georgia opposition wants Imedi TV back on air
Some 10,000 opposition supporters held a protest outside Georgia's parliament on Monday, demanding the government allow opposition broadcaster Imedi TV back on the air. Burjanadze Won't Seek Reelection
She was the last remaining of the politicians who helped Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili come to power in the Rose Revolution.
Rhetoric of Georgia’s Policymakers Doesn’t Match Their Weight
Hawkish rhetoric of Georgian authorities doesn’t correspond to the weight category of these policymakers, State Duma Vice Speaker Oleg Morozov told the reporters. Georgian Opposition's New Demands
The Georgian opposition began new actions over the weekend and yesterday began a hunger strike. It is demanding that Georgia make a decisive response to Russia's announcement that it is renewing intergovernmental relations with Abkhazia.
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