... prefaced with the fact that the region’s borders are not clearly fixed. Generally speaking, when discussing the situation in the region, politicians and experts tend to refer not only to the six countries that have a coastline on the Black Sea (Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine) but also to neighbouring states. It is, thus, no coincidence that the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) founded 28 years ago (if we consider the Bosphorus Statement its constituent ...
... bodies, ideological and political symbols.
When the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was recognised in August 2008, it was the Caucasus that saw the precedent of changed borders between the former Soviet republics.
It was in the Caucasus that Georgia, in its bid for NATO membership, held a referendum on acceding to the alliance and over two-thirds of Georgians voted for accession. Consequently, strategic cooperation with NATO was, in addition to rhetoric,
bolstered
by a popular vote.
The ...
...
2019 marks the 10
th
anniversary of the Eastern Partnership, a political initiative the EU launched in 2009 for developing relations with six eastern countries of the former socialist bloc. The collaboration program with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine was primarily intended as a means for introducing these countries to the European experience and approaches to developing their economies, political institutions and civil society. Given current events, however, Russia has ...
... respective geopolitical interest than the reality on the ground.
From the Russian perspective, the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the Southern Caucasus territories is a way to ensure the safety of ethnic minorities and preserve local cultures from Georgian nationalists. From the Western perspective, it is more about Russia having outposts in Georgia to slow down the integration process of Georgia in the European Union and NATO Command Structures.
Both arguments are relevant, while Russia is ensuring ...
Discussion was dedicated to the perspectives of Russian — Georgian relations in the broad regional and international context
Expert workshop organized by the Institute for Security Policy (ISP) and the Research Group for Polemology and Legal Ethics, University of Vienna took place in Vienna on 16–17 September....
On September 5, 2019, RIAC hosted an expert seminar with the participation of Nino Burjanadze, the leader of the United Georgia party, and leading Russian specialists on the Caucasus studies.
On September 5, 2019, RIAC hosted an expert seminar with the participation of Nino Burjanadze, the leader of the United Georgia party, and leading Russian specialists on the Caucasus ...
... insisted for the last five years that Russia could not return to the organization after losing voting rights back in 2014 over its actions in Ukraine, suddenly resolved the issue in a matter of weeks and welcomed Russia back into its fold.
And over in Georgia, mass protests sparked by the ill-fated appearance of a Russian Duma deputy in the Georgian parliament resulted not in the usual cannonade of propaganda by Russia, the EU, and the United States, but in a weary shrug.
These events do not signify ...
... is the situation in the region, and how to mitigate the risks of the conflicts?
The South Caucasus and Southeast Ukraine are the two significant hotspots in Europe. There are still some tensions in the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict while the Georgian-Abkhaz and the Georgian-Ossetian ones are quite stable. Changes in the South Caucasus military balance have greatly affected the future of these confrontations. For Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, it is difficult to find stability ...
On May 15, 2019, Georgi Kadzhaya, Head of Georgian Interests Section at the Embassy of Switzerland in Russia, visited Russian International Affairs Council.
On May 15, 2019, Georgi Kadzhaya, Head of Georgian Interests Section at the Embassy of Switzerland in Russia, visited Russian International ...
... Michalka, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, and his advisor Pietro Guastamacchia visited Russian International Affairs Council.
The following issues were discussed during the meeting: current state of Russia-Georgia relations, the possibility for achieving progress on the Abkhaz and South Ossetian issues, as well as the role of international organizations and multilateral formats in stabilizing the situation in the South Caucasus region.
