Latest Articles about The Caucasus
Turkey and Azerbaijan: “One Nation-Two States?”
The strains in Turkish-Azeri relations caused by Turkey's energy policies and its attemps to resolve its diplomatic problems with Armenia are beginning to dominate the agenda in Ankara’s relations with Baku.On October 15, in a district of Baku, Turkish flags decorating monuments commemorating the Turkish... MORE
Turkey: a Bridge or Bottleneck for Caspian Gas to Europe?
President Ilham Aliyev broke two years of silence regarding Turkey’s obstruction of Azerbaijani gas exports westward, while chairing an expanded session of Azerbaijan’s government on October 16 (www.day.az, October 17). Ankara’s stonewalling can cause further delays to the European Union’s Nabucco and Southern Corridor projects,... MORE
Dagestani Official Reportedly Calls for Anti-Islamist “Revenge Squads”
Police in Dagestan killed three suspected militants on October 18 in ongoing violence in the republic. The latest incident follows a rise in tensions surrounding the municipal elections held in Russia on October 11, which were particularly controversial in the Dagestani city of Derbent, where... MORE
FSB Assigned Control Over Operations in Chechnya and the North Caucasus
Events in Chechnya have once again grabbed the headlines this week. Most notable among them was the review of activities for the years of 2003 through 2008 undertaken at an enlarged session of the Operations Headquarters for Chechnya and the North Caucasus, chaired by Russian... MORE
U.S. Delegation Displays More Caution Than Usual on Georgia
Also on October 13 the head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Aleksandr Bortnikov, publicly accused Georgia of harboring “al-Qaida” agents, arming and training “international terrorists,” infiltrating them into Chechnya, and orchestrating “terrorist” sabotage of oil and gas pipelines in Dagestan. He offered no... MORE
Violence and Political Turmoil Link South and North Ossetia
On October 13, the investigative committee of the Russian prosecutor-general’s office announced that a criminal group had been uncovered, which had carried out a number of high-profile killings in North Ossetia in 2007-2008. The victims included both the acting and a former mayor of Vladikavkaz... MORE
Rebels and Police Killed and Wounded in North Caucasus Violence
Fighting between security forces and militants continued in Chechnya and Ingushetia this week, with dead and wounded reported on both sides.A police official in Chechnya reported today (October 16) that a militant was killed in a shootout in the village of Eshelkhatoi in Chechnya’s southeastern... MORE
Azerbaijan-Russia Gas Agreement: Implications for Nabucco Project
On October 14 in Baku, Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company president Rovnag Abdullayev and Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller signed an agreement on Azerbaijani gas exports to Russia. The move is a logical follow-up to the June 29 agreement, signed by the same company chiefs –in the... MORE
Georgia Rejects FSB Chief’s Charges of Supporting Terrorism in the North Caucasus
Georgian officials have denied accusations made by the head of Russia’s main security agency that Georgian special services have aided al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Russia’s North Caucasus.Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Aleksandr Bortnikov, who also heads Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAK), claimed during an NAK meeting... MORE
Turkish-Armenia Protocols Create Concern over Karabakh
Turkey and Armenia signed twin protocols on October 10 that were in preparation since February of this year (EDM, February 10, March 27, April 9, May 14, May 18, October 7). Under the agreement, Turkey and Armenia will establish diplomatic relations and re-open their border.... MORE