Robert Parsons

May 19, 2005

Belarus: International Spotlight Falls On Minsk

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka (file photo) U.S. President George W. Bush delivered a quick rebuff to Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), on 17 May when the U.S. leader described Belarus as Europe's last dictatorship and praised the efforts of its neighboring countries to promote freedom in Belarus. He was speaking at the International Republican Institute in Washington, which Patrushev accused recently of plotting to undermine the government of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. As RFE/RL reports, there are signs of growing international interest in Belarus as it prepares for next year's presidential election.

May 17, 2005

Georgia/Russia: Tbilisi, Moscow Continue To Negotiate On Bases

The foreign ministers of Georgia and Russia said in Warsaw today that talks on the withdrawal of Russia's military bases from Georgia would resume soon. The two ministers are in Warsaw for a summit of the Council of Europe. Georgia's parliament had given Russia until 15 May to announce a date for withdrawal or face sanctions. There are signs though that the two sides may be moving toward a compromise.

May 14, 2005

Georgia: Calm Returns To Pankisi Gorge

In the last years of Eduard Shevardnadze's presidency in Georgia, the country's Pankisi Gorge came to be regarded as a symbol of global terrorism, kidnapping, and crime. It was claimed that Al-Qaeda used it as a training center; that Chechen fighters used it as a base for launching operations against Russia; and that it was a favorite conduit for supplying heroin to Western Europe. Georgia's new leaders say those days are over and that they have driven out the fighters and restored the state's authority. Yet Russia continues to describe the gorge as a center for international terrorism.

May 10, 2005

Georgia: 'Not An Ordinary State Visit'

Bush with Saakashvili RFE/RL correspondent Robert Parsons was in Tbilisi today for U.S. President George W. Bush's visit. These are his impressions.

May 10, 2005

Georgia: Bush Hails Tbilisi's Role In Spread Of Democracy

Tbilisi, 10 May 2005 (RFE/RL) -- U.S. President George W. Bush wrapped up his tour of Europe with a visit to Georgia, where he was greeted today by thousands of people in the center of Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili described the visit as a political triumph for his country.

May 05, 2005

Russia: Cossack Revival Gathers Momentum

They once formed the elite guard of a succession of Russian tsars and had a reputation as the fiercest soldiers in the imperial armed forces. Now, after decades of repression under communism, the Cossacks are making a comeback. Not only has Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on parliament to pass a bill formalizing the practice of recruiting Cossacks for service in the army, police and border guards, but his own presidential guard now includes two squadrons of Cossack cavalry. RFE/RL reports on a development that is making some Russians feel distinctly uneasy.

July 29, 2003