Latest Articles about The Caucasus
ARMENIAN, AZERI PRESIDENTS REKINDLE HOPES FOR KARABAKH PEACE
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have produced a new glimmer of hope for a resolution of the Karabakh conflict following their third face-to-face meeting in less than a year. Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev have indicated that they made further progress towards a mutually... MORE
AZERBAIJANI-RUSSIAN RELATIONS ENTER TURBULENT PHASE
Azerbaijani-Russian relations, increasingly warm in the past five years, are about to enter a difficult phase that could turn both countries into regional rivals. There are three reasons for the shift: Azerbaijan’s increasing gas production, Russia’s fight against illegal migration, and the recent visit by... MORE
INTRANSIGENCE IN MOSCOW, SUKHUMI, TSKHINVALI AFTER UN RESOLUTION AND OKRUASHVILI RESIGNATION
Western approval of the UN Security Council’s October 13 resolution criticizing Georgia’s return to the upper Kodori Valley, and the November 7 resignation of Irakli Okruashvili as Georgia’s defense minister, are not thus far proving conducive to the stated goals of those moves. The goals... MORE
PRO-OSSETIAN AUTHORITIES EMERGING IN SOUTH OSSETIA
The Tbilisi-backed Union for National Salvation of Ossetians (UNSO) conducted its own referendum and presidential election in South Ossetia on November 12, as an alternative to the referendum and election conducted that day by the Moscow-installed authorities (see EDM, November 15). Residents of villages with... MORE
HUNGER STRIKE DISTRACTS AZERBAIJANI ACTIVISTS FROM FOCUSING ON UPCOMING ELECTIONS
Azerbaijani opposition activists and journalists have launched a hunger strike to protest the recent pressure on the media and opposition parties from the State Committee for the Management of State Properties. The Committee is demanding that a building located in the heart of Baku, at... MORE
MOSCOW’S FINGERPRINTS ALL OVER SOUTH OSSETIA’S REFERENDUM
On November 12 the Russian-installed authorities in South Ossetia held a referendum and “presidential” election in the portions of territory under their control. The balloting returned the de facto president, Eduard Kokoiti, to office for another term and produced a “yes” answer to the question:... MORE
KOCHARIAN-PUTIN TALKS FOLLOWED BY RUSSIAN ACQUISITION OF ARMENIAN TELECOM LEADER
A leading Russian mobile phone operator is poised to buy Armenia’s national telecommunications company, ArmenTel, further boosting Moscow’s economic presence in the loyal South Caucasus state. The Armenian government will almost certainly give its mandatory consent to the nearly $490 million takeover, having just ceded... MORE
GAZPROM’S “PURE COMMERCE” IN GEORGIA
Gazprom’s deputy chairman and head of Gazexport, Alexander Medvedev, confirmed on November 7 the price hike to $230 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas to Georgia in 2007, up from $110 in 2006. Gazprom will stop deliveries to Georgia on January 1, 2007, unless the... MORE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE STRATEGIC KARS-AKHALKALAKI RAILWAY TO START IN 2007
For almost a year, officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey have been engaged in intense discussions about ways to finance the construction of the strategic Kars-Akhalkalaki railway system. This rail link will bridge the gap between the Georgian and Turkish rail networks, permitting an uninterrupted... MORE
ARMENIA SELLING MORE INFRASTRUCTURE, INDUSTRY TO RUSSIA
In his November 6 news conference, Armenia’s de facto strongman and presidential aspirant Serge Sarkisian welcomed the just-consummated purchase of the Armentel telecommunications company by the Russian giant Vympelcom. Sarkisian is defense minister as well as secretary of the national security council (supervising the security... MORE