South Caucasus

In less than two months the Eurovision Song Contest will be held once more, this time in Switzerland. The competition, established by the European Broadcast Union in 1956, has many detractors but also many loyal fans. Intended to bring the countries of the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) together, the event is meant to be a celebration of cultural diversity and creativity. That hasn’t always been the case, however, especially when the acts are from the South Caucasus.

Prosecutors in Georgia have launched a criminal investigation into five civil society organizations, accusing them of “sabotage” and ordering the freezing of their bank accounts in relation to their role in anti-government demonstrations. In a statement on Monday, the Prosecutor’s Office said the groups had funneled more than two million lari (650,000 euro) to finance “illegal activities,” including paying protesters’ fines and purchasing equipment. Authorities claim the groups bear responsibility for violence and destruction linked to recent demonstrations.

A court in Georgia has handed a further prison sentence to the jailed former president, Mikheil Saakashvili. Saakashvili was sentenced on Monday to four-and-a-half years behind bars for illegally crossing the border when returning to the country from exile in 2021, his lawyer said. He is already serving concurrent terms for embezzlement and abuse of power while in office, bringing his total sentence to more than 12 years.

The news, released simultaneously in Baku and Yerevan, that Armenia and Azerbaijan had successfully concluded negotiations on a peace agreement is very welcome. Negotiations had been going on for a long time, sometimes in person and sometimes by email, sometimes with the participation of third-party mediators, but most of the time bilaterally without third parties. Armenia and Azerbaijan should be congratulated. The EU, US, Russia and France were amongst the first to praise the sides for their success.

The European Union has congratulated the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for finalising a peace deal and urged them to sign the treaty soon. The South Caucasus neighbours said on Thursday 13 March that they had concluded talks aimed at resolving their decades-old conflict, with both sides agreeing on the text of a possible treaty. European Council chief Antonio Costa wrote on X that it was "a decisive step towards the full normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the opening of the region."

Speaking to media on the sidelines of the Global Baku Forum, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov unexpectedly announced that the text of the Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan had been finalised. Made up of 17 points, two of which had not until now been agreed, the news came like a bolt out of the blue. As was already known, those last points concerned withdrawing international court cases against each other and not deploying third country forces on their common border.

Speaking at the 12th Global Baku Forum, the former President of the European Council, Charles Michel warned that a potential trade war could stem from events originating in the White House but Europe must remain focused on further strengthening its economy. He also highlighted that the US plays an important role in Europe's security and that more investment should be made in institutional development. The Global Baku Forum is organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center under the patronage of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.

Mozambique and Georgia have held elections on the 9th of October and 26th of October 2024 respectively. Despite the high demand for change in the political status quo, the incumbent parties in both countries – the Frente de Libertacao de Mocambique (FREMILO) and the Georgian Dream – have been elected again pushing civil society organisation to call out flawed elections.  Both countries have been plunged into protests ever since.

A court in Georgia on Wednesday convicted imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili on embezzlement charges and handed him another prison term of nine years. Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s president in 2004-13, is already serving a six-year prison term for abuse of power. He was convicted in absentia in 2018, and arrested in 2021 upon his return to Georgia.