Latest Articles about The Caucasus

Armenia Pushes to Reinvigorate Its Relationship With NATO

Armenia—Russia’s closest ally in the South Caucasus—appears intent on revitalizing its partnership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This agenda turned explicit on February 27–28, when Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan paid a visit to Brussels. Besides holding several important meetings with high-level European Union... MORE

Can Channel Rustavi 2 Remain the Voice of the Opposition?

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has temporarily suspended the execution of the Georgian Supreme Court’s decision to return opposition television broadcaster Rustavi 2 to its former owner, the businessman Kibar Khalvashi (Civil Georgia, March 4). Khalvashi is affiliated with the ruling party Georgian... MORE

New Outbreak of Violence in Karabakh: Cause and Effect

Almost a year has passed since fierce fighting broke out for four days in April 2016, between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in Karabakh. However, the situation along the Line of Contact (LoC) remains tense and explosive to this day. According to the February 26 statement... MORE

Georgian Authorities Reinstate Military Conscription

The Georgian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has reintroduced compulsory military service in the army, eight months after then–defense minister Tina Khidasheli abolished military conscription (Civil Georgia, February 15). As early as November 2016, Georgian Minister of Defense Levan Izoria announced his plans to ultimately restore... MORE

Armenia-Belarus Friction Gaining Momentum

Amidst intensifying tensions with Russia (see EDM, February 6, 14), Belarus’s relations with another erstwhile ally, Armenia, are also deteriorating. Even though, Armenia and Belarus are both members of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military alliance, their bilateral relationship is full of controversy... MORE

The Lapshin Case: A Red Line in Azerbaijan’s Foreign Policy

The arrest of a travel-blogger Alexander Lapshin, a citizen of Russia, Israel and Ukraine, by Belarusian authorities and his extradition to Azerbaijan (1news.az, February 7) is an interesting case for a number of reasons, and particularly in the context of the unresolved Karabakh conflict. His... MORE