Serzh Sargsyan told the congress of the ruling RPA "as long as the status of Artsakh remains uncertain, no other issue can be solved" since this was the main problem, and everything else was "collateral"

For people in the countries bordering Russia, Putin's words of disregard for borders and territorial integrity, was not a joke at all, but a statement of fact.

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili on Tuesday presented his new cabinet of Ministers, following the convincing victory of the Georgian Dream in last month’s Parliamentary elections. The Georgian Parliament convened a few days earlier and selected its key officials for the current legislature. The new Ministers and legislators now have to start addressing the key challenges ahead.

A month after a controversial CSTO summit in Yerevan, the issue of Armenia’s role in this organisation remains a question of debate in Armenian society. Commonspace.eu correspondent Vahagn Antonian reports on the views of ordinary Armenians in different parts of the country

The main changes were carried out in the economic team. More specifically, Giorgi Gakharia’s candidacy has been presented for the post of Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, while the current incumbent of the post, Dimitri Kumsishvili, will take the post of Finance Minister; he will also retain the post of First Vice Premier.

Commonspace.eu political editor said in a comment "He will certainly be missed, at least by those in the region and beyond trying to understand developments around the Karabakh peace process".

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov spoke about the importance of further consolidation of efforts aimed at development of balanced solutions of Caspian issues, including improvement of the legal framework needed to provide reliable foundation for development of mutually beneficial partnership in different spheres

The Georgian Parliament convened for the first time on Friday after elections in October. The Parliament also elected the first Vice Speaker and five Vice Speakers.

An informal ministerial meeting of the Eastern Partnership countries was held in Armenia with a focus on innovation. EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn described the meeting as constructive

In this commentary for Caucasus Concise, regional analyst Dr Dennis Sammut considers the risk of further escalation of violence in the Karabakh conflict zone, as tension on the line of contact increases, and in the context of a fluid international situation