Although President Viktor Yanukovych publicly portrays his foreign policy as multi-vector – balancing between Russia and the West – in reality, there has been a substantial shift in Ukraine’s orientation toward Russia (see EDM, November 3, 2009, January 20, 2010, January 29, 2010). Yanukovych’s multi-vectorism is pro-Russian in contrast to the pro-Western multi-vectorism pursued by President Leonid Kuchma.

• May 16, 2012

Could soccer succeed where a revolution, diplomacy and an age-old fear of Russia has failed?

• May 15, 2012

Iran's talks with the UN nuclear watchdog about Tehran's atomic activities are going well, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday, the second day of discussions.

• May 15, 2012

Kyrgyzstan may become a new member of the Customs Union in the near future. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev promised to help in removing existing barriers to join this organization. Kazakhstan is one of Kyrgyzstan's major political and economic partners.

• May 12, 2012

The Iranian Energy Ministry said it expects to secure export contracts for electricity with the Syrian and Lebanese governments in the near future.

• May 12, 2012

Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics during April 2012

Key Points:

• Turkey continues to work with Arab and Western allies to intensify pressure on Syria. After hosting the 1 April 2012, Friends of Syria group meeting, Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan responds to Syrian forces firing on a Turkish refugee camp by openly considering invoking NATO’s Article 5 on mutual defence.
• The Fethullah Gulen Movement’s influence on Turkey is re-examined following a somewhat controversial expose in the 24 April edition of The New York Times.
• A pricing dispute between the Kurdish Autonomous Government in Northern Iraq and the national government threatens Turkish crude supplies, while the TANAP pipeline agreement between Azerbaijan and Turkey should be signed by the end of the month.
• NABUCCO loses a Hungarian stakeholder while Turkish gas pipelines operator, BOTAS, cuts down its own stake in Brussels’ pipeline project. However, all is not lost in breaking Gazprom’s dominant grip on European gas supplies, as TANAP will likely connect to the revamped NABUCCO West project.
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• May 12, 2012

Kazakhstan will provide all needed support to the economical reforms in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakh Prime-Minister Karim Masimov said at a meeting with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atmbayev on Friday, Kyrgyz President's press-service reported.

• May 11, 2012

The process of joining customs union may take an accelerated pace, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said during the visit of the President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev in Astana, Novosti-Kazakhstan agency says.

• May 10, 2012