Latest Articles about South Caucasus
BLACK SEA FORUM SEEKING ITS RATIONALE
Presidents Traian Basescu of Romania, Vladimir Voronin of Moldova, Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine, Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia, Robert Kocharian of Armenia, and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan were joined by senior officials from the United States, Turkey, Bulgaria, and international organizations at the inaugural session of... MORE
CAN ABKHAZ AND GEORGIAN PEACE PLANS COEXIST?
As expected, the Abkhaz separatists rejected the peace plan that the Georgian government had offered in response to an earlier Abkhaz framework (see EDM, May 10). Sergei Shamba, the self-styled Abkhaz foreign minister, had officially submitted the Abkhaz plan while he was Tbilisi on May... MORE
ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN UNDER STRONG PRESSURE TO HAMMER OUT KARABAKH PEACE
The United States, Russia, and France are stepping up pressure on Armenia and Azerbaijan in a last-ditch attempt to secure a framework agreement settling the Karabakh conflict this year. The three powers co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group have set the stage for yet another Armenian-Azerbaijani... MORE
AZERBAIJANI PUBLIC OUTRAGED BY SLAUGHTER OF AZERIS IN IRAN
A peaceful demonstration by Azeris in the Iranian city of Tabriz and the subsequent violent crackdown on the protestors by Iranian law-enforcement agencies has resulted in public outrage in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Politicians, non-governmental organizations, and the general public have condemned the Iranian... MORE
LAW-ENFORCEMENT REVIEW PROVOKES CONFLICT IN SAAKASHVILI’S GOVERNMENT
A report presented to Georgia's Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights on May 19 exposed severe violations in Georgia's law enforcement system and correctional facilities. The unusually harsh report by State Ombudsman Sozar Subari, known as a staunch backer of the Rose Revolution and President Mikheil... MORE
SAAKASHVILI CONVENES COMMISSION ON CONSEQUENCES OF WITHDRAWING FROM CIS
One consideration that may influence Georgia's planned departure from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is whether Tbilisi will find itself alone and vulnerable to retaliation by an angry Russia. So far, the Georgian government seems confident of its future prospects. Following the recent Russian... MORE
INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY ON ABKHAZIA RESUMES IN TBILISI AFTER LONG HIATUS
The Coordinating Council, an overarching format for Georgian-Abkhaz dialogue also known as the Geneva Process, reconvened on May 15 in Tbilisi after a five-year suspension. The resumed Council and Process are meant to discuss Georgian and Abkhaz plans for a political settlement and, on parallel... MORE
ARMENIAN SPEAKER OUSTED FROM RULING COALITION
Armenia's President Robert Kocharian has banished one of the three political parties represented in his government after it appeared to threaten his reported plans to hand over power to a staunch loyalist in 2008. The Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) party officially announced its withdrawal... MORE
ALIYEV’S RECENT SCHEDULE: BALANCED FOREIGN POLICY OR BAD TIMING?
Last Friday, May 5, Azerbaijan hosted the ninth summit of the ten-member Economic Cooperation Organization. The meeting convened in Baku and was attended by Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, Daniyal Akhmetov, prime minister of Kazakhstan; Medetbek Kerimkulov, first vice prime... MORE
GEORGIA NEAR EXIT FROM CIS
The presidents and other officials of Georgia and Ukraine have announced in recent days that they are considering the possibility of their countries' quitting the Commonwealth of Independent States or minimizing their participation. Stung, Russian officials are threatening severe retaliatory measures against the two countries... MORE