 RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova Report 06.05.2009 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova. For more stories on Eastern Europe, please visit and bookmark our Eastern Europe page . |
| Belarus  In From The Cold, But Unrepentant Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is back and buoyant, with big ideas and a five-year-old heir. And hints that he might offer government jobs to political opponents could prove the only bright spot for detractors, as Europe appears to embrace an authoritarian leader without reforming him in the least. More  Lukashenka's Grand Ecumenical Ambitions Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his campaign of wooing the West. More Inspired by The Atlantic's mock "World Leaders" Facebook group, RFE/RL presents a Facebook-style summary of last week's events. More  The Boy, The Pope, And Lukashenka Whoever is doing Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's PR at the moment, it seems to be working wonders. Although many Italian newspapers were full of criticism of their government for being the first to help break Lukashenka's diplomatic isolation, the defining image was not "Lukashenka the dictator," but "Lukashenka the father." More  Lukashenka's Big Day Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is meeting the pope today, only slightly upstaged by the pontiff's meeting with Charles and Camilla. More Lukashenka's Pre-Meeting Jitters Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka clearly has a little meeting anxiety this week. The word is that EU leaders are already constructing elaborate strategies to avoid an impromptu handshake with "Europe's last dictator" at the EU summit in Prague on May 7. (It's also possible that the invitation to Belarus was on condition that Lukashenka send someone else.) More  Georgian War Games Begin Amid Russian Criticism NATO has launched military exercises in Georgia under a storm of criticism from Russia and following a rebellion in the Georgian military. More  Moldovan Communists Urge Opposition To Vote Moldova's ruling Communist Party is asking three opposition parties to reverse plans to block the election of the country's next president in an effort to force early parliamentary elections, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. More  Moldova's President Confirms He Won't Attend EU Summit Outgoing Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin says he will not attend the European Union's Eastern Partnership summit in Prague on May 7 and will send Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan instead. More  'Twitter Revolution' Journalist Freed From House Arrest The Moldovan Court of Appeals has released journalist Natalia Morar from house arrest in the capital, Chisinau, where she had been confined for her role in the so-called "Twitter Revolution," RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. More Eastern Partnership -- The EU's Accidental Sphere Of Influence The European Union's decision to set up its Eastern Partnership with six ex-Soviet republics, to be formally launched at a summit in Prague on May 7, takes the bloc into uncharted waters. Having run into stiff Russian resistance, the project will test the EU's resolve as it continues to promote reforms and stability beyond its eastern borders. More  EU Seems To Be Getting Serious About Southern Energy The EU's energy summit in Prague on May 8 -- with leaders of key Central Asian and South Caucasian states, as well as Turkey -- will mark a milestone in the bloc's effort to lessen its dependence on Russian fossil energy reserves, key among them natural gas. Senior EU officials briefing journalists in Brussels ahead of the summit said the bloc is prepared to give "whatever" political, economic, and financial support needed to pipeline projects needed to forge direct links with countries around the Caspian Sea. More  Financial Crisis Causing Drop In Media Freedom Worldwide A report by the U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House says the global financial crisis is having a negative impact on freedom of the press. Released ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the report indicates that the crisis is providing oppressive governments with new tools to tighten their grip on the media. More  Making The EU's Eastern Partnership An Ideal Fit For All The draft of a document slated for release at an upcoming EU Eastern Partnership summit suggests the bloc is struggling to make the program an ideal fit. The debate reflects the inconvenient reality that most invitees fall far short of the democratic and rights standards promoted by the EU itself. More Crimean Tatar organizations in Ukraine’s Crimea are protesting a decision to introduce bilingual traffic signs on the peninsula’s roads, according to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. More  Are EU-Russia Relations Stuck In A Loop? Despite more than a decade of close relations, the European Union and Russia remain at cross-purposes on most fundamental policy issues. A fresh Russia-EU meeting served to underline the depth of the disagreement between the two parties on issues stretching from democratization to economic reform. More  Koran Fully Translated Into Ukrainian For The First Time A scholar at the National University Ostroh Academy in Ukraine's Rivne Oblast has accomplished the first-ever full translation of the Koran into Ukrainian, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More |
