Eurasianet is reporting that Central Asian countries are spurning all anti-terror coalition suitors, believing that they have little to gain by picking a side, including that of Russia and the U.S. in addition to the Saudis. When Saudi Arabia announced about creation of a 34-member coalition with majority of Muslim states, it lacked post-Soviet states.…
Ukraine’s parliament voted for the bill allowing the Cabinet of Ministers to impose tit-for-tat sanctions against Russia. The amendment to the law of Ukraine on International Business Activity authorizes economic penalties against Russia in response to discriminatory actions of the aggressor state. 291 MPs, that is more than necessary number of lawmakers (226) voted in…
Georgian Prime Minister resigned on Wednesday after two years in the office, just a year before an upcoming parliamentary election. In a televised address to the nation, Irakli Garibashvili gave no specific reason for the decision, saying the prime minister’s position was never an end in itself, but an opportunity to serve the country and…
The Obama administration tightened economic pressure on Russia over its intervention in Ukraine by imposing further sanctions on some Russian individuals and companies. Most of the targeted groups were associates or bank subsidiaries of people and companies already sanctioned before by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The group includes 34 people or…
In accordance with the government meeting’s decision, Ukraine will suspend trade with Crimea within 30 days. As the Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said the suspension will include goods, work and services to and from Crimea with the exception of personal items, socially important foods and humanitarian aid. However, the electricity issue is considered as separate,…
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) completed its 12-year investigation on Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, which was a precondition for lifting UN, US and EU sanctions on Iran. The IAEA concluded that Iran conducted research related to nuclear weapons until 2003 and to a lesser extent in 2009, but the agency said that the activities…
An EU official told RFE/RL that the EU plans to extend sanctions against Russia when EU ambassadors gather for a meeting slated to take place on December 21. The sanctions to be officially extended until July 31, 2016 target Russia’s financial, oil and military sectors as well as specific individuals. A December 14 meeting of…
Georgia has accused Russia of violating its airspace as it discusses ramping up work on a railway project with Turkey and lobbies for the US to store weapons inside its borders. Its Ministry of Defense stated on December 10 that a Russian military helicopter had crossed the border with South Ossetia, calling the incident “provocative.”…
After Russia imposed a ban on the transit of Turkish trucks, a new, Caspian route has come to the fore as an alternative. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan already saw an opportunity to cash in on the deteriorated relations. Astana expects an increase in turnover through the Europe-Caucasus-Asia Transport corridor (TRACECA) and an opportunity for Kazakh producers…
Kazakhstan, ranked first in the world in terms of uranium reserves, is now undertaking a transition to nuclear power. Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom and Kazakhstan´s Energy Ministry are on the move to sign an intergovernmental agreement on constructing nuclear plant in Kazakhstan. Drop in oil prices, energy and environmental reasoning are believed to be pushing Kazakhstan…
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