Georgia against Abkhazia: The intelligence war
Law enforcement agencies of Abkhazia have reported arrests and criminal charges against people suspected of collaborating with the Georgian special services. Judging by all the previous events, the situation on the border between Georgia and Abkhazia is again heating up. READ MORE
NATO in South Caucasus: Pragmatism or Farewell to Illusions?
A few years ago the subject of NATO’s role in regional policy in South Caucasus was one of the key within estimations and declarations of many politician, experts and reporters involved into the region. The August Russian-Georgian war of 2008, world financial-economic crisis, “Arab spring” and return of “classic” geopolitics into the region have changed the priority of perception of the North Atlantic Alliance in South Caucasus. NATO is already perceived by South Caucasian countries not the way as it was in the first part of 2000. In its turn Brussels also already not that ambitiously targets at South Caucasus. READ MORE
Giorgi Baramidze: “Russia believes that the Georgian factor should be eliminated”
Georgia is the most recent example of the serious threats that the Black Sea states are facing.
Its dynamic and successful domestic reforms coupled with the intention to determine its own foreign policy prompted Russia to apply informational and economic pressure followed by direct military assault in 2008. Russia seems to view Georgia as a dangerous role model for other post-soviet states.
The CSTO Enfant terrible
Suspension of Uzbekistan Membership in the Organization May Have the Most Serious Consequences READ MORE
The U.S. and EU Participate in Trans-border Field Training Exercise with Armenia
The United States Departments of State, Defense, and Energy and the European Commission participated in a series of field training exercises with Armenia and Georgia from July 9-12. The exercises used realistic scenarios to demonstrate and strengthen notification and response procedures in the event of illicit movement of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)-related materials. READ MORE
Ukraine Is Falling Behind Moldova, Georgia and Armenia in European Integration
In the European Union’s second Eastern Partnership Integration Index (EPII) report, trends evident already last year are continuing. Ukraine is moving “away from its one-time status as the ENP [European Neighborhood Policy] poster child.” This report confirms the EU’s assessment of the first year of the new ENP. “The area of deep and sustainable democracy experienced a further deterioration in 2011,” and “several leading opposition figures, including former Prime Minister Tymoshenko, were subjected to selective justice, characterized by un-transparent judicial processes,” the EPII proclaims. READ MORE
NATO Deputy Secretary General highlights Chicago outcomes, praises reforms in trip to Georgia
Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, NATO’s Deputy Secretary General, welcomed the progress Georgia is making in democratic reforms during a two-day visit there on 26-27 June. READ MORE
Saakashvili Speaks of Three 'Very Important Messages' from Clinton Visit
President Saakashvili said in televised remarks shortly after his joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that there had been three “very important messages” from the United States. READ MORE
The Secretary's Daunting Agenda
Late last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began her tour of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. In Scandinavia, she was to address several forums on climate change and green energy. While in Sweden, she also planned to discuss Internet freedom, Afghanistan and the Middle East. But it is in the mountains of the Caucasus and Turkey where Hillary will face the red meat of geopolitics: bloody ethnic conflicts over turf; religiously motivated massacres; and threshold nuclear states with global reach. READ MORE
Georgia approaches to NATO
NATO supports Georgia's expectations to join NATO and confirms the position, announced at the summit in Bucharest in 2008, related to Georgia's accession to NATO, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. According to him, Georgia is an exemplary partner of the Organization. READ MORE
