France to Extradite Kazakh Banker to Russia
Mukhtar Ablyazov, an opposition figure, is accused of embezzling $6bn. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Hungarian MEP ‘Spying’ for Russia May Lose Immunity
Far-right Jobbik party member Bela Kovacs, nicknamed ‘KGBela,’ allegedly covertly met Russian diplomats. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
The refugee crisis is the Visegrad Group’s moment of truth
Not many people in Europe are aware of the Visegrad Group (V4), the Central European platform for co-operation between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary that has existed for over 20 years. The Czech Republic acceded to the year-long V4 presidency, taking over from Slovakia, on 1st July and due to external circumstances can expect a...
Nordic defence cooperation: NATO or a dead-end
In its New Year forecast for 2015, The Economist said “optimism is in short supply”. It was hard to disagree then, and it still is. Escalating conflicts are causing great suffering, and the reality of increased geopolitical risk is challenging international security policies. Few observers have predicted the course of events that have unfolded....
Reforms needed to address substantial shortcomings in Belarus election, international observers say, after peaceful presidential campaign
MINSK, 12 October 2015 – The 11 October election once again indicated that Belarus still has a considerable way to go in meeting its OSCE commitments for democratic elections. This underscores the need for the political will to engage in a comprehensive reform process, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released...
Without troops withdrawal, it is too early to talk about conflict resolution in Donbas
Director of Military Programmes of the Razumkov Centre Mykola Sunhurovskyi in his comment to the news agency Ukrinform explained why the withdrawal of weapons from the contact line in Donbas does not mean final resolution of the conflict. In the long run, the withdrawal of weapons is more of an imitation. Speaking about the conflict resolution...
Russian Strikes Support Assad’s ‘Legitimate Authority’
Putin confirms Russian airstrikes in Syria aim to bolster Assad’s regime, but denies targeting non-IS opposition forces. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Lukashenka Wins Fifth Term
Belarusian president wins in another landslide, as ties with West improve. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Russia’s Syrian entanglement: Can the West sit back and watch?
For observers who are confined by the boundaries of conventional strategic sense, every day of Russia’s military intervention in Syria brings fresh surprises. Indiscriminate strikes against Turkey-backed and CIA-trained opposition groups (which could not possibly be mistaken for ISIS) were followed by deliberate violations of Turkey’s...
Youth from minority communities in Georgia increasingly interested in learning Georgian through multilingual education, OSCE HCNM-commissioned study concludes
Georgia: one State, many languages Young people from ethnic minority communities in Georgia are increasingly interested in learning the Georgian language as a means to improve their socio-economic opportunities, the “Research Study on Multilingual Education in Georgia” commissioned by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM)...
