CIS Daily Bulletin, May 19

Below is a summary of events in the Commonwealth of Independent States on May 19:

Azerbaijan:

* Azerbaijan plans to participate in developing oil fields in Cuba in line with a draft cooperation agreement, Azerbaijani Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev said

Belarus:

* There are no problems with the sale of Tor-M2 and Buk-M2 air defense systems to Belarus, with only technical issues remaining under discussion, the head of the Russian state-run arms exporter said

Georgia:

* Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said the instability that plagued Georgia under Eduard Shevardnadze would never return to the country despite the efforts of radical opposition groups

* Georgia's foreign minister claimed that the UN Secretary General's draft report on the situation in the Caucasus region had been amended due to pressure from Russia

Kyrgyzstan:

* Germany will provide a loan to Kyrgyzstan totaling 33 million euros ($44.75 mln) to stabilize the country's economy and health sector, a Kyrgyz government official said

* Former Kyrgyz Defense Minister Ismail Isakov announced his exit from the presidential election race, in a bid to unite the opposition behind a single candidate ahead of the July 23 polls

Turkmenistan:

* Russia wants to resume natural gas imports from Turkmenistan under existing contracts, a Gazprom deputy CEO said

Ukraine:

* Ukraine's president has said he is confident that the "unprofessional" natural gas contracts signed with Russia earlier this year will soon be reviewed, as Ukraine will be unable to meet its obligations under the current terms

* Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko appointed the governor of the Kiev Region, Vera Ulyanchenko, as his new chief of staff, the president's website said. Viktor Baloga, who had been Yushchenko's chief of staff since September 2006, resigned earlier in day in protest at the president's plans to run for reelection