Phil Cain in Graz, Austria
Tue, 27th Jul -- The international court's advisory ruling on July 22 that Kosovo's declaration of independence was not illegal can only help improve business prospects, but there is a long way to go before fears are quashed about government-meddling, corruption and lawlessness.

Clare Nuttall in Almaty
Mon, 26th Jul -- Central Asia is growing in importance as a supplier of electricity, grain and construction materials to Afghanistan. It is hoped new roads and railways criss-crossing Afghanistan will provide a shorter route to south Asia and the Gulf for these exports, but the security problem is keeping a lid on such optimism.

Clare Nuttall in Almaty
Mon, 26th Jul -- Existing investors are sticking it out in Kyrgyzstan, but no new investments are expected until at least after the next round of elections, now due to take place in October 2011. But to keep a lid on ethnic strife, the interim government needs to improve the economy quickly.

Alisher Ali of Eurasia Capital
Mon, 26th Jul -- In the vast expanse of Eurasia, a trained investor eye might notice a subtle dust cloud rising on the Mongolian steppes from the gently trotting economy. This trot is set to become an unstoppable gallop as the economy, roared on by the mining sector, emerges from the shadows of the Asian Tigers and takes its place as one of the fastest growing in the world.

bne
Mon, 26th Jul -- Both literally and figuratively, Vladivostok is as far from Moscow as it's possible to get.

Graham Stack in Kyiv
Mon, 26th Jul -- Moldova is where the International Monetary Fund (IMF) comes to feel good about itself; while loan programmes to other countries in the region have been fraught with tension and backsliding, the going has been smooth in this little overlooked corner of Central and Eastern Europe. Changes on the political front are proving less straightforward.

Genc Kondi in Tirana
Mon, 26th Jul -- According to Freedom House, corruption and the judiciary remain the biggest obstacles to Albania's democratic process, which appears to actually be going in reverse.