Domestic Politics

The Defence White Paper, published in Brussels on 19 March by the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, entitled “Joint White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030” was a welcome, major contribution, to the debate on European Defence and Security. Unlike similar epistles coming out of Brussels, who one often wonders are written for whom, and by whom, the Defence White Paper is informative, candid and containing well-argued steps going forward. It gives the reader a good sense of the urgency of the situation and sets out clearly a set of steps aimed at addressing the urgency in a timely manner.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu appeared before police for questioning on terror-related charges on Saturday, a day after his interrogation over corruption allegations. His arrest this week has sparked widespread protests across Türkiye, with demonstrators rallying in multiple cities to voice their opposition. The mayor, who is a popular opposition figure and seen as a top challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was detained on Wednesday following a dawn raid on his residence over allegations of financial crimes and links to Kurdish militants.

The Baltic country is preparing to increase its defence spending to 5% of gross domestic product, up from 3.7% planned for 2026. This was announced by Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

Prosecutors in Georgia have launched a criminal investigation into five civil society organizations, accusing them of “sabotage” and ordering the freezing of their bank accounts in relation to their role in anti-government demonstrations. In a statement on Monday, the Prosecutor’s Office said the groups had funneled more than two million lari (650,000 euro) to finance “illegal activities,” including paying protesters’ fines and purchasing equipment. Authorities claim the groups bear responsibility for violence and destruction linked to recent demonstrations.

A court in Georgia has handed a further prison sentence to the jailed former president, Mikheil Saakashvili. Saakashvili was sentenced on Monday to four-and-a-half years behind bars for illegally crossing the border when returning to the country from exile in 2021, his lawyer said. He is already serving concurrent terms for embezzlement and abuse of power while in office, bringing his total sentence to more than 12 years.

The news, released simultaneously in Baku and Yerevan, that Armenia and Azerbaijan had successfully concluded negotiations on a peace agreement is very welcome. Negotiations had been going on for a long time, sometimes in person and sometimes by email, sometimes with the participation of third-party mediators, but most of the time bilaterally without third parties. Armenia and Azerbaijan should be congratulated. The EU, US, Russia and France were amongst the first to praise the sides for their success.

Mozambique and Georgia have held elections on the 9th of October and 26th of October 2024 respectively. Despite the high demand for change in the political status quo, the incumbent parties in both countries – the Frente de Libertacao de Mocambique (FREMILO) and the Georgian Dream – have been elected again pushing civil society organisation to call out flawed elections.  Both countries have been plunged into protests ever since.

A court in Georgia on Wednesday convicted imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili on embezzlement charges and handed him another prison term of nine years. Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s president in 2004-13, is already serving a six-year prison term for abuse of power. He was convicted in absentia in 2018, and arrested in 2021 upon his return to Georgia.

Greenland's parliamentary elections were won in a surprise victory by the social-liberal opposition party Demokraatit, beating the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit party led by incumbent Prime Minister Múte Egede.