Region

South Caucasus

The South Caucasus – a region encompassing Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia - is one of strategic importance, not only for adjacent countries, such as Turkiye, Russia, Iran and the Central Asian states, but also for neighbours such as the European Union and the GCC states, and globally for the United States, India, China, Pakistan and Japan.

commonspace.eu team brings decades of experience of working in the South Caucasus and we are pleased to share our insights with our loyal readers through the website, and the sister newsletter, Caucasus Concise.

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2nd South Caucasus Dialogue Forum held successfully in Tbilisi. Next forum will be held in Yerevan and after that in Baku

2nd South Caucasus Dialogue Forum held successfully in Tbilisi. Next forum will be held in Yerevan and after that in Baku

The 2nd South Caucasus Dialogue Forum was successfully held in the Georgian Capital, Tbilisi, on Tuesday, 28 October 2025, with the participation of over seventy experts, activists, diplomats and journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and from a dozen European countries and organisations. The forum is an initiative of LINKS Europe, working with partners across the South Caucasus. This year's forum was special because of the participation of around forty Armenian and Azerbaijanis members of the Thematic Groups for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue.  The 2nd South Caucasus Dialogue Forum provided for a very thorough and interesting discussion of current developments in the region. In the Forum the Armenian and Azerbaijani members were also joined by Georgian participants, as well as representatives of the EUSR Office, EUMA and Ambassadors and diplomats from around ten European countries. Also actively participating were the members of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Strategic Platform. During the Forum it was announced that the 3rd Forum will be held in Yerevan in 2026, whilst the 4th Forum will be held in Baku is 2027, accompanying the process and meetings of the European Political Community, which are also expected to be held in the two countries in 2026/7. It was also announced that the members of the Strategic Expert Platform, working under the auspices of LINKS Europe (Dr Dennis Sammut, Chair, Dr Anar Veliyev, Mr Ramazan Samadov and Mr Mehman Aliyev (members Azerbaijan); Mr Stepan Grigoryan, Mr Benyamin Poghosyan and Mr Johnny Melikyan, members Armenia;) shall form the Political Preparatory Committee for the two events.

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Opinion
Opinion: Russian goals in the Armenian snap parliamentary elections

Opinion: Russian goals in the Armenian snap parliamentary elections

With Armenia's snap parliamentary elections coming up in June, a lot of actors are looking at the country's domestic politics, but no one more closely than Moscow. In this op-ed, originally published on KarabakhSpace.eu, Benyamin Poghosyan looks at what the presence of the former Armenian president, Robert Kocharyan, means for Pashinyan and Armenian-Russian relations.
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Georgia marks anniversary of 9 April 1989

Georgia marks anniversary of 9 April 1989

Georgia today marks the 32nd anniversary of the events of 9 April 1989 when Soviet troops entered Tbilisi to crush peaceful pro-independence demonstrations, attacking the crowd and leaving at least twenty people dead. Most of the victims were women, and the youngest among the victims were 16 years old. The date is considered a watershed moment in Georgian and Soviet history. After 9 April 1989 the position of the Communist Party in Georgia became untenable and the relationship with Moscow got spoilt beyond repair.
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Kommersant:  The Russian factor at Armenia’s upcoming snap parliamentary elections will be decisive if not crucial

Kommersant: The Russian factor at Armenia’s upcoming snap parliamentary elections will be decisive if not crucial

The Russian newspaper Kommersant has commented on the recent visits to Moscow by the Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and former president, Robert Kocharian, during which the two – which the newspaper describes as "key political rivals and irreconcilable foes" – had separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 
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EU fires warning shot at Georgia

EU fires warning shot at Georgia

A blunt statement issued by the spokesperson of the European Union on Wednesday (7 April) called on Georgia to revise the selection process of Supreme Court judges in line with Venice Commission recommendations, warning that this was also "a condition for the disbursement of the second tranche of macro-financial assistance to Georgia under its current programme".
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Opinion
Opinion: In Armenia’s June elections Kocharyan will challenge Pashinyan in a vote largely motivated by hate   

Opinion: In Armenia’s June elections Kocharyan will challenge Pashinyan in a vote largely motivated by hate  

Former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan has emerged as the strongest challenger to prime minister Nikol Pashinyan in Armenian’s forthcoming parliamentary elections. However, as Benyamin Poghosyan argues in this op-ed, most voters are simply motivated by their hate of one or the other.
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4 April is International Landmine Awareness Day

4 April is International Landmine Awareness Day

In the South Caucasus, the problem of landmines and other unexploded remnants of war remains a serious issue across the region. Over the last months, since the end of the 44-day Karabakh War, the problem has become more acute as efforts are made to rehabilitate territories that were until recently in the conflict zone. Most of these territories are heavily mined. Problems also remain in other areas on both the Armenian and the Azerbaijani sides of the line of contact and the international border.
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MEPs: "The future of EU-Georgia relations is at stake"

MEPs: "The future of EU-Georgia relations is at stake"

Seven Members of the European Parliament have published a joint statement in response to Georgian politicians' inability to reach an agreement to resolve the country's political crisis this week under the mediation of the President of the European Council’s Personal Envoy, Christian Danielsson.