Latest Articles about The Caucasus
AZERBAIJAN AND CHINA MOVE TO INCREASE SECURITY AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION
President Ilham Aliev's March 17 visit to China marked a new, more expanded phase in relations between Azerbaijan and China. Although contacts between the two countries have remained relatively friendly since 1991, the last time their top leaders met was in 1994 when the late... MORE
INSURGENTS IN DAGESTAN AND KABARDINO-BALKARIA READY FOR SUMMER CAMPAIGN
While Russian authorities were celebrating the death of Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov, insurgents in two other Northern Caucasus regions declared their readiness to conduct "military operations" as part of a coming spring and summer "campaign." On March 10, Yarmuk, an insurgent group in Kabardino-Balkaria,... MORE
KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS AGAIN IN LIMBO
The long-running international efforts to resolve the Karabakh conflict are again facing an uncertain future following the cancellation of the next and potentially decisive round of talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which were scheduled for March 2 in Prague. The official reason for the delay... MORE
BAGAPSH TRAVELS TO MOSCOW, RETURNS WITH MESSAGE FOR TBILISI
Sergei Bagapsh, the self-styled president of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia, arrived in Moscow on March 11. The visit, originally scheduled for March 3, was postponed as many as three times. The trip was reportedly rescheduled due to Bagapsh's 56th birthday, holidays in Moscow, persisting... MORE
ARE AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA HEADED FOR NEW CONFRONTATION OVER KARABAKH?
Spring typically revives the lingering conflict over the Karabakh enclave. But according to Azerbaijani military expert Uzeyir Jafarov, "The tensions on the front line happen every spring, but this year something unusual is happening" (Echo, March 16). Jafarov's observation accurately describes the situation on the... MORE
BEWARE OF TRAPS IN GEORGIA-RUSSIA TROOP WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT
The Georgian Parliament passed a resolution on March 10 that requires Russia unconditionally to withdraw its forces from Georgia no later than January 1, 2006 -- unless Moscow reaches agreement with Tbilisi before May 15, 2005, on a "reasonable timeframe" for the troop withdrawal (see... MORE
GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT ORDERS RUSSIA TO WITHDRAW ITS MILITARY BASES
On March 10, the Georgian parliament unanimously (158-0) approved a resolution that orders Moscow to withdraw Russian bases from Georgia no later than January 1, 2006. Analysts have already predicted that the landmark resolution will be yet another irritant in Georgia's prickly relationship with Russia.... MORE
ISLAMIST NAMED FORMAL HEAD OF CHECHEN RESISTANCE
Observers in Russia and elsewhere continue to mull the significance of the March 8 killing of Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov. Meanwhile, Maskhadov's London-based emissary, Akhmed Zakaev, said in a statement that the rebel leadership had agreed back in July-August 2002 that should the separatist... MORE
DAGESTAN SECURITY OFFICIALS SEARCH FOR TRAITORS IN THEIR RANKS
A recent police search of insurgents in Dagestan turned up a list of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of more than 100 security officials in the North Caucasus republic. The discovery has sent chills through the republic's leadership and indicate the rebel's increasing pressure... MORE
PROMINENT EDITOR MURDERED IN AZERBAIJAN, RUMORS SWIRL ABOUT POSSIBLE SHOOTERS
On March 2, Elmar Huseynov, editor of the popular weekly Monitor, was shot to death while returning home in Baku around 7 pm. Politicians and ordinary citizens alike were horrified by the violent attack on the 37-year old journalist. President Ilham Aliev immediately convened a... MORE