Russian Roulette In The EU Neighborhood
Russia has six bullets with which to wound or kill the European Union's Eastern Partnership, and put the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy out of its misery in the process.
It is generally accepted that the project is at the mercy of Moscow, the old colonial master of the six privileged European neighbors: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. READ MORE
Azerbaijan-Ukraine relations developing dynamically: Azerbaijani president
The first meeting of Azerbaijani and Ukrainian Presidents Council was held in Azerbaijan.
At the meeting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that the official visit of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko to Baku would develop and enhance friendship relations between two countries. READ MORE
European Union's Eastern Partnership Plan Disappoints Ukraine
President Viktor Yushchenko was vexed when European Commission President Jose Barroso suggested that he and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko should make peace for the sake of Ukraine's stability. "I don't want to get advice on what to do anywhere in Europe, this is humiliating," said Yushchenko, reacting to Barroso's peaceful initiative at the summit of the EU's right-of-center People's Party, which Yushchenko and Tymoshenko attended together in March. Yushchenko's reaction betrayed the degree of disappointment with what is widely seen in Ukraine as betrayal by the European Union of the past-Orange Revolution hopes for faster integration into the EU. READ MORE
Putin Warns Europe Over Ukrainian Gas Plan
Russia’s Prime Minister said he’s unhappy his country was not consulted on a European Union decision to help Ukrainian modernize its gas supply network. Putin warned that the slight could jeopardize Russian-EU relations. READ MORE
The “Way to Europe”. What is It?
Lately, the phrase “Way to Europe” has been used more often with the reference to the programs of long-term development of post-Soviet countries. Thus, recently Kazakhstan Government has published a program with the kind of title. And however, there is no clear definition of this term. Frequently its interpretations are absolutely different. The term itself carries diverse semantics. It comprises a total spectrum of the views of further development of all post-Soviet states. The understanding of the meaning varies from strategic plans of the EU joining and leading of Euro-oriented foreign policy, up to plain improvement of quality and standards of living. The only thing that unites all interpretations: the “Way to Europe” – is not a program of mass migration. READ MORE
Euro-Atlantic factor
Moscow is still going to persuade its partners in the OSCE to realize by means of this organization an ambitious reform of the system of international security.
Appearance in Washington of the new administration has agitated the hopes on softening confrontation with Moscow. In some political narrators’ opinion, the presidents Obama and Medvedev, both representing the first generation of politicians, developed after the Cold War, can manage to do what their predecessors did not. This optimism strengthened still more after a presentation of the US vice president Joe Bayden on recent Munich conference, where he stated that in Russian-American relations it came time to press the button "reset". READ MORE
