Conflict and Peace

commonspace.eu political editor said in a comment that the Georgian initiative, although for the moment short on detail, is very timely. There is in the South Caucasus a sense that a window of opportunity now exists to try to bring to a solution some of the many outstanding issues that have caused tensions and conflicts since the collapse of the Soviet Union. There are already a number of ideas floating around about possible formations for taking forward the process for regional peace, including a Turkish one which proposes a 3+3 format. The Georgian initiative appears to be very different, but leaves many questions yet unanswered. But the very fact that Georgia has committed to such a process is a positive development.

Senior diplomats from Iran, Saudi Arabia and the European Union met again this week in New York as efforts continue to defuse tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Armenia is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its independence but whilst it has all the attributes of a modern state a lot of its institutions are hollow. There is much that can be done, and if it acts reasonably, Armenia can celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence in twenty years’ time in a much more positive atmosphere, writes Benyamin Poghosyan in this anniversary op-ed. 

A new report published by Amnesty International on Monday (13 September), denounces the increasing incidence of children being killed and recruited by armed terrorist groups in Niger, especially in the "three borders" area, where the country shares borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, an area where jihadist attacks have peaked in recent months.

Moscow is interested in intra-Afghan differences being settled with the participation of the entire range of political forces in this country, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council said.

Throughout the world, people on Saturday are marking the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, and paying tribute to the 2,977 people who lost their lives. President Biden is set to lead commemorations on Saturday and will visit the three attack sites with the first lady, Jill Biden. There will also be six moments of silence to correspond with the times the two World Trade Center towers were struck and fell, and the moments the Pentagon was attacked and Flight 93 crashed.

Negotiations around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute between the Nile basin countries has been stalled since Ethiopia completed the second filling of the dam. Contrary to Egypt’s fears, the dam is yet to be fully constructed and filled. Meanwhile, Algeria is preparing to begin a round of mediation between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.