Latest Articles about The Caucasus
ALIYEV’S RECENT SCHEDULE: BALANCED FOREIGN POLICY OR BAD TIMING?
Last Friday, May 5, Azerbaijan hosted the ninth summit of the ten-member Economic Cooperation Organization. The meeting convened in Baku and was attended by Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, Daniyal Akhmetov, prime minister of Kazakhstan; Medetbek Kerimkulov, first vice prime... MORE
GEORGIA NEAR EXIT FROM CIS
The presidents and other officials of Georgia and Ukraine have announced in recent days that they are considering the possibility of their countries' quitting the Commonwealth of Independent States or minimizing their participation. Stung, Russian officials are threatening severe retaliatory measures against the two countries... MORE
DAGESTAN: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM?
The North Caucasus is poised for a possible rebel offensive. Police and army troops in North Ossetia and Ingushetia have been on high alert since April (see EDM, April 20). Tensions grew even higher after the homes of several ethnic Russians were attacked in Ingushetia... MORE
WILL WASHINGTON LEAD THE KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS?
After a failed February attempt to break the deadlock in negotiations between Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, observers thought the Karabakh peace process was dead. But following a few quick fixes in the current proposal, international mediators have come to believe... MORE
ABKHAZIA SLIDES TOWARD RUSSIA, BUT GEORGIA HOLDS ONTO ITS CLAIMS
May 6 marked the second anniversary of the restoration of Georgia's full jurisdiction over the Ajarian Autonomous Republic. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, attending the celebration in Batumi, Ajaria's main city, stated that this process "should surely be completed" in breakaway Abkhazia (TV-Imedi, Regnum, May 6).... MORE
DESPITE INITIAL PROTEST, OPPOSITION LEADERS CHANGE TONE AFTER ALIYEV’S VISIT TO WASHINGTON
Opposition parties in Azerbaijan were not happy with President Ilham Aliyev's invitation to visit the United States and were even hostile about the warm welcome he received from the White House. Referring to the contested presidential election in 2003, opposition parties criticized U.S. President George... MORE
GEORGIAN ARMY MARKS 15th ANNIVERSARY, BUT IS IT READY FOR NATO?
Fifteen years ago this week, Georgia created its own armed forces. Tbilisi celebrated this anniversary by taking major steps toward eventual NATO integration. Yesterday, May 2, Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili presented Georgia's Strategic Defense Review (SDR) to a high-ranking audience of senior NATO policymakers... MORE
AZERBAIJAN’S PRESIDENT IN WASHINGTON (part 2)
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's April 25-28 visit to Washington -- his first as chief of state since 2003 -- was a long overdue event for the president of a country allied to the United States and key to energy supplies to the West. On the... MORE
AZERBAIJAN FEARS STANDOFF BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN
Yesterday, April 26, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev began a three-day visit to the United States. This is his first official visit to Washington, which many observers believe will boost U.S.-Azerbaijan strategic relations. Heading the list of topics that President Aliev and President George W. Bush... MORE
CRITICS PRESS FOR IMPROVED JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE IN GEORGIA
Tbilisi has responded to international and domestic complaints that Georgia's judiciary frequently makes unfair, politically motivated decisions. President Mikheil Saakashvili, known as the "Godfather" of Georgia's 1997-98 judicial reforms, now admits that the reform drive has not been a complete success. During a meeting with... MORE