President Vladimir Putin has declared Monday as a day of national mourning after a military plane crashed over the Black Sea on Sunday The Tu-154 plane - carrying soldiers, members of the famed "Red Army choir" music ensemble and reporters - was heading for Syria

Regional analyst Dr Dennis Sammut looks back at how the region fared over the last year.

In 2017 Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia will have to navigate through a more challenging and complicated regional and international context which will heighten risks.

The editorial team of commonspace.eu extend Christmas greetings to our readers and subscribers in the Caucasus region, Europe and North America, and worldwide. May the Christmas message of peace resonate throughout the continents in this festive period.

Putin spoke confidently for nearly four hours, quoting figures and statistics often without looking at his notes. Some seasoned journalists pointed out that Putin looked healthier and more alert than last year, but he refused to answer questions on his future ambitions.

The two countries signed a number of documents at the end of an official visit by the Iranian President to the Armenian capital.

Greeting his Iranian counterpart, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said, "We are thankful to the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the considerate attitude towards our relations. We have always been truthful and honest in our relations and are ready to carry on in the same spirit"

The project will transport natural gas from a gas field in Azerbaijan to and across Turkey, and further to Europe, aiming to diversify Azerbaijan's gas export markets and improve the security of the energy supply in Turkey and South Eastern Europe.

According to its mandate, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visits detainees to monitor their treatment and conditions of detention and to help to ensure that the detainees are able to maintain contact with their families

A short war, an exemplary election, and a plethora of regional initiatives, are some of the features that characterise the South Caucasus in 2016. In the first of three articles assessing recent events and likely future scenarios, Regional analyst Dr Dennis Sammut looks back at how the region fared over the last year.