Latest Articles about South Caucasus
South-East Europe Pipeline: A Downsized Nabucco Proposed By BP
Azerbaijan and the Shah Deniz gas producers’ consortium have just signed bilateral agreements with Turkey on gas transit to Europe (see EDM, November 1). Meanwhile, the Shah Deniz consortium is nearing a final decision to select a pipeline route, out of four options, through Turkey... MORE
Turkey Clears the Way For Azerbaijani Gas Transfers
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have co-chaired the first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in Turkey’s Aegean city of Izmir. The HLSCC, which follows on the partnership model Turkey has been seeking to develop with neighboring... MORE
Azerbaijan and Its Gas Consortium Partners Sign Agreements With Turkey
On October 25 in Izmir, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, witnessed the signing of agreements on the delivery and transit of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey and onward to European Union territory (Trend, Anatolia news agency, Platts Commodity News, October... MORE
Armenia’s Kocharian Signals Comeback Plans
Former President Robert Kocharian appears to have reopened potentially serious cracks in Armenia’s governing coalition by offering more indications of his desire to return to active politics. He has also signaled his dissatisfaction with the track record of President Serzh Sargsyan, his successor and longtime... MORE
Ivanishvili Suggests Georgian Equidistance Between West and Russia
For all their length, Bidzina Ivanishvili’s two “open letters” to the country (Civil Georgia, October 7, 12; EDM, October 14) barely touch on foreign policy generally, or relations with Russia in particular. The aspirant to supreme power in Georgia avoids tipping his hand in these... MORE
Billionaire Ivanishvili Offers to Lead the Opposition In Georgia
Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose $5.5 billion, made-in-Russia wealth equals Georgia’s state budget, has announced his candidacy for one of Georgia’s two top posts under the new constitution: prime minister or chairman of parliament. Parliamentary elections are due in May 2012 to usher in the new constitutional... MORE
Georgia Tycoon Ivanishvili Ready to Bid For State Purchase
Bidzina Ivanishvili’s spokesmen confirm the Forbes List estimate of his wealth. At $5.5 billion, this is approximately equal to Georgia’s state budget expenditures. It is also equivalent to one half of Georgia’s $11.7 billion annual gross domestic product, but does not contribute to generating it... MORE
Ivanishvili and Georgia: From Personal Paternalism to State Paternalism?
The tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, worth $5.5 billion on the latest Forbes List, has announced his intention to become Georgia’s political leader. A reclusive figure throughout his life thus far, Ivanishvili earned his fortune in Russia since the 1990’s under a veil of obscurity. He systematically... MORE
Armenian Opposition Launches Non-Stop Protests
After months of unsuccessful negotiations with the government, Armenia’s most influential opposition force led by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian has launched a new campaign of round-the-clock demonstrations supposedly aimed at forcing early national elections. Hundreds of people camped out in Yerevan’s Liberty Square on September... MORE
Surreal Eastern Partnership Summit: EU Gives Ukraine Last Red Card
The September 29-30, Eastern Partnership summit in Warsaw was another typically EU empty diplomatic soirée. The Viktor Yanukovych administration has ignored Western criticism of political repression and the EU has put all its eggs into the Ukraine basket to show success in the Eastern Partnership,... MORE