Latest Articles about South Caucasus
New Georgian Ruling Regime Attempts to Shed Allies and Consolidate Power
On February 5, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili made a number of statements addressed to Defense Minister Irakli Alasania, some of which sounded like accusations and warnings against the leader of the Our Georgia-Free Democrats (OGFD) party and one of the leaders of the ruling... MORE
Old New Faces: What Does Secretary of State John Kerry Mean for Azerbaijan?
The nomination and approval of John Kerry as the next head of the US Department of State did not come as a particular shock for observers inside Azerbaijan. The predictions and rumors prepared both the Azerbaijani establishment and the public for such a scenario. Still,... MORE
Ivanishvili’s Government Is Readjusting ‘The Law on Occupation’
At a specially convened press conference, the State Minister for Reintegration Paata Zakareishvili announced that the government approved a bill on making significant amendments to the Law on Occupied Territories, which is often referred to as “the Law on Occupation” (https://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25727). This legislation (https://www.smr.gov.ge/docs/doc216.pdf) was... MORE
The Shift in Geopolitical Balance of Power in South Caucasus is Underway
On January 17, during his visit to Armenia, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili stated that “Armenia provides a good example for Georgia, and it can be a source of envy in a positive sense,” for managing to have good relations with Russia and at the... MORE
Will Georgia Reenter the CIS?
The issue of Georgia’s possible return to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and its participation in other post-Soviet space organizations became topical after the January 29 statement of the head of the CIS Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mikhail Yevdokimov, about “contacts” with... MORE
Russia May Gain in South Caucasus, as Georgian Government Wavers on Regional Railway Projects
On December 21, 2012, Georgian Prime-Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili dropped a bombshell, stating that ongoing construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, connecting Azerbaijan to northeastern Turkey via Georgia, raised many questions about its economic efficiency and profitability for Georgia, regardless of the project’s geopolitical importance (www.geopalitratv.ge,... MORE
Deputy Prime Minister Alasania Is Demoted in Georgian Government
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili signed a decree on January 21, stripping Minister of Defense Irakly Alasania of his dual position as deputy prime minister in the Georgian government https://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25670). The decree appeared on the government’s website (https://www.government.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=geo&sec_id=1) one day after Alasania revealed he had had... MORE
Kazakhstan Investment Part 2: Data Confirms Kazakhstan’s Status as Leading Global Investor
*To read Part One, please click here. According to the data released in December 2012 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kazakhstan’s stock of cumulative foreign investment abroad was around $20 billion at the end of 2011. The top five destinations for Kazakhstan’s Outward Foreign... MORE
China’s Growing Political Role in the Caucasus
China’s economic role in the south Caucasus is expanding rapidly, with Beijing’s investments in Azerbaijan alone now approaching a total of one billion US dollars and its bilateral trade with that country exceeding that figure on an annual basis. But as impressive as those figures... MORE
Prime Minister of Georgia Attempts to Replace the Entire Diplomatic Corps of the Country
On Monday, January 14, the administration of President Mikheil Saakashvili released a list of ambassadors that Georgian Foreign Affairs Minister Maia Panjikidze has requested be recalled (https://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25641). The list of ambassadors includes heads of missions to countries considered to be the primary partners of Georgia,... MORE