ISSUE #2
01/23/2012
On 20 January 2012, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said that Ukraine and Russia are nearing the final stage of gas negotiations.
At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine considers the setting up of a trilateral consortium for managing the gas transportation system the only possible option. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 06.02.2012  |  External Relations
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ISSUE #1
01/16/2011
The next round of the gas talks between Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boyko and Gazprom's CEO Aleksey Miller will be held in Moscow on 17 January. The Ukrainian news and analysis website Lb.ua quoted Miller as telling Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on 10 January 2012 that in the process of the negotiations, the Ukrainian party was linking a gas price discount to the setting up of a gas transportation consortium between the two countries. According to Miller, if Ukraine purchases 40bn cu.m. of gas, the discount will be 9bn dollars annually. At the same time, the Gazprom CEO said that the Ukrainian gas transportation system is worth 20bn dollars. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 06.02.2012  |  External Relations
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Karabakh conflict

Angela Khachatryan, the Zhamanak (Time), www.1in.am portal (Armenia)
- Mr. Terterov, what effect can the crisis in Europe have on the countries of association partners to the EU, of which Armenia is one?

MT: I think the main point to take here is the question of whether countries in the EU’s Eastern Partnership framework, or those coming into the wider-European Neighbourhood context, are a priority for EU external relations strategies. Clearly, some countries come higher up the EU pegging order than others. This also depends on which EU member states holds important positions in the EU institutions, including the rotational presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the foreign policy strategies which those countries entertain. Clearly, when France holds the presidency, one can assume that greater EU external policy resources will be directed towards the South Bank Mediterranean countries. This is also likely to be the case even more so now with the EU having to show its “interest” in the region in way of developments associated with the Arab Spring. When Poland, for example, holds the presidency, it is likely greater EU foreign policy resources will be directed towards Ukraine and Belarus. READ MORE

• EGF Editorial  |  Published on EGF: 05.02.2012  |  External Relations
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Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics during December 2011

Key Points:

• The TSK mistakenly bombs unarmed Kurdish smugglers near the Iraqi border, adding yet another incident that sets back Turkish-Kurdish relations and possibly fueling further violence.
• Military, economic and political ties are severed between France and NATO ally Turkey following the National Assembly’s vote to move an Armenian genocide bill forward.
• Turkey’s Central Bank sells off over $1 billion in dollars to combat rising inflation, though by month’s end the rate had surpassed 10%.
• Azerbaijan and Turkey agree to a new gas transport and supply deal for the Shah Deniz field, upsetting some in Brussels who feel the new pipeline could undermine the time consuming progress for NABUCCO. READ MORE

• EGF Editorial  |  Published on EGF: 21.01.2012  |  External Relations
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Following the earthquake on October 23, 2011, a second powerful tremor struck eastern Turkey on November 9, killing 40 people including a Japanese rescue worker and two Turkish journalists who were covering the aftermath of the October quake.
The strong quake came on top of a severe cold snap that left much of the province of Van covered in snow, as refugees in the stricken city of Ecris continued to live out of tents. READ MORE

• EGF Editorial  |  Published on EGF: 30.12.2011  |  External Relations
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ISSUE #38
11/07/2011
The visit by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has yielded no significant result. On November 4, 2011, Max Alier, the IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine, announced that the fund has decided to take a pause in negotiations with Ukraine “to enable some additional technical work to be carried out.” “Policy discussions are expected to resume in the near future,” he noted. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 23.11.2011  |  External Relations
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ISSUE #40
11/21/2011
On 17 November 2011, the Supreme Council of Ukraine adopted a new draft law on electing MPs. As many as 366 lawmakers voted in favour of the bill, with 226 votes being the required minimum for its adoption. Both representatives of the majority and the opposition participated in the vote. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 23.11.2011  |  External Relations
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ISSUE #39
11/14/2011
On 14 November 2011, a temporary special commission for drawing up a new electoral law continued its work. The commission was set up on 3 November 2011. It is noteworthy that it has not achieved any results in its first week of work. The main reason can be attributed to the disagreements regarding the key provisions of the electoral draft law which arise among the MPs representing both the majority and the opposition. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 23.11.2011  |  External Relations
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ISSUE #37
10/31/2011
On 27 October 2011, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the current situation in Ukraine. The resolution sets out support for Ukraine's prospects to join the EU. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 02.11.2011  |  External Relations
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ISSUE #36
10/24/2011
On 20 October 2011, Ukraine and the EU announced that they had completed negotiations on setting up a free trade area (FTA). “After intensive talks, we managed to agree all the key parameters of an FTA agreement,” the Ukrainian first deputy prime minister and minister of economic development and trade, Andriy Klyuyev, said. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 25.10.2011  |  External Relations
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