1/19/15 1/23/15

On Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met for bilateral talks in
Berlin. Chancellor Merkel noted that Germany is interested in
expanding cooperation with Azerbaijan and in helping the
country diversify its economy. Ahead of the meeting, Human
Rights Watch has been urging Merkel to pressure Aliyev to
free jailed journalists, human rights activists, and government
critics. In 2014, Azerbaijan jailed 34 people criticizing the
government and passed laws against independent groups and
NGOs.
AzerNews
RFE/RL

On Friday, the Minister of the Interior Affairs, Alexander

Tchikaidze, submitted a letter of resignation to the Prime
Minister. Tchikaidze cited allegations against him of
protecting the culprits involved in the death of Zurab
Vazagashvili in 2006 as a reason behind his decision to step
down. The allegations were voiced by Vazagashvilis father,
who died in an explosion on January 20. Georgian
authorities say the investigation into the explosion is
ongoing.
Civil.ge
Democracy Watch

On Wednesday, thousands of Armenians publicly mourned the

death of a six-month-old baby who died due to injuries related
to Russian soldier Valery Permyakovs attack in Gyumri last
week. The baby initially survived the unmotivated assault,
which left his six family members dead. After a week of
debate, plans between the Russian and Armenian authorities
have now emerged to try Permyakov in Armenia under
Russian law. Protesters continue to rally for a trial by an
Armenian court to alleviate the potential for cover-ups.
Azatutyun
Yahoo!

On Tuesday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev,

Energy Minister Alexander Novak, and Gazprom chair
Alexei Miller met to discuss moving forward with plans to
build an alternative gas pipeline to the EU via Turkey. With
a new pipeline, Turkey will have annual gas transit of 63
billion cubic meters. Novak also said that Gazprom is
working closely with Turkey on the pipelines details. In
December 2014, Russia dropped the South Stream
Transport pipeline project due to EU opposition.
New York Times

Oil & Gas Tech

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with his Indian

counterpart Manohar Parrikar in India on Wednesday to
discuss fast-tracking joint military programs. In particular,
the two agreed to speed up development of the fifthgeneration fighter aircraft project, which had been stalled
since its initial inception in 2010. The two ministers
additionally discussed a separate plan to build 400 advanced
helicopters in India annually, based on a project announced
by Russian President Putin during his visit to India in
December.
Reuters
Economic Times

On Thursday, Ukrainian officials acknowledged that rebel

forces had taken control of the Donetsk airport terminal. The
airport had seen fierce fighting between pro-Russian
separatists from the self-declared Donetsk Peoples Republic
(DPR) and the Ukrainian army in recent days, due to its
holding symbolic value as the governments last point of
control in the city. Ukrainian military spokesman Vladyslav
Seleznyov announced that six Ukrainian soldiers had died in
the fighting, while 16 were captured by DPR forces.
New York Times

The Guardian

Political activist Yury Rubtsou declared an indefinite hunger

strike on Thursday to protest salary levels in Belarus.
Rubtsou, currently serving 18 months in an open-type
correctional facility for allegedly assaulting a judge, has been
protesting a statement made recently by the government that
the average monthly salary in Belarus is $600 per month.
Rubtsou supposedly demanded a job with such a salary in an
effort to prove that the actual average salary is much lower.
He is also calling for a release of all political prisoners.
RFE/RL

Charter 97

On Friday, two pro-European parties have agreed to form a

minority government in Moldova after months of
negotiations following the parliamentary elections of the
last year. The Liberal Democratic Party and Democratic
Party formed the Alliance for European Moldova. The
Alliance doesnt include Liberal Party, which holds similar
pro-European stands yet abstained from joining the
coalition. The Communists and pro-Russian Socialist Party
received 38% of votes in the elections, falling short of the
majority needed to form a government.
RFE/RL
Ipn.md

Prosecutor General Aida Salyanova resigned from her post,

announced the Kyrgyz government on Tuesday. National
Security Committee spokesman Rakhat Sulaimanov
confirmed that Salyanovas husband and aide to the Justice
Minister, Bakyt Abdykaparov, is suspected of involvement in
corruption. Salyanova was herself considered by many to be
a symbol of the governments anti-corruption drive, as she
oversaw high-profile cases against corrupt ministers in the
government.
RFE/RL
Times of Central Asia

A light passenger plane crashed over the southern Zhambyl

region on Tuesday, killing all but one of the seven people on
board. The plane, owned by the Kazakhmys copper mine,
had set off from the northern region of Karaganda en route
to a remote mine when it crashed for unknown reasons. The
government of Kazakhstan has created a commission to
determine the cause of the crash.
Reuters

Trend.az

The Permanent Council of the Collective Security Treaty

Organization (CSTO) held its first meeting of the year in
Moscow on Thursday. Tajikistan has taken over presidency
of the CSTO for 2015, with Tajikistans representative at
the CSTO, Badriddin Mirzoyev, elected Chairman of the
CSTO Permanent Council during Thursdays meeting.

TASS

BelTA

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Asia Daniel

Rosenblum announced that the United States is giving
Uzbekistan hundreds of military vehicles, including 308
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) and
20 Armored Recovery Vehicles. The deal would mark the
largest U.S. transfer of MRAPs under the Excess Defense
Articles program. Rosenblum also says that the U.S. has
made similar offers to other Central Asian countries, with
Tajikistan and Kazakhstan expressing interest.
VoA

EurasiaNet

On Tuesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani formally

presented his list of nominees for cabinet positions to the
lower house of Parliament to begin confirmation proceedings.
On Wednesday, the lower house sent a letter to President
Ghani challenging the eligibility of seven candidates who
have dual nationalities, requesting that the candidates drop
their second nationality or be replaced by new nominees. The
nominee to head the finance ministry, Jilani Popal, has
withdrawn his name from the list to retain his dual nationality.
Voice of America

Reuters

On Monday, the Iranian government confirmed the death of

Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi in Syria on
Sunday. Allahdadi was reportedly in Syria advising the
Syrian government and was killed in a suspected Israeli air
raid that also killed several Hezbollah fighters. The Israeli
government has not formally commented on the attack.
While addressing reporters on Wednesday, Iranian Defense
Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan denounced the
Israeli attack and threatened a "crushing response."
Fars News

New York Times

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov met

with his Afghan counterpart President Ashraf Ghani in
Ashgabat on Wednesday to discuss increased cooperation
between the two countries. In particular, Berdymukhamedov
and Ghani emphasized the importance of bilateral economic
ties and cooperation in the energy and transportation sectors.
President Ghani was in Ashgabat for a two-day state visit,
accompanied by other Afghan government officials.
Vestnik Kavkaza

AzerNews

Turquoise Hill Resources, the majority owner of the Oyu

Tolgoi mine, announced on Monday that production at the
mine had returned to full capacity following a fire in
December. The company said the mine had produced 148,400
tons of copper and 589,000 ounces of gold in concentrates in
2014. These figures were in line with previous forecasts.
Forecasts for 2015 predict production in the range of 175,000
to 195,000 tons of copper and 600,000 to 700,000 ounces of
gold in concentrates. Repairs to the mine were completed on
January 2, 2015.
Reuters
Mining.com

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov confirmed that a treaty on the

Estonian-Russian border will be ratified soon. I am certain
that the treaty will be ratified. In Estonia this process has not
been completed yet, either, Lavrov noted. The state borders
between Russia and Estonia were agreed upon in 2005 after
nearly 11 years of talks. However, the treaty that was signed
shortly afterwards has not been yet ratified. Talks between the
two countries resumed in 2012.
ITAR-TASS

Estonian Public Broadcasting

In Davos, Switzerland, Lithuanian President Dalia

Grybauskaite met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
on Thursday to discuss the security situation in the country.
The President said that its not possible for the European
Union to consider lifting sanctions against Russia, which
continues an open terrorism and an open military
offensive against its neighbor Ukraine.

Xartiya

Bloomberg

The first Latvian militant who joined pro-Russian separatists

in the eastern Ukraine has been killed in action, according to
an online outlet covering the Ukrainian conflict. The
separatist and Latvian citizen was identified as Kushnir
Rodion, who also called himself Deniss Morozovs on social
media. Rodion claimed to be a volunteer from Latvia and
was part of the ''Vostok'' battalion. He supposedly died on
January 21st by a bullet wound.
BNN

Leta

Czech Armed Forces spokeswoman Jana Rikov

announced on Monday that the Czech army will participate
in several large NATO military training exercises in 2015. In
August, around 1,400 Czech troops will take part in a NATO
operation in Hohenfels, Germany, with Czech heavy armor,
artillery, paratroopers, and L-159 fighters. Czech helicopter
pilots will train in France and Austria in June to prepare for
an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
Global Times

Prague Post

The United States has offered to sell Slovakia Sikorsky UH-60

Black Hawk military helicopters under the Foreign Military
Sales (FMS) fund of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Slovakian defense minister said that he plans to brief the
government, Security Council and Parliamentary Defense
Committee about the offer. The deal is estimated to be worth of
300 million euros (US $348 million). The helicopters will be
supplied over the course of next six years.
Spectator

Defense News

In a speech made on Sunday, Prime Minister Orban urged the

EU to tighten immigration laws to discourage abuse of the rules
for asylum-seekers. Orban stated that many people applying for
political asylum are actually economic migrants, and he warned
that Hungary should not become a destination for immigrants
seeking a new livelihood. Political analysts have said that this
anti-immigration rhetoric is being used to divert attention away
from more unpopular local measures, like an expanded toll road
system.
Wall Street Journal

ABC

Poland has been one of the countries most affected by the

Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources threatened on
surging value of the franc resulting from the Swiss National
Tuesday to bring a dispute with the Romanian government to
Banks decision last week to end a three-year cap on the value
international arbitration over derailed plans for the Rosia
of the currency. Over half a million Poles have taken out francMontana gold mine. Plans for the mine have been in the works
denominated mortgages, totaling approximately $35 billion.
for over 15 years. While developers say the mine would create
Polish Finance Minister Mateusz Szczurek has encouraged
hundreds of local jobs and boost Romanias economy, experts
Polish banks to abide by a pain-sharing agreement and pass on
have also warned about extensive pollution risks and damage to
the negative interest rates in Switzerland to mortgage holders.
Romanian mountain chains. The plan has been gridlocked since
The cut in
Swiss borrowing costs may lower interest income for
2013, when the Romanian Parliament vetoed a bill to begin
of-cease-fire-deal?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=world
Polish banks by up to $195 million.
construction on the mine.
Bloomberg
Reuters
Financial Times
Yahoo!

Last Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pledged to

support Bulgaria in its efforts to grow less dependent on
Russian energy. At the launch of an annual strategic dialogue
between the two NATO members, Kerry also announced that
the U.S. will send an energy envoy to Sofia to work out largescale energy projects, including on a deal to build a new
nuclear reactor on the Danube. Bulgaria reluctantly halted
work on Russias South Stream pipeline due to EU and U.S.
pressure, while it continues to be 90% dependent on Russian
gas.
New York Times
Reuters

Albania signed an open skies agreement with Singapore on

Monday to allow designated airlines to fly between the two
countries. Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati signed the
agreement with his Singaporean counterpart K Shanmugam
after a meeting between the two ministers to discuss increasing
bilateral cooperation. Bushati was in Singapore on a three-day
official visit, accompanied by senior officials.
Straits Times

Balkans.com

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos,

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vui met with Sberbank
CEO German Gref, where Vui emphasized the importance
of Russian-Serbian economic cooperation and Sberbanks
critical role in the relationship. Sberbank was sanctioned in
2014 by the European Union and United States for its ties to
the Russian government over the crisis in Ukraine.

InSerbia

Blic

On Tuesday, the Macedonian Parliament approved a ban on

same-sex marriage with a 72-4 vote. The constitutional
amendment, which still requires presidential approval, defines
marriage as "a life union solely of one woman and one man"
and mandates a two-thirds majority to approve any future
changes to the definition. An earlier version of the
amendment included a ban on same-sex civil unions and
partnerships, but that clause was removed after objections
from the Council of Europe that such a ban was incompatible
with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Amnesty International
Jurist

The International Court of Justice in The Hague has reached

a decision on the competing Croatian and Serbian genocide
cases and is expected to announce the ruling on February 3.
In 1999, the Republic of Croatia filed a lawsuit against the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on the bases of the
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide. With the transformation of the FRY into Serbia
and Montenegro in 2006, Serbia is considered its legal
successor. The Republic of Serbia counter-filed a suit in 2010
accusing Croats of World War II persecution of Serbs.
InSerbia
B92

On Thursday, the construction of a long-awaited underwater

electrical cable that will connect Italy and Montenegro was
launched. According to the agreement that was signed in 2010
between the two countries, the 775-million-euros worth cable
will run 390km under the Adriatic sea, enabling Montenegro
to export energy from renewable sources to Italy. The
construction is planned to be concluded by 2017.

Turkish Weekly

Ansa

Hundreds of miners at the Trepa mine in Kosovo went on

strike on Tuesday, refusing to resurface after their shift and
demanding that the Kosovo government nationalize the
mine. Last week, the Kosovo government announced that it
would nationalize the mine to protect it from
dismemberment by creditors, but reversed the decision after
a furious response from Serbia, which claims ownership of
75% of Trepa. The strike ended on Thursday after the
Kosovo government promised to reconsider its position.
Voice of America

Reuters

On Wednesday, Slovenian Finance Minister Dusan Mramor

announced that Slovenias foreign debt is expected to rise to
83% of economic output by the end of 2015, before falling in
2016. Mramor emphasized the governments commitment to
privatization to reduce the debt. The Slovenian government
earmarked 15 companies for privatization in 2013 but only
three have been sold so far. State-owned Telekom Slovenije,
which is worth about $1 billion, and Slovenias second-largest
bank, Nova KBM, are up for privatization by the end of next
month.
Developing Telecoms
Reuters

On Thursday, Bosnian Foreign Trade Minister Boris Tucic

resigned amid government plans to sell military arms to
Ukraine. The pro-Russian Bosnian Serb nationalist President
Milorad Dodik said that Tucic, also Bosnian Serb and
member of Dodiks party, had resigned due to pressure over
the sale. Dodik also said that Tucic was guided by his partys
principle of not selling arms to a country at war with
Russia. Bosnias three-way government has been split over
the crisis in Ukraine.
B92
Global Post