Latest Articles about The Caucasus
RUSSIA CEMENTS CONTROL OF ARMENIA’S ENERGY SYSTEM
President Robert Kocharian’s October 30-November 1 working visit to the Kremlin sealed arrangements to deepen Russian control of Armenia’s gas and electricity supply systems. Under these arrangements, Gazprom is de facto taking over the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, even as Tehran and Yerevan are about to... MORE
TBILISI BRACES FOR FALLOUT FROM RUSSIAN SANCTIONS
On October 23 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia “is not planning” to restore air, land, sea, postal, and banking communications with Georgia, which were cut October 3 in connection with a spy scandal (RIA-Novosti, October 23; EDM October 2, 4). Russia also... MORE
FINALLY, PROGRESS ON KARABAKH PEACE TALKS?
Recent statements by Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian at the Armenian National Assembly have raised hopes in Azerbaijan that a peaceful resolution to the Karabakh conflict is near. Specifically, Oskanian said, “We will discuss the return of all territories after the agreement on the status... MORE
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SIGNALS PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS
Vartan Oskanian, a former U.S. citizen who has served as Armenia’s foreign minister since 1998, is increasingly signaling his intention to contest the presidential election of 2008. There is mounting speculation in Yerevan that it is he, rather than the powerful Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian,... MORE
RUSSIAN GENERALS LOSING HOPE FOR MILITARY VICTORY IN CHECHNYA
On October 12, Russian Colonel-General Yevgeny Baryaev told a meeting of law-enforcement agency representatives in Grozny, the Chechen capital, “At the beginning of October the situation deteriorated in Chechnya, especially in the mountainous Vedeno district.” As an example, Baryaev mentioned that one week earlier a... MORE
PUTIN’S LOGIC ON GEORGIA AND THE FROZEN CONFLICTS
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks during the European Union-Russia informal summit in Lahti, Finland, on October 20 underscored some major theses -- often confusing to the West -- behind Russia’s policy toward Georgia and the frozen conflicts. The summit was held against the backdrop of... MORE
TBILISI CLAIMS RUSSIAN NAVY HOLDING EXERCISES OFF GEORGIAN COAST
In an October 18 news conference, Georgia’s First Deputy Defense Minister Mamuka Kudava and Coastal Guard commander Davit Gulua announced that Russian warships are conducting live-fire exercises of an intimidating nature off Georgia’s coast, mainly off Poti. The Russian ships are exercising mainly in the... MORE
LATEST MOVES CHALLENGE SAAKASHVILI’S STANCE AND THE GEORGIAN-WESTERN PARTNERSHIP
The chances of Georgia becoming a full-fledged member of the European Union and NATO have taken a hit from Tbilisi’s ongoing dispute with Moscow. As the West alternates between political and moral support for President Mikheil Saakashvili and cutting deals with Russia that are detrimental... MORE
KREMLIN LOSES CONTROL OVER INGUSH POLICE
On October 15, Russia’s RIA-Novosti news agency reported that the Interior Ministry of Ingushetia, a region in the North Caucasus adjacent to Chechnya, would be strengthened by additional 200 policemen, mainly senior officials dispatched from other parts of Russia. Temporary police departments will be set... MORE
MOSCOW MORE WORRIED ABOUT SAAKASHVILI THAN KIM JONG-IL
Among all of North Korea’s neighbors, Russia seems to be the least concerned with the recent nuclear test conducted by the reclusive regime of Kim Jong-Il. Of course, the Russian Foreign Ministry made an official protest and demanded that Pyongyang must "immediately return to the... MORE