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.

Editor's choice
Opinion
From Baku to Yerevan: A New Chapter for Multitrack Diplomacy

From Baku to Yerevan: A New Chapter for Multitrack Diplomacy

Towards the end of October, a lone Azerbaijani Airlines Gulfstream G650 landed in Yerevan, Armenia. It wasn’t the first to do so in over three decades of conflict but it could well change the future of multitrack diplomacy. Although mutual visits by Azerbaijanis to Armenia and Armenians to Azerbaijan are also not new, before October's flight they always occurred under the auspices of an international organisation or intergovernmental body including countries outside the region. Last month’s visit not only flew direct between the capitals but was bilaterally agreed.

Filter archive

Publication date
Editor's choice
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.
Editor's choice
News
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.
Editor's choice
News
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. 
Editor's choice
News
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".
Editor's choice
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.
Editor's choice
News
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.