Latest Articles about The Caucasus
Russia, Azerbaijan Improve Relations Amidst Centrifugal Tendencies in Armenia
Recent weeks and months have seen at least five key developments that appear to demonstrate a renewed rapprochement between Baku and Moscow: First, on July 1, a group of high-profile Russian public figures, members of parliament (MP) and experts visited Azerbaijan’s village of Jojug Marjanli... MORE
Understanding Armenia’s Syrian Gamble
Following bilateral closed-door talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, on September 8, Armenia’s interim Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told journalists that Russia and Armenia would soon launch a “joint humanitarian mission” in Syria (Azatutyun.am, September 8). The operation, apparently requested by Bashar al-Assad’s... MORE
Caspian Convention Signing and the Implications for the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline
The governments of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran and Turkmenistan gathered in the Kazakhstani port city of Aktau, on August 12, and signed the Convention on the Caspian Sea’s Legal Status. Among other important points, Article 14 of the Convention recognizes the parties’ right to lay... MORE
Azerbaijan in the CSTO: An Unlikely Prospect
In an interview last month (August 16) with the media outlet Azeri Daily, Azerbaijani member of parliament and the head of the Azerbaijan-Russia inter-parliamentary group, Ali Huseynli, suggested that, considering the changed geopolitical conditions in the South Caucasus, “it would be possible [he later also... MORE
Russian ‘Bomb’ Ticks in the Geographic Center of Georgia
On August 30, five young Georgian citizens, detained by Russian service members for “illegally crossing the state border of South Ossetia,” were released from a Tskhinvali jail after having paid a fine of 2,000 Russian rubles ($29.61) (Civil Georgia, August 31). The youths had been... MORE
Georgia Plans Its ‘To Do’ Agenda for NATO
United States President Donald Trump’s behavior at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) recent summit in Brussels (July 11–12) and in its aftermath has cast a shadow on this landmark event. Trump’s follow-up actions, including the meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, continued hitting... MORE
Russia Threatens a Renewed War in Georgia to Prevent NATO Enlargement
On August 8, 2008, the simmering confrontation with constant shooting and shelling between Georgian government forces and Ossetian separatists armed, financed and supported by Russia suddenly turned into an all-out Russo-Georgian war. As detailed in the 2009 study The Guns of August 2008: Russia’s War... MORE
Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline: A Priority Gas Transit Project for Azerbaijan and the Western Balkans
The Azerbaijani State Oil Company (SOCAR) announced, on July 27, the formation of a new corporate entity that will oversee the future development of the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) project. The proposed pipeline is designed to deliver Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe—namely to the Balkan region.... MORE
Armenian Investigators Charge Former President, Other Top Officials With Violation of Constitutional Order
The Armenian government, formed by Nikol Pashinyan after a civil disobedience campaign forced the resignation of former president and recently appointed prime minister Serzh Sargsyan (see EDM, May 22), continues to pursue policies that will have long-term consequences. The city of Yerevan is now awaiting... MORE
The United States Does the Heavy Lifting for NATO in Georgia
United States President Donald Trump’s behavior at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) recent summit in Brussels (July 11–12) and in its aftermath has cast a shadow on this landmark event. Trump’s follow-up actions, including the meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, continued hitting... MORE