... make Russia see Azerbaijan as a potential opponent at the European market.
The South Caucasus region cannot be regarded as a vital oil and gas market for the Russian Federation. Currently Russia provides only its strategic partner with energy – Armenia, while Georgia is partly dependent on Azeri exports, and Azerbaijan is self-sufficient. Even if Georgia decides to reject Azeri exports in favor of Russia, the region will not account for any vital part of the Russian export ratio.
Russia does not export its ...
... with the centre of former military, economic and political power, which is now embodied by the Russian Federation as the legal successor to the USSR. Of the 15 former republics of the Soviet Union, four have no diplomatic relations with one another (Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russia and Georgia). Unregulated border disputes are the bane of practically all Central Asian states. Russia and Ukraine have not broken diplomatic relations formally, but relations between the two countries are at their lowest ebb since December 1991.
The new ...
... irrelevant to the new set of conditions that followed the events of August 2008
[4]
.
In the politico-geographical introduction to his new report, Jos Boonstra identifies the South Caucasus as a region that “comprises the former Soviet states of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.” From a legal point of view, he is absolutely right. With the exception of Russia and several countries of Latin America and Oceania, the international community recognizes Georgia within the borders of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic,...
... post-Soviet South Caucasus countries have not yet accumulated sufficient experience in conducting their own “festive and commemorative” policies. Before they became independent countries as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia shared symbols and festive dates with all the other republics (the majority of these dates were associated with the establishment of the Soviet power there). The experience of national statehood after the disintegration of the Russian Empire was ...
... Editor-in-Chief of the International Trends journal
Reflections in the footsteps of Victoria Nuland’s Transcaucasia tour
For several days now, the Russian media has been abuzz over what one journalist dubbed the “explosive” tour of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia taken by Victoria Nuland, whom it has referred to as assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State, but who is actually the assistant to the Under Secretary of State. Interest in Nuland is being fueled by a distorted assessment of her alleged role ...
... aircraft missiles in 2005), Serbia (250 Zastava M93 sniper rifles and 100 AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers in 2007), as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina (200 mortars in 2010).
[13]
Table 1. Largest Arms Suppliers to Transcaucasia in 2000-2013.
Azerbaija
Georgia
Armenia
Russia
130 Т-90SA tanks
62 Т-72 tanks
100 BMP-3s
n/a BTR-80s
70 BTR-80/82
450 artillery pieces, MRLS units and mortars
24 Mi-35М helicopters
60 Mi-17 helicopters
2 divisions of S-300PMU-2 antiaircraft missile systems
300 shoulder-fired missiles
...
