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Current AffairsWill change-of-guard in Moscow soften Russia’s stand on US radar base?
The world media descended upon Moscow on Wednesday where Dmitry Medvedev
was sworn in as Russia’s third president since the collapse of the Soviet
Union. His predecessor, Vladimir Putin will become prime minister and is
expected to retain a tight grip on the political scene. The change-of-guard
comes at a time of heightened friction over Washington’s missile defense
plans for Central Europe and has raised questions regarding Moscow’s
future foreign policy. Daniela Lazarova spoke to Oldřich Bureš, an expert
on Czech-Russian relations about the possible impact of these changes.
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Current AffairsCzechs say permanent Russian presence at US radar base out of the question
It was smiles and handshakes all round at the NATO summit in Bucharest last
Thursday when the United States and the Czech Republic announced they had
reached agreement on building a radar base on Czech territory as part of
the U.S. missile defence shield. But it was clear to all that the road to
implementing the agreement would be long and difficult. The past weekend
has indicted possible pitfalls for Czech diplomacy as the U.S. and Russian
presidents strove to find common ground on missile defense.
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Current AffairsChess maestro visits Czech Republic
Russian chess legend and opposition politician Garry Kasparov has been
doing the rounds during a visit to the Czech Republic. Apart from meeting
with Czech political leaders, he also managed to get in more than a few
rounds of his beloved game.
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Current AffairsCzech Foreign Ministry: Russian elections raise ‘doubts’
President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia Party clinched a landslide
victory in parliamentary elections held in the Russian Federation on
Sunday. In a reaction to the preliminary results, the Czech Foreign
Ministry has denounced the elections as not providing a level playing field
for all the country’s political forces, and said that doubts remain about
their validity. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic’s left-wing parties have
also questioned the Russian elections.
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Current AffairsRFE President - Putin culpable for "climate of fear" behind Politkovskaya murder
Her murder one year ago sent shockwaves through Russia and around the
world, but attempts to shed light on the case have largely come to nothing.
When the campaigning journalist Anna Politkovskaya was found shot dead in
the elevator of her Moscow apartment on October 7th, 2006, many linked her
death to her work exposing human rights violations in Chechnya and her
harsh criticism of the Kremlin. On Thursday the U.S. broadcaster Radio Free
Europe held a special conference on Russia one year after her death,
attended by many former friends and colleagues. Radio Prague spoke to Radio
Free Europe President Jeffrey Gedmin, and began by asking him whether he
believed her killer - or killers - would ever be brought to justice.
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Current AffairsHavel backs Russian opposition during Moscow visit
Former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel has long been outspoken
on human rights issues and has been a strong critic of Vladimir Putin's
Russia. On the same day President Putin admitted becoming his country's
next prime minister was "entirely realistic", Mr Havel was in
Moscow meeting with members of the country's opposition. The former Czech
president spoke at the Sakharov Center, where he indicated members of the
Russian opposition needed to overcome differences and unite on common
issues if they hoped to have any real political impact. More
Current AffairsRussian general warns Czech consent to negotiations on US radar base "a mistake"
On Tuesday officials from the Czech foreign and defence ministries met for
talks with Russian representatives in Moscow, including the Chief of the
General Staff, General Yuri Baluyevsky. The issue? A possible US radar base
stationed on Czech territory. For months Russia has expressed opposition to
the idea of US missile defense in Europe and increasingly stepped up
political action and rhetoric. On Tuesday General Baluyevsky continued in
that vein by stating that Czech consent to negotiations with the US was
"a mistake".
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Current AffairsRussian President offers alternative to planned US missile defence shield in Central Europe
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise proposal during the G8
summit in the German resort of Heilegendamm on Thursday when he offered to
his US counterpart George Bush to share a base to detect missile attacks.
Mr Putin offered President Bush the joint use of a Russian radar station
in Azerbaijan as an alternative to US plans to station parts of a missile
shield in the Czech Republic and Poland, an idea fiercely criticised by
Russia. Czech officials have so far adopted a 'wait and see' attitude to
Moscow's proposal.
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