South Caucasus

It is becoming increasingly clear that the AZAL plane that crashed on Christmas Day (25 December) was hit by a Russian missile fired from Grozny. Russian President Vladimir Putin took the unusual step of apologising on Friday (27th December) but stopped short of admitting responsibility . - Commenting on the crash during an interview with Azerbaijan Television President Aliyev dismissed earlier Russian claims that the plane was struck by birds. The fact that the crashed plane was full of holes completely eliminates the bird strike theory, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said . According to him, Azerbaijan presented clear demands to the Russian side. "These demands were officially communicated to them on December 27. What do they consist of? First, the Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan. Second, it must admit its guilt. Third, those responsible must be punished, held criminally liable, and the Azerbaijani state, as well as the injured passengers and crew members, must be compensated. These are our conditions. The first of them was fulfilled yesterday. I hope they will accept other conditions as well. All these demands are fair. There are no extraordinary demands and issues here; all this is based on international experience and normal human behavior," Aliyev noted. Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned Ilham Aliyev again after the interview was aired.

Bachuki Kardava, Georgian  Politician and leader of the National Democratic Party died at the age of 54. Dennis Sammut wrote this short  obituary for commonspace.eu: I met Bachuki Kardava for the first time in 1995, He was then the President of the NDPs youth wing. It was shortly after the death of Gia Chanturia leader of the National Democrats also at a young age. Bachuki had worked closely with Gia Chanturia and missed him both as a friend and as political mentor. In those turbulent times of the mid 1990s Bachuki was always helpful and supportive, a  great friend to the tiny but vibrant international community in Georgia at the time. He was frustrated by the developments within the National Democratic Party and missed the wisdom of Gia  Chanturia. In the mid 1990s the NDP was the second strongest political force in Georgia. But that moment passed and when he became leader of the party in 2003 Bachuki Kardava could not bring back its  past glory. He died at the young age of 54. I extend my sincere condolences to all his family and friends

n Baku, flags on official buildings and embassies of foreign countries flew at half mast Thursday (26 December) as Azerbaijan observed a day of mourning following the crash of an AZAL plane which resulted in the death of 38 passengers and crew. The plane was on  a scheduled flight from Baku to Grozny, but was diverted to Kazakhstan because of bad weather. President Ilham Aliyev was informed of the crash whilst on his way to St Petersburg where he was to attend the informal CIS summit hosted by President Putin. He ordered his plan to return to Baku to lead the Azerbaijani response to the crash. Azerbaijani media speculated about the causes  of the crash, with some outlets saying that it was hit by a Chechen missile whilst approaching Grozny.

In an interview with Armenpress Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed a number of critical aspects of the pending peace treaty with Azerbaijan. In his view, the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty would gain superior legal force over Armenian laws and the topic of territorial demands would be closed forever. Prime Minister Pashinyan stated that the same would happen in Azerbaijan meaning that the signing of the peace treaty would practically dispel the concerns of both Armenia and Azerbaijan particularly in relation to their respective constitutions. The Prime Minister also noted that Armenia was not engaged in an arms race with any country but was acquiring armaments exclusively for defending Armenia’s borders and territorial integrity.

In an interview with Armenpress Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed a number of critical aspects of the pending peace treaty with Azerbaijan. In his view, the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty would gain superior legal force over Armenian laws and the topic of territorial demands would be closed forever. Prime Minister Pashinyan stated that the same would happen in Azerbaijan meaning that the signing of the peace treaty would practically dispel the concerns of both Armenia and Azerbaijan particularly in relation to their respective constitutions. The Prime Minister also noted that Armenia was not engaged in an arms race with any country but was acquiring armaments exclusively for defending Armenia’s borders and territorial integrity.

In an interview with Armenpress Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed a number of critical aspects of the pending peace treaty with Azerbaijan. In his view, the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty would gain superior legal force over Armenian laws and the topic of territorial demands would be closed forever. Prime Minister Pashinyan stated that the same would happen in Azerbaijan meaning that the signing of the peace treaty would practically dispel the concerns of both Armenia and Azerbaijan particularly in relation to their respective constitutions. The Prime Minister also noted that Armenia was not engaged in an arms race with any country but was acquiring armaments exclusively for defending Armenia’s borders and territorial integrity.

Events in Georgia are in the spotlight in Brussels this week with European leaders putting the political situation in Tbilisi on their agenda during the EU Council meeting for Heads of Government on Thursday. On Wednesday, the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili delivered a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

On 10 December, the Center for Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center), a Baku-based political think tank closely affiliated with the Azerbaijani government, held a high-level international conference titled “The Main Obstacle to a Peace Agreement Between Azerbaijan and Armenia.” The conference identified the territorial claims in Armenia’s constitution against Azerbaijan as the primary obstacle to peace.

European Union foreign ministers have agreed to ask the European Commission to prepare a proposal for the suspension of visa-free travel for Georgian officials holding diplomatic passports as a consequence of the  crackdown in Georgia on pro-EU protests. This measure will be a considerable setback for the government in Tbilisi.