by Marat Terterov,
EGF Director

When a game breaking event takes place in the Middle East once each decade

There is a certain understanding amongst Middle East politics experts that a game breaking event of cataclysmic proportions hits the region once every ten years or so. September of this year will mark the 10^th anniversary of the unimaginable acts of terrorism which were perpetrated in New York in September 2001 by Arab suicide bombers.  These acts of violence catapulted America’s ‘War on Terror’ to the centre of Washington’s foreign policy agenda, opening the way for renewed civil war in Afghanistan and the US-led invasion of Iraq of 2003. READ MORE

• Marat Terterov  |  Published on EGF: 15.09.2011  |  Security
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Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics during August 2011
Key developments:

• Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan visits Mogadishu on a famine aid mission, the first visit by a non-African head of state in nearly 20 years. The trip is a huge boost to Turkey’s international image.
  
• Violence in the south-east of the country continues, leading to Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) cross-border raids into Iraq.
  
• Following criticism from the US Secretary of State, the justice ministry contradicts the number of journalists said to be held by Turkish authorities.
  
• Ankara continues to condemn the Syrian regime despite not calling for the resignation of President Bashar al- Assad. The country wins a seat at the Paris meeting of the new Libyan government following the apparent collapse of the Gaddafi regime.
  
• Azerbaijan and Turkey continue to negotiate a gas transit agreement, while Turkey’s reliance on foreign energy imports has reportedly increased 5 % since the AKP came to power.
  

• EGF Editorial  |  Published on EGF: 15.09.2011  |  Energy
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ISSUE #30
09/12/2011
The court in the case of the former prime minister and leader of the Fatherland Party, Yuliya Tymoshenko, has announced a break in hearings till 27 September 2011. By doing so, judge Rodion Kireyev satisfied Tymoshenko's request to give her time to get prepared for debates in court. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 15.09.2011  |  External Relations
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ISSUE #29
09/05/2011
On 5 August 2011, a Kiev district court resumed the trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko, the leader of the opposition Fatherland party. It is well known that Tymoshenko is accused of exceeding her powers when she signed gas contracts with Russia in 2009. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 12.09.2011  |  External Relations
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ISSUE #27
08/22/2011
On 22 August 2011, the Kiev Pecherskyy district court continued the trial of the former Ukrainian prime minister and the leader of the opposition Fatherland party, Yuliya Tymoshenko. Earlier, the date of the next hearing was postponed in order to conduct a medical examination of Tymoshenko, whose health, according to her supporters, has started to deteriorate for unknown reasons. It is worth mentioning that Tymoshenko's lawyers did not manage to receive permission for her examination by a private doctor. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 30.08.2011  |  External Relations
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ISSUE #28
08/29/2011
On 29 August 2011, a Kiev district court resumed the trial of the opposition Fatherland party's leader and former Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yuliya Tymoshenko. It is noteworthy that the motion to release Tymoshenko has already been dismissed 12 times by the court. Additionally, the presiding judge turned down three requests from Tymoshenko's lawyer to allow her to be examined by a personal doctor and a nurse. Only doctors representing the Ukrainian Health Ministry received permission to conduct a medical examination of the former prime minister. However, Tymoshenko refused to be examined by them and demanded that her personal doctor be allowed to see her. Earlier, supporters of the Fatherland party's leader said that Tymoshenko's health had drastically deteriorated for unknown reasons. READ MORE

• Gorshenin Weekly  |  Published on EGF: 30.08.2011  |  External Relations
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Issue 7: June-July 2011

A Snapshot Of Key Developments In The External Relations Of The Russian Gas Sector

This year, Gazprom is likely to report an income of about $60 billion from the export of 158 bcm of gas to Europe, according to expert estimates. This represents a 12 percent growth in income compared to the previous year and, according to Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom’s Board of Executive Directors, the company’s profits will be close to the record-breaking levels of 2008, when its income from exports reached $65 bn. READ MORE

• EGF Editorial  |  Published on EGF: 21.08.2011  |  Energy
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Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics during July 2011
Key developments:

• Turkey is shaken by the abrupt early retirement of the four highest-ranking military officials in the country just prior to the August meeting of the Supreme Military Council. The generals’ resignations, requesting retirement, are in protest at the continued detention of military officers as part of the “Sledgehammer” coup plot investigation.
  
• The domestic political scene calms as the Republican People’s Party (CHP) ends its parliamentary boycott, although the “independent” Peace and Democratic Party (BDP) delegates continue to refuse to be sworn in.
  
• Despite the fact that over 10,000 Syrians have crossed the border and sought refuge in Turkey, in July Ankara maintained a muted stance towards the Syrian crackdown as no viable alternative to the Assad regime has emerged.
  
• Iran, Syria and Iraq announce the Islamic Gas Pipeline project that will compete with Nabucco, while Turkey and Azerbaijan continue to argue over energy issues that could threaten the progress of the Nabucco gas pipeline
  

• EGF Editorial  |  Published on EGF: 12.08.2011  |  External Relations
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Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics during July 2011

Key Points:

• Turkey is shaken by the abrupt early retirement of the four highest-ranking military officials in the country just prior to the August meeting of the Supreme Military Council. The generals’ resignations, requesting retirement, are in protest at the continued detention of military officers as part of the “Sledgehammer” coup plot investigation.
• The domestic political scene calms as the Republican People’s Party (CHP) ends its parliamentary boycott, although the “independent” Peace and Democratic Party (BDP) delegates continue to refuse to be sworn in.
• Despite the fact that over 10,000 Syrians have crossed the border and sought refuge in Turkey, in July Ankara maintained a muted stance towards the Syrian crackdown as no viable alternative to the Assad regime has emerged.
• Iran, Syria and Iraq announce the Islamic Gas Pipeline project that will compete with Nabucco, while Turkey and Azerbaijan continue to argue over energy issues that could threaten the progress of the Nabucco gas pipeline.
READ MORE

• EGF Editorial  |  Published on EGF: 01.08.2011  |  External Relations
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The timing of this conference could not have been more appropriate, and backdrop relevant. The Arab Spring that has spread across the Middle East and North Africa highlights Turkey’s growing importance in the region and the role it can play in facilitating transition to democratic governance throughout these regions. Turkey is a secular and democratic state, and yet there has been much discussion about Turkey’s renewed ties with its neighbours. It has been viewed, by some, as evidence of Turkey turning away from its traditional alliances with the West. READ MORE

• EGF Editorial  |  Published on EGF: 21.07.2011  |  External Relations
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