Region

South Caucasus

Stories under this heading cover the South Caucasus – a region encompassing Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as the unrecognised entities of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh.

For those interested specifically in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and events and developments in and around Nagorno-Karabakh following the 2020 44-day war, check out our sister page, KarabakhSpace.eu.

Editor's choice
Opinion
Disordered Interregnum: Threats to the South Caucasus?

Disordered Interregnum: Threats to the South Caucasus?

The policy decisions made by the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, have triggered tectonic shifts in the international political order. The post-World War II, U.S.-led system is unraveling before our eyes, and paradoxically, this process has been accelerated by the United States itself. The new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, described the post-Cold War order, characterized by unipolarity, as an “anomaly” and stated, “It was a product of the end of the Cold War, but eventually, you were going to reach back to a point where you had a multipolar world, with multiple great powers in different parts of the planet.” The United States appears to have abandoned its post-World War II role as the leader of the free world, established through Pax Americana and its commitment to providing security for allies in Europe, East Asia, and beyond.
Editor's choice
Opinion
Opinion: Musical Outcry in Yerevan Echoes Urgency of Armenia-Azerbaijan People-to-People Contact

Opinion: Musical Outcry in Yerevan Echoes Urgency of Armenia-Azerbaijan People-to-People Contact

On the evening of 30 January, a Facebook post by the Independent Centre for Strategic Studies sparked outrage in Armenia. The post featured a 29-second video showing a group of men singing a 1972 Azerbaijani song with the chorus, Jan Karabakh, in Yerevan’s Republic Square. Though a song has been performed in the Armenian language with the same phrase actually in Karabakh, this short recent public rendition triggered a wave of anger on social media in the country.

Filter archive

Publication date
Editor's choice
Opinion
Disordered Interregnum: Threats to the South Caucasus?

Disordered Interregnum: Threats to the South Caucasus?

The policy decisions made by the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, have triggered tectonic shifts in the international political order. The post-World War II, U.S.-led system is unraveling before our eyes, and paradoxically, this process has been accelerated by the United States itself. The new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, described the post-Cold War order, characterized by unipolarity, as an “anomaly” and stated, “It was a product of the end of the Cold War, but eventually, you were going to reach back to a point where you had a multipolar world, with multiple great powers in different parts of the planet.” The United States appears to have abandoned its post-World War II role as the leader of the free world, established through Pax Americana and its commitment to providing security for allies in Europe, East Asia, and beyond.
Editor's choice
Opinion
Opinion: Musical Outcry in Yerevan Echoes Urgency of Armenia-Azerbaijan People-to-People Contact

Opinion: Musical Outcry in Yerevan Echoes Urgency of Armenia-Azerbaijan People-to-People Contact

On the evening of 30 January, a Facebook post by the Independent Centre for Strategic Studies sparked outrage in Armenia. The post featured a 29-second video showing a group of men singing a 1972 Azerbaijani song with the chorus, Jan Karabakh, in Yerevan’s Republic Square. Though a song has been performed in the Armenian language with the same phrase actually in Karabakh, this short recent public rendition triggered a wave of anger on social media in the country.
Editor's choice
News
Georgian government plans tougher penalties for protesters

Georgian government plans tougher penalties for protesters

In the midst of a political crisis, the Georgian government is pushing forward with a legislative package that would increase penalties for protest-related offences including years in prison in some cases.   Georgians have been rallying nightly since November, when the ruling Georgian Dream party, now in its fourth term in power, said it was suspending discussions related to membership in the European Union until 2028.
Editor's choice
News
Georgian police arrest anti-government protesters at pro-EU demonstration

Georgian police arrest anti-government protesters at pro-EU demonstration

Police in Georgia arrested several anti-government protesters on Sunday as thousands of demonstrators demanding new parliamentary elections briefly blocked a motorway on the edge of the capital Tbilisi. Nika Melia, a leader of the country's largest opposition party, the Coalition for Change was among those arrested. He was later released on bail after detention for an administrative offence. Former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, another prominent opposition figure was also arrested. Around thirty persons are reportedly still in detention.
Editor's choice
News
Georgian police arrest anti-government protesters at pro-EU protest

Georgian police arrest anti-government protesters at pro-EU protest

Police in Georgia arrested several anti-government protesters on Sunday as thousands of demonstrators demanding new parliamentary elections briefly blocked a motorway on the edge of the capital Tbilisi. Nika Melia, a leader of the country's largest opposition party, the Coalition for Change was among those arrested. He was later released on bail after detention for an administrative offence. Former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, another prominent opposition figure was also arrested. Around thirty persons are reportedly still in detention.
Editor's choice
News
Prime Ministers of Georgia and Armenia meet in Yerevan

Prime Ministers of Georgia and Armenia meet in Yerevan

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on Thursday. According to media reports,  they discussed the importance of the strategic partnership between the two countries as well as the issues to be discussed at the 14th Meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation. They also gave attention to the situation in the region including progress in the peace process.
Editor's choice
News
 Armenians and Azerbaijanis discuss how to shape a dialogue best suited for today's realities as LINKS Europe kicks off new initiative

Armenians and Azerbaijanis discuss how to shape a dialogue best suited for today's realities as LINKS Europe kicks off new initiative

LINKS Europe held its first event within the recently launched EU4Peace III programme in Tbilisi on Thursday 30 January. Armenian and Azerbaijani participants engaged in an open and constructive discussion on how to shape a dialogue best suited to today's realities. As part of the initiative, LINKS Europe will shortly launch five thematic groups: The thematic groups, with Armenian and Azerbaijani participants will discuss the following topics: (1) Climate Change & the Green Economy; (2) Peace & Security; (3) Governance; (4) Regional Connectivity; (5) Gender and Diversity . On 2nd April, at a meeting in The Hague, LINKS Europe will launch the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Political Dialogue Platform. The platform is a parallel, mutually reenforcing initiative bringing together experienced Armenian and Azerbaijani experts and stakeholders. It is expected that one of the main tasks of the platform in 2025 will be to support the thematic groups, particularly in the phase of preparation of their reports. The EU4Peace III action, supported and funded by the European Union, aims to contribute to the sustainable normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. By broadening the engagement of social groups, the initiative aims to link political processes to wider societal transformation.
Editor's choice
News
Georgia suspends participation in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly

Georgia suspends participation in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly

Georgia’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has announced that it will immediately halt its participation in the assembly after the plenary voted to impose strict conditions for ratifying the delegation’s credentials. Among the conditions is a rerun of the contested October 2024 parliamentary elections, which Georgia’s governing party, Georgian Dream, is accused of rigging, and the release of all political prisoners detained at ongoing pro-EU protests in the country. According to the resolution, which was passed on January 29 by 114 votes to 13 with seven abstaining, should the conditions be met, the assembly would revisit the ratification of the Georgian delegation’s credentials in April.
Editor's choice
News
Ivanishvili Transfers Assets to Georgia Following U.S. Sanctions

Ivanishvili Transfers Assets to Georgia Following U.S. Sanctions

The influential chairman of the Georgian Dream Party Bidzina Ivanishvili and his family members have been transferring their business assets from offshore entities to companies registered in Georgia, according to Transparency International. This follows the financial sanctions imposed on Ivanishvili by the U.S. Treasury Department on the 27th December of last year due to Ivanishvili's alleged efforts to undermine democratic processes in Georgia in favor of the Russia. A few days later, on December 31, 2024, Ivanishvili began transferring his companies from offshore zones to Georgia, Transparency International reported on Wednesday.