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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Briefing: intensive diplomatic efforts around the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process
Intense diplomatic efforts over the last month are a good reflection of a sustained determination on the part of Armenia and Azerbaijan to bring their decades-old conflict to an end, and sign a peace agreement, writes commonspace.eu. Meetings between president Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and prime minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia were held in Brussels on 15 May, with the mediation of EU Council president Charles Michel. The three leaders met again on 1 June in Chisinau, this time also with the participation of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Aliyev and Pashinyan met, together with president Putin of Russia, in Moscow on 25 May. And on 4 June the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan were in Ankara for the inauguration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s new term in office, where they also met informally. The next formal meeting is now set to be held in July in Brussels. A lot is also going on behind the scenes with European and American envoys travelling in the region.
patrickn97 Fri, 06/09/2023 - 11:21
Opinion: we may still be far from an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty

Current circumstances in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process raise a number of questions, writes Vasif Huseynov in this op-ed for commonspace.eu. "Above all, it is unclear whether Baku and Yerevan will be able to stand resilient against all this pressure from the Russian side.

patrickn97 Fri, 06/09/2023 - 09:57

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Landmine Free South Caucasus campaign releases educational videos on consequences of landmines in five languages

The regional campaign LANDMINE FREE SOUTH CAUCASUS has released a series of educational cartoons on the consequences of landmines and explosive remnants of war in the South Caucasus.

The videos have been produced in five languages: Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, English, and Russian.

The Georgian version can be viewed here.

The Armenian version can be viewed here.

patrickn97 Mon, 05/29/2023 - 13:13
Georgia celebrates Independence Day, events around the world to mark occasion

On Friday (26 May), Georgia is celebrating the 105th anniversary of the establishment of the first Democratic Republic of Georgia.

The Democratic Republic of Georgia declared independence from the short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR), which consisted of much of the present-day territory of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, on 26 May 1918. Two days later, both Armenia and Azerbaijan also declared independence from the TDFR, which was formed in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

patrickn97 Fri, 05/26/2023 - 09:52
Editor's choice
Analysis
Briefing: Pashinyan ready to sign, not everyone in Stepanakert is happy, Baku hopeful but keeping up pressure
Trending

Briefing: Pashinyan ready to sign, not everyone in Stepanakert is happy, Baku hopeful but keeping up pressure

25 May 2023
As Armenia and Azerbaijan edge closer to signing an agreement ending decades of conflict between them, the future of the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh remains one of the most crucial outstanding issues, writes commonspace.eu. Intense discussions and negotiations have been ongoing throughout May, with meetings in Washington, Brussels and Moscow involving the leaders of the two countries, their foreign ministers, and other senior officials. In a lengthy press conference on 22 May, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that he wants to reach an agreement "as soon as possible". The international community's perception of the negotiations is that Armenia and Azerbaijan should, without reservations, recognise each other's territorial integrity of 29,800 square kilometers and 86,600 square kilometers, respectively, said Pashinyan.
commonspace.eu editorial team
Georgia and Qatar to sign agreement on innovation and technology cooperation after leaders meet in Doha
Georgia and Qatar are to sign an agreement on innovation and technology cooperation, the Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili announced on Tuesday (23 May). The announcement came after the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani met in Doha on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum that is running from 23-25 May. Davitashvili said that the Georgian delegation had meetings with a number of sectoral ministries in which they discussed opportunities for cooperation between Georgia and Qatar. Transport, logistics, and Georgia's key role in the Middle Corridor facilitating east-west trade were emphasised in the meetings, according to Davitashvili, who said that there is an increased interest in the country from "many states of the world, including Qatari investors", amid geopolitical challenges. The meetings also touched on trade and economic issues, as well as the the agreements on Mutual Support and Protection of Investments and on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation, signed last year between Georgia and Qatar.
patrickn97 Wed, 05/24/2023 - 09:20
Opinion: 9 May diplomacy demonstrates a changing political landscape in the South Caucasus

"Azerbaijan’s non-participation in the military parade in Moscow demonstrates a changing political landscape in the region that profoundly challenges conventional perceptions," writes Farid Mirzali in this op-ed for commonspace.eu.

patrickn97 Tue, 05/23/2023 - 09:17
Editor's choice
Opinion
Opinion: Pushing Armenia to make further concessions will spoil any chance for peace
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Opinion: Pushing Armenia to make further concessions will spoil any chance for peace

22 May 2023
"The Armenian government and Armenian society have reached the limits of concessions on Nagorno Karabakh, and any agreement which will not explicitly secure a long-term and solid international presence in Nagorno Karabakh (either through the deployment of peacekeeping forces or a large-size mission) will be rejected by the majority of the population", writes Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed for commonspace.eu. He adds that "it should be clear to the international community that any new government in Armenia will pursue a tougher policy on the issues related to Nagorno Karabakh and relations with Azerbaijan. Thus, all those external actors, who are interested in the stability of the region, should understand that any additional pressure on the Armenian government to drop its demands for a solid international presence in Nagorno Karabakh, and failure to explicitly secure that presence in the peace agreement, is a recipe for significant political destabilization in Armenia, and has the potential of ruining the ongoing Armenia – Azerbaijan negotiation process, and bring the region back to a renewed cycle of violence."
Benyamin Poghosyan
The humanitarian dimension of the landmine problem in the South Caucasus emphasised during event in Azerbaijan's Fizuli region

In the framework of the regional campaign LANDMINE FREE SOUTH CAUCASUS, the Azerbaijani non-governmental -organisation “Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines”, held an event in the town of Horadiz in the Fizuli Region during which the humanitarian consequences of landmine contamination was emphasised. The Fizuli Region, as with other nearby  regions of Azerbaijan such as Aghdam, is just starting to recover from the ravishes of decades of war.

dennis2020 Sat, 05/20/2023 - 08:54
Editor's choice
Editorial
Editorial: light at the end of the tunnel for Armenia and Azerbaijan
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Editorial: light at the end of the tunnel for Armenia and Azerbaijan

18 May 2023
The European Union continues to play an instrumental part in helping Armenia and Azerbaijan to narrow the differences between them and move closer to signing a peace agreement normalising relations, writes commonspace.eu in this editorial.  On Sunday (14 May), European Council president Charles Michel, hosted Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels for several hours of talks which Michel described as being “frank, open and result-oriented” and “focused on progress on the path towards Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization.” Michel said that “the leaders shared a common willingness for a South Caucasus at peace. I commend their respective efforts. Together, we reviewed all issues on our agenda.” commonspace.eu political editor commenting on the results of the 14 May Brussels meeting said that clearly the negotiations have reached a decisive stage. This is now not a discussion on abstract principles but on tangible and practical issues that will have an impact on the lives of Armenians and Azerbaijanis across the region.
commonspace.eu editorial team
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