3/16/15 – 3/20/15

Independent New York Times

On Friday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev to discuss

energy ties and meet with representatives of the Crimean Tatar

community. Erdogan told reporters before the trip, “Our

brothers, who in the past suffered mass deportations, were able

to return to their homelands after many years. Unfortunately

they have been seriously impacted by recent developments

there.” At the same time, Turkey is deepening trade ties with

Moscow and has not openly criticized the Kremlin.

Ukraine Today Reuters

IBT Fox News Civil.ge AFP

This week, President Serzh Sarkisian gave his approval for

continued discussions regarding a constitutional referendum that

would change the Armenian government from a presidential to a

parliamentary system. On Thursday, March 12, Sarkisian met

with parliamentary leaders to discuss the reforms, which would

reduce the power of the president and strengthen the position of

the prime minister. Opposition leaders fear that the discussions

could be a way for Sarkisian’s political party to retain power.

No date has been set for the referendum.

Asbarez RFE/RL

RFE/RL

NATO

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On Wednesday, the White House announced that the U.S.

will begin training 750 Ukrainian volunteer troops in April.

The news broke after a phone call between Vice President Joe

Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The

Pentagon announced that 290 soldiers from the 173rd

Airborne Brigade will conduct the training missions at the

International Peacekeeping and Security Center in Yavoriv,

western Ukraine. The training exercise had been put on hold

to preserve a now-defunct peace deal.

The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement

denouncing the signing of the “alliance and integration”

treaty between the breakaway Tskhinvali Region and the

Russian Federation. The signing of the treaty coincided with

the ongoing peace-talks in Geneva. About four month ago

Moscow signed a similar treaty with Abkhazia. The NATO

secretary General, EU Foreign Policy Chief and US State

Department declared that they do not recognize the

legitimacy of the treaty.

On Monday, the Secretary General of the NATO, Jens

Stoltenberg met with Moldovan Prime Minister Chiril

Gaburici. Stoltenberg called Moldova a “valued partner” and

reiterated that NATO allies support Moldova’s sovereignty

and territorial integrity. Parties discussed the future of a

Defense Capacity Building Initiative (DCBI) for Moldova that

is designed to modernize the defense and security sector of the

country.

On Thursday, de-facto officials in the disputed region of

Nagorno-Karabakh accused Azerbaijan of killing three

soldiers in an attack. Nagorno-Karabakh’s de-facto Defense

Ministry claimed that Azerbaijan has attacked positions of its

soldiers leaving three killed and four wounded. Azerbaijan, on

the other hand, accused separatists of provocation. The

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted in early 1990 and since

has caused the death of 30,000 people.

At the EU foreign affairs meeting on March 7 in Riga, Latvian

Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevics said that there is now a

“window of opportunity” for improving EU relations with

Belarus. Despite continued human rights violations, electoral

fraud, and political repression, the EU has noted a positive shift

recently as Belarus has taken a “constructive and proactive

position” in arranging peace talks to ease the conflict in Ukraine.

Rinkevics didn’t specify whether Belarus would be invited to the

Eastern Partnership summit in May, but he stated that other

measures could be a future possibility.

On Monday, President Vladimir Putin attended a meeting

outside St. Petersburg with Kyrgyz President Almazbek

Atambayev after mysteriously vanishing from the public eye for

ten days. In his absence, rumors abounded as to the president’s

possible whereabouts, including that Putin had caught the flu,

and that he had been overthrown in a coup. No additional

information on his absence was released upon his return.

Atambayev stated that Putin was in excellent health at their

meeting.

The Peninsula RFE/RL

On Tuesday, March 10, conservative cleric Ayatollah

Mohammad Yazdi was elected to head Iran’s Assembly of

Experts. He received 47 out of 73 votes, defeating former

President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Yazdi will hold the

position of chairman until next February, when elections will be

held for all 86 seats in the Assembly of Experts. The

chairmanship was previously held by Ayatollah Mohammad

Reza Mahdavi Kani, who passed away in October. The Assembly

of Experts has the power to elect the Supreme Leader and

supervise his activities.

Tehran Times BBC

On Monday, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon appointed his

eldest son, Rustam Emomali, head of the country’s anti-

corruption agency. Corruption is a major problem in Tajikistan,

which ranks 152th out of 175 countries on Transparency

International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. The 27-year-old

Emomali will replace Abdufattoh Ghoib as head of the Agency

for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption. In turn,

Abdufattoh Ghoib will take over the Customs Service, which

Emomali had led for the past year and a half.

RFE/RL EurasiaNet

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow met with his

Iranian Hassan Rouhani during Rouhani’s official two-day visit

to Turkmenistan earlier this week. On Wednesday, the two

countries signed 17 cooperation agreements in various spheres

and announced a goal of increasing bilateral trade from $3.7

billion to $60 billion within the next 10 years. Berdimuhamedow

called on the Joint Economic Cooperation Commission to

coordinate efforts to increase trade between Turkmenistan and

Iran.

Payvand Tehran Times

German corporation Ferrostaal Industrial Projects has secured a

contract to begin construction in April on what will be

Mongolia’s largest wind farm. The Sainshand Wind Farm, which

will be located in the Gobi desert, is estimated to cost approx.

$115 and is slated for completion in 2016. Once operational, it is

expected to have an installed capacity of 54 MW, 52 of which

will go directly to the state-owned National Power Transmission

Grid. Mongolia has sought to diversify its energy portfolio in

recent years. The country’s first wind farm opened in 2013 in

Salkhit, about 44 miles south of Ulaanbaatar.

Greentech Lead Bloomberg

In Tashkent, delegations from Azerbaijan, Georgia and

Uzbekistan met to discuss the development of new railway

routes between the three countries to boost trade. The heads of

Azerbaijani and Georgian railways said they support

construction of the Angren-Pap railway, which is part of a

China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan international transport corridor.

It would provide cargo access to the Black Sea through

Azerbaijan and Georgia. The meeting concluded with a signed

protocol.

Just hours before meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin

on March 16, Kyrgyzstan’s President Almazbek Atambayev

stopped in Moldova to meet with the oligarch-politician

Vladimir Plahotniuc. Atambayev did not meet the Moldovan

President, Nicolae Timofti, prompting anger and confusion in

Bishkek. Opposition lawmaker Ravshan Jeenbekov

demanded the President’s office to explain the meeting and

clarify why Atambayev did not announce his trip officially.

Plahotniuc has faced numerous business scandals.

EurasiaNet RFE/RL

Vestnik Kavkaza APA

Afghan security forces have killed 10 militants who claimed to

be aligned with the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Defense

ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri reported that the militants

were killed in Helmand province on Sunday. According to the

Defense Ministry, the group’s commander in Afghanistan, Hafiz

Wahidi, was among those killed. The operation on Sunday was

part of a larger initiative that the Afghan army launched last

month to clear Helmand province of Taliban fighters.

Wall Street Journal Reuters

Kazakhstan is gearing up for early presidential elections, to be

held on April 26. So far, incumbent Nursultan Nazarbayev of

the NurOtan party has been confirmed to run. His main

competition will likely be Turgun Syzdykov of the Communist

People’s Party of Kazakhstan, and Abelgazy Kussainov, who

represents the Federation of Trade Unions. Pre-election

campaigns will officially begin on March 26 and will continue

through April 24.

Free Press Journal Astana Times

of-cease-fire-deal?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=world

On Monday, the Czech government agreed to the passage of

a U.S. military convoy across Czech territory from March 29

to April 1st. The convoy will cross six countries of Central

Europe on its path to Germany. Prime Minister Bohuslav

Sobotka told reporters that the passage expresses solidarity

and confirms the Czech Republic’s commitments to its

NATO partners. U.S. Army spokesman Craig Childs

likewise said the convoy was a “highly visible demonstration

of U.S. commitment to its NATO allies.”

A recent opinion poll has shown that the far right political party

Jobbik has gained support over the last month, narrowing the

lead held by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party.

Support for Jobbik increased by two percentage points from

February, reaching a new high of 18% among eligible voters.

Fidesz, on the other hand, stayed at 21%. In October, support for

Jobbik was at a mere 11%, while Fidesz was at 35%. Polls have

shown that Jobbik is doing very well with people under age 30.

In an example of growing tensions between Poland and Russia,

a Russian court on Tuesday approved a move to evict Poland’s

consulate in St. Petersburg for failure to pay rent. Russia alleges

that Poland owes 74.3 million rubles (1.1 million euros) in

overdue rent. The Polish Foreign Ministry claims that any move

to evict the Polish consulate would be a violation of diplomatic

law, and noted that Russia also uses buildings in Poland rent-

free. Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna called for resolution

through dialogue but noted that Poland would reciprocate if

Russia continues to bill Poland for overdue rent.

Telegraph Deutsche Welle

Around 400 people gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in

Bratislava in protest against NATO. Former Prime Minister Jan

Carnogursky supported the protesters in their claims, stating

that the NATO Enlargement is to be blamed for the Ukrainian

Crisis. The protesters held banners displaying slogans such as

“Yankees Go Home” and “NATO divides the Slavs”.

Russia Today Slovak Spectator

Following the resignation of Romanian Finance Minister Darius

Valcov on March 15 amidst allegations of bribery, the director

of Romania’s National Integrity Agency, Horia Georgescu, was

arrested on charges of a possible property scam. Valcov has been

accused of accepting over $2 million in bribes while serving as

mayor of Slatina from 2010-2013. Georgescu was allegedly

involved in a scheme in 2008-2009 that overvalued property

seized by the communist government. The scam defrauded the

state by more than $50 million. Romania has been struggling

under pressure by the EU to reduce corruption.

Ceske Noviny Prague Post Postimees.ee Err.ee

Around 1500 people marched in Riga in remembrance of the

soldiers who fought on the side of German forces against the

Soviet occupation during World War II. The march has been

held annually since 1990 and causes tensions in small Baltic

republic. During the march counter demonstration took place

involving Russian-speaking and Jewish Latvians.

Wall Street Journal ABC News

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The Local

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Defense News

On Tuesday, the Lithuanian defense ministry announced that

Germany will send over 500 troops to Lithuania for military

drills this year, from April to July. Separate units will arrive

from Germany for exercises in July and November. Defense

Minister J uozas Olekas, who discussed the plan with visiting

German General Joerg Vollmer, said the deployments were

“a demonstration of NATO solidarity. Our allies are ready to

fulfill their obligations to boost Lithuania’s security

together.”

On Monday, Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas said that

the negotiations over forming the coalition will take time. He

stated that the chairs of the four parties in the coalition talks

have concluded the first round of negotiations on various

issues and that negotiations will continue for coming weeks.

The ruling Reform Party won the national elections two

weeks ago, and is now set to form a coalition in the 101-

member parliament.

The Bulgarian defense ministry announced last week that

Bulgaria and the United States will hold joint military drills

over the next three and a half months amid tensions with

Russia over the crisis in Ukraine. 350 U.S. Army officers will

arrive in the Balkan country to take part in the drills at the

Novo Selo training range in southeastern Bulgaria. The

exercises involve U.S. armored personnel carriers, helicopters

and tanks. The United States pledged to spend about $30

million to modernize the infrastructure of the Novo Selo

training facilities. Reuters

On Friday, March 13, the International Basketball Federation, or

FIBA, granted Kosovo official membership. The decision

follows the International Olympic Committee’s announcement of

full membership for Kosovo in December 2014. Serbia

expressed opposition to FIBA’s recognition of Kosovo and

requested that matches at any level between teams from Kosovo

and Serbia be avoided.

On Wednesday, Serbia arrested eight men suspected of

playing a role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia,

where more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed

after the area fell to Bosnian Serb forces. The men were

arrested from different parts of Bosnia and are accused of

killing more than 1,000 Muslim Bosniaks themselves. The

detentions mark the first in Serbia of accused gunmen

connected to Srebrenica. Bosnia’s prosecutor’s office

welcomed the arrests, saying the operation had been

coordinated between the two countries.

The president of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has

delivered on her campaign pledge and removed a statue and

other pieces of art connected to ex-Yugoslav leader Josip Broz

Tito from the Presidential palace. The removal of the around

100 works of art and statues has caused controversy in Croatia.

President Grabar-Kitarovic transferred the objects to the

museum in Tito’s hometown near Zagreb.

The opposition Democratic Party in Albania has vowed to

continue holding weekly protests every Thursday until the

country’s speaker of parliament, Ilir Meta, resigns. The

protests began on March 12, with thousands gathered outside

of the Albanian prime minister’s office, in response to

allegations from lawmaker Tom Doshi that Speaker Ilir Meta

had tried to have him and another lawmaker killed. Meta has

denied the allegations and insists the charges are politically

motivated. He has not been charged with any crime.

On Wednesday, March 11, Slovenian police raided the home and

offices of former Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek.

The raid was part of an investigation into allegations that

Bratusek abused her position when she was nominated as a

candidate to represent Slovenia on the European Commission.

Bratusek was nominated as European Commissioner last year but

was rejected by the European Parliament following a hearing and

withdrew her candidacy.

Jakarta Post

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski rallied his

supporters on Sunday, March 15 to respond to opposition

allegations and demands for his resignation. The rally took

place after Zoran Zaev, head of the opposition Social

Democratic Union, called for Gruevski to resign and hold

early elections and reiterated accusations of government

corruption and illegal wiretapping. Speaking to an audience of

around 7,000 people at the rally, Gruevski accused the

opposition of "attempting to destabilise the country on behalf

of a foreign state."

On Monday, Montenegrin prime-minister Milo Djukanovic

announced changes in his cabinet after a month of speculations

about a possible reshuffle within the government. The

parliament approved the reshuffle of the cabinet two days after

the decision. The changes involve a replacement of five

ministers, including the minister of labour, education, health,

justice and culture.

Ukraine Today

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On Monday, the Bosnian defense minister announced that

the country has donated more than 550 tons of surplus arms

and ammunition to Iraq in line with its involvement in the

U.S.-led campaign against ISIS militants. The donation was

made due to a request from the United States and involves

dated arms and ammunition from the time of the Yugoslav

Federation. Under NATO defense reforms, Bosnia must

offload over 16,500 tons of ammunition and 40,000 pieces of

weaponry left over from the 1992-1995 war.

Reuters UPI

The Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies strives to

increase understanding and appreciation of the cultures and challenges of

the region stretching from Central Europe to the Pacific and from the Baltic,

Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas.