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.

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Leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet in Abu Dhabi to finalise peace agreement

Leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet in Abu Dhabi to finalise peace agreement

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are meeting on Thursday 10 July in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to discuss the next steps in finalising the peace agreement, their offices have confirmed to international news agencies. This is the first formal bilateral meeting between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan since they agreed on the draft text of the peace agreement, following nearly four decades of conflict. The results of this meeting will shape the future of the South Caucasus and how the two countries can live peacefully next to each other after decades of conflict.
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OSCE Parliamentary Assembly calls for Release of Political Prisoners in Georgia

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly calls for Release of Political Prisoners in Georgia

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has called for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Georgia in a declaration adopted during the Assembly’s 32nd annual session held in Porto, Portugal on 3 July. The declaration expressed alarm over the developments since the parliamentary elections held on 26 October last year including reports of arbitrary detentions, violence and ill-treatment of protesters, opposition leaders and media representatives, as documented by civil society organizations and the Public Defender of Georgia. The declaration also called for new elections to be held in Georgia.

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Georgian prime minister under pressure to resign following the death of a journalist

Georgian prime minister under pressure to resign following the death of a journalist

Georgian civil society organisations have called for the resignation of the prime minister and the interior minister holding them responsible for the death of a journalist who was among dozens attacked by right wing vigilantes on Monday as they covered an attempt by gay rights supporters to hold a march in Tbilisi.
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Putin and Pashinyan meet to discuss South Caucasus

Putin and Pashinyan meet to discuss South Caucasus

The Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday (7 July). This was the third face-to face meeting of the two leaders in six months. The two men also speak on the phone often. “Putin’s peace” between Armenia and Azerbaijan has so far held, yet the Kremlin must be under no illusion that it will be plain sailing going forward. There is still a lot of work to be done before Armenia and Azerbaijan commence the journey for peace and reconciliation, and the Russian’s may even have their own reasons for not wanting that process to move too swiftly. The alternative is tight management of the current arrangements, and that may mean many more Putin-Pashinyan meetings to come.
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Georgia's day of shame

Georgia's day of shame

Dozens of journalists attacked and injured; a peaceful civil march cancelled under government pressure; offices of a civil society organisation ransacked; outbursts of intolerance and homophobia; and a government that at best sat and watched as things unfolded – at worst itself abetted the outrage. This was Tbilisi on 5 July 2021, a day that will be remembered as a day of shame for Georgia.
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Opinion
Opinion: The South Caucasus needs more EU, less Russia, and a better life for all the people of the region

Opinion: The South Caucasus needs more EU, less Russia, and a better life for all the people of the region

The European Union has indicated it is re-enforcing its engagement with the South Caucasus, including on the thorny issues of conflict resolution. Dennis Sammut argues in this op-ed that this is timely and necessary. The region needs more EU, less Russia and prospects for a better quality of life for all its people. For this to happen the EU needs to be more strategic in its approach to the region and there is no longer place for hesitation and ambiguity, he argues.
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Opinion: Josep Borrell argues for more engagement with the South Caucasus

Opinion: Josep Borrell argues for more engagement with the South Caucasus

The EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has called for more EU engagement with the South Caucasus. Writing on his blog on the website of the European External Action Service, Borrell said that there is a growing expectation on the side of EU member states and partners for the EU to take a more active role in addressing the conflicts in the Eastern neighbourhood. "We are ready to help rebuild not only physical roads and bridges, but also paths to reconciliation and peaceful co-existence," the High Representative said.