Features
Xi, Putin meeting: “Loud thunder but few raindrops”
Chinese President Xi Jinping took his leave of Russian President Vladimir Putin from a two-day visit to Moscow with a smile on his face. But despite the important show of solidarity, Putin got little in concrete terms from the Chinese leader.
Georgia sticking with its EU ambitions
Despite mass demonstrations in Georgia against the seemingly pro-Russian “foreign agents” law in March and growing Russian trade turnover following the start of the war in Ukraine, the government in Tbilisi remains dedicated to joining the EU.
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Russian banks earn a record profit in January as the sector starts to recover from sanctions shock
Russian banks earned profits of $3.4bn in January, the most ever for the first month of the year, but the banking sector is still limping from the shock of extreme sanctions imposed last year.
Georgia’s economy outperforms with 10% broad-based growth and record investment in 2022
The Georgian economy has bounced back fast from the series of sharp shocks of recent years, and rather than being dragged down by the polycrisis that has been unfolding.
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Putin woos 40 Africa lawmakers at Moscow conference with promises of money, nuclear power, arms and free grain
Putin took time out from meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping who had just arrived in Moscow for a three-day state visit to speak to lawmakers from more than 40 African countries and woo them with generous promises of economic and military aid
Kazakhstan: Low election turnout tempers talk of political reset
Only one in four voters in Almaty, the country's largest city, cast their ballot.
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All to play for in Russian-Chinese backyard
Russia and China will struggle for common policy on possible Russian soft underbelly Central Asia, Afghanistan, Mongolia, the vital Europe/Asia Caucasus crossroads, the Baltics, CEE and SEE.
TBC Bank looks to Uzbekistan for growth
Georgia's leading bank is expanding its international operations and investing in cutting-edge banking technologies.
Mongolian herders’ lives out of ‘steppe’ with global economic realities
Pandemic and Ukraine war impacts bring hardship that makes battle to subsist outside of the city a gruelling challenge.
Demining Ukraine: "The most important thing is to protect people"
Ukraine is the most mine-contaminated country on Earth. Red warning signs bearing skulls and crossbones litter the fields and forests of liberated territories.
A fresh face and dirty games in Montenegro’s presidential election
Longstanding ruler Milo Djukanovic is fighting off challenges from newcomer Europe Now’s candidate Jakov Milatovic and pro-Russian Andrija Mandic.
Has Southeast Europe come of age as an investment destination?
The Western Balkan countries are following the path established by Central Europe that emerged as a prominent manufacturing and services hub early in the transition period.
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Volunteers tackle Ukraine's food poverty crisis
The Russian invasion has caused a poverty crisis in Ukraine and the most vulnerable citizens are struggling with basic necessities, particularly food.
Combined economic and political pressure push Serbia towards sanctions decision
As economic and political pressure on Serbia to join Western sanctions on Russia grow, Serbian Economy Minister Rade Basta took the unexpected step of calling for Belgrade to impose sanctions.
The wheels are coming off Russia’s banking sector
From March, Russians struggling to make ends meet will be able to take “credit holidays” for mortgages, consumer loans and credit card bills.
Turkey cuts trade ties with Russia, Hungary to “rethink” relationship as Western pressure to end sanctions-busting mounts
Turkey has abruptly stopped exporting goods to Russia and one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strongest advocates in Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has said that he might “rethink” his relations with Russia in the future.
Russian oligarch Fridman sells out of Alfa Bank that made him rich
Alfa Bank is a doyen of the Russian banking sector, a well spring of trained talent in the 1990s that did “real” banking business at a time when most oligarchs’ banks were either “bank-like” institutions or glorified treasury operators.
Awkward embrace as Iran and Saudi Arabia seal deal on restoring relations brokered by China
Agreement could have implications on reviving nuclear deal and could even help build ties between Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and Riyadh.
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Central Asia’s poorest farmers know the value of their land
Farmland and pastures across the region are far less productive after decades of monocropping.
Moldovans turn to tourism and online sex work to make ends meet
Moldova is often painted as small, struggling and stuck between the East and West. Its tourism industry was no different, at least until 2020. It has since borne the brunt of three global crises and has the battle scars to show for it.
