{"id":8881,"date":"2021-12-13T22:35:18","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T22:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lossi36.com\/?p=8881"},"modified":"2022-03-20T18:54:56","modified_gmt":"2022-03-20T18:54:56","slug":"lossi-36-weekly-38-news-highlights-from-central-europe-to-central-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lossi36.com\/2021\/12\/13\/lossi-36-weekly-38-news-highlights-from-central-europe-to-central-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Lossi 36 Weekly #38: news highlights from Central Europe to Central Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Subscribe to our Weekly<\/span><\/i> here<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

In this week’s newsletter<\/strong> \ud83d\udcee: The\u00a0Biden-Putin<\/strong>\u00a0phone call, mass protests in\u00a0Serbia<\/strong>,\u00a0Russia<\/strong>‘s “3+3” consultative platform on the\u00a0Southern Caucasus<\/strong>,\u00a0Kyrgyzstan’s Japarov\u00a0<\/strong>to cut MPs’ benefits, Deputy Justice Minister resigns over bribery accusations in\u00a0Hungary<\/strong>, coalition negotiations in\u00a0Bulgaria<\/strong>,\u00a0Gazprom Media\u00a0<\/strong>to take over\u00a0VKontakte<\/strong>,\u00a0and much more<\/strong>!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2b50\ufe0f\u00a0This week’s special<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Putin and Biden hold online meeting over escalating tensions in Ukraine<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/span>
Rachele Colombo\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

On 7 December, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden held their s<\/span>econd\u00a0bilateral meeting<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 the\u00a0first was held in Geneva earlier this year \u2013 over Western fears of invasion of Ukraine. This time, the call follows the build up of tens of thousands of Russian troops along the Russia-Ukraine border over the last weeks. During the meeting, President Biden \u2013 besides confirming his support to Ukraine \u2013 warned<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Putin that if Russia were to invade Ukraine, it would face \u201cstrong economic and other measures,\u201d among which is supposed to be the suspension of the North Stream 2 pipeline. As a response, Putin rejected any accusation of Russia\u2019s intention to attack, underlying that its deployment of troops along its southern border is purely defensive. Putin also demanded for legally binding guarantees proving that NATO has no intention of expanding eastward, since it was approaching what he called a \u201cred line<\/strong><\/a>,\u201d thus threatening Russia. As it stands, the leaders\u2019 call does not seem to have\u00a0solved<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0the crisis: Russia is unlikely to remove its troops from the Ukrainian border, while Biden did not to provide any guarantee concerning NATO expansion plans to the east.<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf3a<\/b> In the Balkans…<\/b><\/h3>\n

Serbian government backs down in face of nationwide protests.\u00a0<\/strong>Serbia\u2019s government has withdrawn proposed amendments<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to laws on the organisation of local and national referenda put forth by public initiatives. The move came\u00a0after mass protests<\/strong><\/a>, some of the largest and most widespread Serbia had seen in years, blocked major highways and roads for two weekends in a row, with threats of further action, should the government push forward with its plans. The\u00a0now-withdrawn amendments<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0would have radically limited the ability of civil society to initiate and organise referenda. Some suggested that the amendments were being pushed through parliament with little public consultation in a bid to hasten the confirmation and construction of what will be Europe\u2019s largest lithium mine, which has been a source of strong environmental concerns. The protests, together with the ensuing U-turn by President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107\u2019s government, could be seen as the start of a potential major challenge to the government in the lead up to general and presidential elections next spring.<\/p>\n

\u26f0\ufe0f In the Caucasus…<\/b><\/h3>\n

Russia launches new \u201c3+3\u201d platform for the Southern Caucasus. <\/strong>Last Friday, Russia\u00a0hosted<\/strong><\/a> the first meeting\u00a0of the consultative regional platform \u201c3+3\u201d. The discussion was organised at the level of deputy foreign ministers and included representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Turkey, with Georgia refusing to participate. Proposed<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0by Azerbaijan and Turkey, and announced by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in early October, the platform\u00a0aims<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to bring together the three countries of the South Caucasus and their three \u201cbig\u201d neighbours to create \u201ca mechanism for consultations and approving decisions for the accelerated development\u201d in the region. The initiative is also meant to facilitate the implementation of the trilateral declaration signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia to end last year\u2019s war between the former two nations. Ironically enough, the first meeting of the platform comes during a time when multiple violations of the ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan are\u00a0reported<\/strong><\/a>, with two soldiers reportedly wounded and one killed on the respective sides.<\/p>\n

Georgia\u2019s friendships grow strained.\u00a0<\/strong>Georgian Dream\u2019s (GD) democratic backsliding has caused increasingly\u00a0tense<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0relationships with Georgia\u2019s most main allies over the past year. Top GD officials, including the party\u2019s chairman, are\u00a0clashing<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0with current and former US ambassadors, to the point of questioning the current ambassador\u2019s credentials. This is a sign of how far the relationship between the administrations has deteriorated. Maintaining US support is crucial, as the door to NATO membership remains all but\u00a0closed<\/strong><\/a>. NATO\u2019s special representative has expressed\u00a0concern over GD\u2019s withdrawal from the April 19th agreement and its impact on the accession process. What should be further concerning\u00a0to GD, is that while their partnerships have floundered, Abkhazia\u2019s friendships have strengthened. At the end of November, Abkhazia\u2019s leader Aslan Bzhania laid out plans for a\u00a0new embassy<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Nicaragua. On 6 December, the Abkhazian and Chinese ambassadors to Syria\u00a0met<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Damascus to discuss foreign policy. Abkhazia has an honorary consul in Beijing, despite the lack of recognition.<\/span>
\nRead an analysis of Georgia’s increasingly complicated relationship with Ukraine\u00a0on our website<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udee4<\/b> In Central Asia…<\/b><\/h3>\n

Japarov slashes MPs\u2019 benefits to totally minimise expenses.\u00a0<\/strong>President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov has moved to\u00a0cut<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0most benefits of the members of parliament, in a move to save money for the maintenance of the parliament. The state will no longer provide ministers of parliament with apartments and vehicles, along with many other benefits. Speaking to Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty\u2019s Current Time service, Evgeniya Strokova explained that in addition to an already meagre MP\u2019s salary of $300 per month, they were previously meant to receive an allowance of $470 for stationery, ink, and business trips, which has now been completely cut. However, Strokova says that in practice hardly any of these benefits were being delivered to members of parliament beforehand anyway, and called the move \u201cpopulist\u201d.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude83<\/b> In Central Europe…<\/b><\/h3>\n

China temporarily removes Lithuania from customs amid Taiwan-related tensions. <\/strong>Following a severing in ties between Lithuania and China, Lithuanian goods were\u00a0not admitted<\/strong><\/a> in Chinese ports during the first days of December following a sudden removal<\/strong><\/a> of Lithuania from China\u2019s customs declaration systems. As of 7 December, however, Lithuania reappeared<\/strong><\/a> in China\u2019s customs registries, although without<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0a confirmation of the temporary ban from Chinese authorities. However, it is\u00a0reported<\/strong><\/a> that China warned multinational companies to interrupt relations with Lithuania. Overall, these occurrences are interpreted as an attempt by Beijing to penalize the Baltic country, along with a downgrading of diplomatic relations, as a response to the opening<\/strong><\/a> of a representative office of Taiwan in Vilnius. The Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis asked for<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0support from the European Commission in a\u00a0letter<\/strong><\/a>, urging for a firm EU-level response \u201cin order to send a signal to China that politically motivated economic pressure is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hungarian Deputy Minister of Justice V\u00f6lner resigns over bribery accusations.\u00a0<\/strong>On 7 December, P\u00e1l V\u00f6lner, a deputy justice minister and a Fidesz MP\u00a0was accused<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0of corruption by Hungary\u2019s chief prosecutor P\u00e9ter Polt, who also demanded V\u00f6lner\u2019s parliamentary immunity to be revoked. V\u00f6lner is suspected of agreeing to take up specific cases in return for bribes amounting to 2-5 million HUF from the Chamber of the Judicial Officer\u2019s President, where he also serves as a commissioner. Despite having denied the accusation, V\u00f6lner\u00a0resigned<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from his position in the justice ministry. An opposition party\u00a0called<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for Justice Minister Judit Varga\u2019s resignation for allowing the corruption to happen. V\u00f6lner\u2019s name was mentioned in the Pegasus spyware scandal, which was\u00a0neither denied nor confirmed<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0by Minister Varga.<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfe2<\/b> In Eastern Europe…<\/b><\/h3>\n

Is Bulgaria\u2019s election marathon about to end?\u00a0<\/strong>In Bulgaria\u2019s third parliamentary election this year, yet another new political force managed to win the most seats in the National Assembly. After the surprising win of \u201cThere is Such a People\u201d in July, the newly formed \u201cWe Continue the Change\u201d, led by two businessmen and Harvard graduates, Kiril Petkov and Assen Vassilev, shook<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0the country\u2019s party system once again on 14 November. Petkov and Vassilev were both ministers in the caretaker government of Rumen Radev, who\u00a0got re-elected<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0as the country\u2019s president last month. A coalition government is currently being\u00a0negotiated<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0between \u201cWe Continue the Change\u201d, \u201cThere is Such a People\u201d, the Bulgarian Socialist Party and \u201cYes, Bulgaria\u201d.<\/p>\n

UK and Ukraine hold Strategic Dialogue meeting.\u00a0<\/strong>On 8 December, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss\u00a0met<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in London in the framework of the UK-Ukraine Strategic Dialogue. Topics discussed included defence and security, trade, conflict and stabilization, climate change and energy security, and culture and people-to-people contacts. As a result of the meeting, Truss and Kuleba\u00a0signed<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0a joint communiqu\u00e9 and designed ways to strengthen UK-Ukraine cooperation at all levels in 2022 and beyond. Both sides\u00a0agreed<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on a common position regarding North\u00a0Stream 2, which they consider to be a \u201cgeopolitical project\u201d undermining the energy security of Europe and Ukraine. Moreover, the UK\u00a0reaffirmed<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0its readiness to help the Ukrainian Interior Ministry fortify Ukraine\u2019s borders and combat illegal migration (discussed in relation to the migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border). It also called on Russia to de-escalate the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border, abide by its international commitments, and contribute fully to the Normandy format.<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf32<\/span> In Russia…<\/b><\/h3>\n

Gazprom Media takes over \u2018VKontakte,\u2019 Russia\u2019s biggest social network.<\/strong>\u00a0Gazprom Media, a company strongly affiliated with Russian oil and gas giant\u00a0Gazprom<\/strong><\/a>, has bought out the owners of popular social network VKontakte. VK\u2019s management has already changed: the son of top government official Sergei Kiriyenko will head the company. The name Kiriyenko might ring a bell, as it was Kiriyenko Sr. who masterminded the controversial \u2018foreign agent<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 bill. VKontakte, founded by Pavel Durov who later went on to found Telegram, currently has over 100 million users. Durov had cited \u2018pressure from the FSB<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 as a reason for selling stakes in the company, while the recent VKontakte takeover is characteristic of the Russian state\u2019s desire to control the internet in Russia. Russian companies such as Yandex or Telegram have been taken over by state actors, while foreign companies such as Google and Facebook are forced to\u00a0pay fines<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Torture in penal colonies draws Putin’s attention.<\/strong> During a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights on 9 December, President Vladimir Putin spoke<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0about instances of torture that have taken place in Russian penal colonies, seemingly raising the need of introducing \u201csystemic measures that would change the situation.\u201d Putin also noted that the Federation Council are already working on legislation to combat torture in prisons. Putin\u2019s comments follow the series of videos showing horrific instances of physical and sexual abuse in penal colonies and pre-trial detention centres in the Irkutsk, Vladimir, and Saratov regions published by human rights group\u00a0gulagu.net<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in October. These videos were taken by former inmate\u00a0Sergei Savelyev<\/strong><\/a>, a Belarusian national who smuggled the videos in a USB stick and is currently seeking asylum in France. On 25 November, Putin\u00a0sacked<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Alexander Kalashnikov, the head of Russia\u2019s Federal Penitentiary Service, a move seen as a response to the torture videos which were met with unanimous condemnation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you to this week’s contributors:<\/strong> Cameron Macbride, Francis Farrell, Thapanee Tubnonghee, Myriam Marino, Bojidar Kolov, Bart Alting, Kirsty Dick, Vira Kompaniiets, Harold Chambers, Agnieszka Wid\u0142aszewska, & Rachele Colombo\u00a0\ud83d\udc98<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Subscribe to our Weekly here. In this week’s newsletter \ud83d\udcee: The\u00a0Biden-Putin\u00a0phone call, mass protests in\u00a0Serbia,\u00a0Russia‘s “3+3” consultative platform on the\u00a0Southern Caucasus,\u00a0Kyrgyzstan’s Japarov\u00a0to cut MPs’ benefits, Deputy Justice Minister resigns over bribery accusations in\u00a0Hungary, coalition negotiations in\u00a0Bulgaria,\u00a0Gazprom Media\u00a0to take over\u00a0VKontakte,\u00a0and much more! \u2b50\ufe0f\u00a0This week’s special Putin and Biden hold online meeting over escalating tensions in Ukraine.Rachele […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oct_exclude_from_cache":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-8881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLossi 36 Weekly #38: news highlights from Central Europe to Central Asia - Lossi 36<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bringing you news, analysis, and photography from Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. 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