A unique conjunction of external and internal circumstances suggests that Georgia’s upcoming parliamentary elections will be subjected to more (possibly far more) rigorous scrutiny, compared with elections in any of the former Soviet-ruled countries.International election observers are set to arrive in numbers unprecedented even for... MORE

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan has retained control over parliament and received a massive boost to his power as a result of the past weekend’s legislative elections, which his Republican Party (HHK) won by a landslide. Official results of the May 6 vote were a serious... MORE

Hungary’s critique of the Nabucco project (see accompanying article) has prompted the other partners in the consortium to express their own views. On the whole, these reflect the stakeholders’ common interest in implementing this pipeline project. They also reflect country-specific or company-specific interests attached to... MORE

On May 2, the Georgian parliament held its first public discussion of Georgia’s State Strategy on Relations with the Peoples of the North Caucasus. The strategy prioritizes Georgia-North Caucasus ties, proposing to expand Georgian assistance to North Caucasian human rights activists, cultural and science associations... MORE

For the last two months, Azerbaijani-Iranian relations were put under serious stress. Relations between the two countries lacked cordiality for many years; yet, both countries refrained from harsh criticisms and hostile actions against each other. However, several recent events exacerbated the uneasy relations between the... MORE

Armenia has again ruled out the possibility of joining a Russian-led customs union, which Russia’s President-elect Vladimir Putin hopes could form the backbone of a future “Eurasian Union” of former Soviet republics remaining within Moscow’s orbit. Yerevan has made this clear in advance of free... MORE

In February 2012, Giorgi Baramidze, Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia and State Secretary for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, revealed that Ukraine is continuing to supply weapons to Georgia. “Moscow’s position is not upheld by practically the entire world community. And, thank God, that Ukraine also... MORE

The Republic of Azerbaijan is inarguably one of the fastest developing countries in the post-Soviet space. Large revenues from exports of oil and gas have obscured all of the problems of this Caucasian republic. As in all other republics of the Caucasus, there are also... MORE

Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR) is poised to become the largest direct foreign investor in Turkey. According to company president, Rovnag Abdullayev, and foreign investment department chief Vahit Aliyev, SOCAR plans to invest $17 billion in Turkey in 2012-2017, concentrated on two flagship projects: construction... MORE

The first week of April saw the revival of heated debates about the fate of the Radiolocation Station (RLS) located in the Azerbaijani city of Gabala (100 miles to the west of Baku). Azerbaijan leased the Gabala RLS to Russia for a 10-year period starting... MORE