By Irakly Areshidze (1/16/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The appointment of Badri Bitsadze, the husband of newly elected Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burdjanadze, to the post of First Deputy Procurator General has rapidly become a political crisis for the country’s second highest ranking official. Bitsadze had previously served as the Procurator for the military and was promoted in early December.  Shortly after the appointment, the New Rights Party and its Parliamentary Faction (one of three second largest with 18 Deputies) protested the appointment in a memorandum issued on December 18, 2001.

By Marat Yermukanov, Kazakhstan (1/30/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Addressing parliamentarian deputies on January 28, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Kasymjomart Tokayev announced that he resigns from his post with presidential approval. A career diplomat educated at the International Relations Institute in Moscow, one of the most prestigious educational establishments of the Soviet Union, Tokayev had been in diplomatic service in China immediately prior to Kazakhstan's independence. He was recalled to his native country and appointed deputy foreign minister.

By Gulnara Ismailova (1/30/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The political and economic aspects of Russian-Azerbaijan relations was until now characterized by the absence of the Russian side's coordination of economic and other initiatives undertaken by various Russian departments in Azerbaijan. The thaw in Russian-Azerbaijani relations began after Vladimir Putin came to power. A breakthrough occurred a year ago with the official visit of Putin to Baku.