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
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
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
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
Putin Pivots Away From U.S. and Toward the East
The U.S. should seriously consider how to build a new relationship with Russia. After the episode with former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and the postponement of the bilateral summit, Washington should take a sober look at the facts. Was the Snowden episode unique and did it change the overall logic of recent U.S.-Russian relations? Has the "reset" succeeded in ridding those relations of Cold War-era stereotypes and approaches? READ MORE
Azerbaijan Earns Deferential Treatment from Moscow
Among the six countries in the European Union’s Eastern Partnership program, Azerbaijan under its President Ilham Aliyev seems uniquely impervious to Russian forms of leverage and, consequently, unique in receiving respectful treatment from the Kremlin. These two factors are closely connected in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s view of international relations, derived from his own social milieu. Like a neighborhood bully, Putin respects strength while intimidating those more vulnerable. READ MORE
No strike on Syria before G20 summit: Russian experts
Leaders of the group of the G20 major economies are set to debate sanctions against Syria in a 5-6 September meeting in St Petersburg, with Western nations led by the United States preparing for air strikes in retaliation to a recent chemical attack on civilians. READ MORE
