Latest Articles about South Caucasus
FRANCE LEADS THE EU’S NYET TO GEORGIA BORDER MONITORING
Meeting in Luxembourg on April 15-16, the ministers of foreign affairs of the European Union's 25 member countries missed the last chance for the EU to undertake an unarmed border-monitoring operation in Georgia. Since December the Georgian government and several friendly countries had asked the... MORE
SAAKASHVILI CONCERNED AS HIS MARGIN OF SUPPORT CONTINUES TO DECLINE
At a closed-door meeting on April 9, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili sharply criticized his ministers for alienating the general public. Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli later confirmed the tongue-lashing (Rustavi-2 TV, Imedi TV, April 11). Saakashvili had good reason to lecture the cabinet; the latest opinion... MORE
ARMENIA SET TO MISS COUNCIL OF EUROPE DEADLINE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
The Armenian authorities look set to miss a June deadline, set by the Council of Europe, for enacting sweeping amendments to Armenia's controversial post-Soviet constitution. Officials in Yerevan admit that a nationwide referendum on constitutional changes put forward by President Robert Kocharian and his governing... MORE
BMO RIP; TAP STILLBORN
On April 14 in Vienna, the OSCE's Permanent Council approved a Training Assistance Program (TAP) for Georgian Border Guards to replace the OSCE's Georgia Border Monitoring Operation (BMO). Russia had exercised its veto power to terminate the BMO as of December 31, 2004, thus removing... MORE
RUSSIAN BASES WON’T SOLVE PROBLEMS IN JAVAKHETI
Armenia appears to have given Georgia fresh assurances that it will use its influence to prevent a major destabilization of the situation in the southern Georgian region of Javakheti, which is predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians. Tension in the impoverished area bordering Armenia and Turkey... MORE
MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ZHVANIA’S DEATH STILL UNANSWERED
The mysterious death of Georgia's Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania continues to worry many Georgians because the investigation has yet to fully clarify the circumstances. Zhvania was found dead on February 3 at the home of Raul Usupov, who was about to become deputy governor of... MORE
SAAKASHVILI AND NAZARBAYEV TURN NEW PAGE IN KAZAKH-GEORGIAN RELATIONS
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili made his first visit to Kazakhstan on March 31, marking a new, post-Shevardnadze era in Kazakh-Georgian relations. The young and beaming Saakashvili, a child of the Rose Revolution, sitting together with his aging Kazakh counterpart, a lingering shadow from the communist... MORE
AZERBAIJAN’S ALIEV SEEKS POLISH HELP FOR EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
After visits to Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliev reversed course and paid a visit to a European country -- Poland -- on March 30. The trip refuted speculations that Azerbaijan was gradually shifting its foreign policy course towards the East. The... MORE
RISKS IN GEORGIA’S JAVAKHETI PROVINCE CAN BE DEFUSED
Presidents Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia and Robert Kocharian of Armenia met informally on April 1-2 in the Georgian mountain resort of Gudauri, without media coverage. Their agenda included the situation in Akhalkalaki, where two recent rallies by local Armenian residents aired political and economic demands,... MORE
GEORGIAN DEFENSE OFFICIALS ARRESTED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT
Backstabbing, intrigue, and corruption continue to plague Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's government, despite its repeated statements about centralizing power and eradicating corruption. To the delight of Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, on March 27 the Prosecutor's Office arrested Zurab Khutsishvili, deputy chief of logistics at the... MORE