Expert: Rogozin’s stance on Moldova-EU energy deal is blackmailing
Energy experts believe that Russian Deputy Premier Dmitry Rogozin’s speech delivered in Chisinau on Monday proves once again that Moldova has chosen the right path, Russia seeming disturbed by country’s moves towards the European Union. READ MORE
Armenia turns away from the EU
After a meeting in Novo-Ogariovo near Moscow on 3 September, the presidents of Russia and Armenia, Vladimir Putin and Serzh Sargsyan, adopted a statement declaring that Armenia has decided to join the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and wants to take part in creating a Eurasian Economic Union. During a press conference, Sargsyan argued that Armenia’s participation in a military alliance established by Russia (the CSTO) is not possible without simultaneous economic integration. The president also said that Armenia’s decision did not rule out further dialogue with the EU, and welcomed Brussels’ support for his country’s domestic reforms. In contrast to previous statements, however, Sargsyan did not mention Armenia’s attempts to sign an Association Agreement with the EU. READ MORE
Armenia: the Choice is Done?
The visit of Sargsyan should be considered an as a voyage aimed to settle acute matters and cool down of the “boiling minds” in Yerevan as well as in Moscow READ MORE
Negotiation Gone Bad: Russia, Germany, and Crossed Communications
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the then Russian president, Dmitri Medvedev, met in June 2010 at Schloss Meseberg in Germany and produced a half-page memorandum on security issues. The “Meseberg Memorandum” supported the establishment of an EU-Russian dialogue at the foreign-minister level and of EU-Russian cooperation on crisis management. Specifically, the agreement committed the EU and Russia to cooperate on resolving the frozen Transdniestria conflict,i one of the remnants of the collapse of the Soviet Union. READ MORE
Jilting EU, Armenia Ties Knot With Moscow
European diplomats were stunned this week by word that Armenia, which had been heading toward strengthening ties with the European Union, will instead join a customs union led by Russia—handing the Kremlin a victory in its tug of war with Brussels for influence in the region. READ MORE
Croatia‘s membership in the EU: more doubts than guarantees
On 1 July Croatia has become the 28th member of the EU. Will this membership bring joy and happiness? And was it worth the effort? READ MORE
Russia threatens Moldova over its EU relations
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has warned Moldova that signing an association agreement with the European Union would have “serious consequences” for the country’s future, echoing similar threats levelled at Ukraine. READ MORE
United States considers Baltics equal strategic cooperation partners
During the Baltic presidents' meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Friday, the Baltic presidents were affirmed that the United States and the Baltic countries were equal partners in strategic cooperation, as the Latvian President's Press Office informed LETA. READ MORE
Russia Leans on Its Neighbors
You may have missed it, but on Aug. 14 Russia fired an economic shot across the bow of Ukraine. On that day, Russia’s customs office ordered intensive checks on all Ukrainian goods entering Russia, effectively imposing a de facto ban. This could have ended up costing Ukraine as much as $2.5 billion in lost trade by the end of the year. READ MORE
