OCT. 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russian PM Dmitri Medvedev visited Armenia two days before it officially signed up to become the fourth member of the Russia-led Customs Union/Eurasian Economic Union. Mr Medvedev was visiting an agriculture exhibition in Yerevan but, more importantly, his visit will be seen as another show of support for Armenia.
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – At a meeting of CIS heads of states in Minsk, Tajik president Emomali Rakhmon said Belarus and Armenia had already given it aid to bolster security along its border with Afghanistan. Tajikistan wants to join the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union which counts Belarus and Kazakhstan as members. Armenia is joining in 2015.
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 13 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The United States criticised moves by Kyrgyzstan to make so-called “gay propaganda” illegal as being harmful to democracy. The laws are similar to those introduced by Russia. The US embassy put out a rare harshly worded statement which said: “Sweeping limits on civil society harm democracy.”
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – As well as boosting gas exports to neighbouring Iran, Turkmenistan now wants to increase electricity supplies. Under President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan has become a major energy exporter across the Middle East. Earlier this year it agreed to boost gas supplies to Iran.
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 14 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgia and Russia often appear to be playing an extended game of cat and mouse.
Only a few days after Russia warned Georgia that it would not tolerate any NATO equipment in the country, USS Mount Whitney steamed into Batumi, its third visit to the Georgian Black Sea port (since 2008).
Its mission, according to reports, is a simple joint training exercise with Georgia’s navy. On its previous two trips Russia has accused it of delivering arms.
And only on Oct. 9, Russia had said that if NATO deployed so-called infrastructure to Georgia it would destabilise the region. At a meeting between Georgian and Russian officials in Geneva, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it was concerned about reports that NATO was moving kit into the region.
“Such actions would create a threat to emerging stability in the Transcaucasus region,” the Russian foreign ministry said.
In general, relations between the two neighbours have improved since former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili lost power last year. Georgia, though, has been heavily critical of Russia’s alleged support of Ukraine rebels and it has increased its rhetoric about joining NATO.
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – An estimated 10,000 people rallied against Armenia’s government in central Yerevan, media reported, the biggest protest since a presidential election last year.
Opposition rallies, calling for the government to resign, are relatively commonplace in Yerevan. The issue is whether they turn violent or grow so large that the government has to react to them.
In 2008, eight people died in clashes between the security forces and demonstrators after elections.
The protest in Yerevan was the culmination of severally carefully choreographed anti-government demonstrations around the country.
And the protagonists were the same. Former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, a canny opponent for current president Serzh Sargsyan, addressed the crowd. He is credited with whipping up the anger that led to the clashes in 2008.
The protesters actual demand are hard to decipher. They, broadly, want their lives improved and the economy strengthen. No easy task for the government which is having to navigate the country through a tricky economic environment.
What is different now is the opposition’s cry that moving into Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union and away from the European Union is partly to blame for the general malaise. If the opposition can harness this, they may make more headway.
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 14 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – As part of Kyrgyzstan’s move towards membership of the Russia-led Customs Union, it has started preparing to export processed meat to Russia, media reported.
This is, potentially, significant as it shows just how the Customs Union, which turns into the Eurasian Economic Union, can help the poorer parts of the former Soviet Union.
It also shows how Russia is looking to its neighbours and allies for economic support to help it cope with the sanctions that the West has thrown over it.
Armenian cheese producers, for example, have said that they could export more cheese to Russia to make up for the shortfall of from France and other parts of the European Union.
Now the Kyrgyz news website 24.kg has quoted the agriculture minister as saying that he had spoken to his Russian counterpart and asked for guidance on bringing the meat processing industry in Kyrgyzstan up to standard for imports to Russia.
“Until now, the export of this product is prohibited. We asked about test batches in order for our businesses to start to explore the markets of Russia in anticipation of entering the Customs Union,” he said.
“The Minister gave a positive response and concluded a verbal agreement.”
Kyrgyzstan intends to join the Eurasian Economic Union, which also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan, next year. Armenia has also agreed to join the bloc.
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s parliament passed a raft of economic reforms that paved the way for its accession into the Russia-led Customs Union. Kyrgyzstan wants to join the Customs Union by the end of this year. The Customs Union will morph into the Eurasian Economic Union at the start of 2015.
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(News report from Issue No. 203, published on Oct. 8 2014)
OCT. 3 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s government approved a draft treaty for joining the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, media reported.
The treaty should be signed by Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus at the end of summit this week in Minsk, paving the way for Armenia to join the group by the end of the year.
This is a critical moment in modern Armenian history. Armenia has been pulling away from the EU. By making the final jump into the Eurasian Economic Union, or Customs Union as it is currently known, Armenia will be confirming its pro-Russia allegiance.
The Eurasian Economic Union is mainly an economic union although it brings with it a more pro-Russia general alliance. And with Russia’s involvement in Ukraine that is, currently, a controversial stance.
But Armenia sees itself as having few options. It is surrounded by enemies and needs Russian support to bolster both its economy and military.
Leonid Slutsky, the chairman of the Russian parliament’s committee on Eurasian integration, was candid in on the merits of an enlarged Eurasian Economic Union.
“The Eurasian Economic Union will be a powerful regional economic union, which will inevitably expand,” he said according to the ITAR-Tass news agency. “Apart from completely new regional economic architecture, the EEU will certainly become a powerful barrier on the way of those who are today trying to build unipolar world.”
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(News report from Issue No. 203, published on Oct. 8 2014)
OCT. 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – As well as boosting gas exports to neighbouring Iran, Turkmenistan now wants to increase electricity supplies. Under President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan has become a major energy exporter across the Middle East. Earlier this year it agreed to boost gas supplies to Iran.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 203, published on Oct. 8 2014)