Armenia: Washington Cuts Millennium Challenge Funding
The United States has cut aid for a $67-million road construction program in Armenia, due to displeasure over the slow pace of democratization in Yerevan, US officials say. But some in Armenia and in the Armenian diaspora dispute that rationale, and instead suggest that Yerevan is being punished for geopolitical reasons. READ MORE
Russian Military Chief Accuses Georgia of Preparing Aggression
The top Russian military commander, the Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Defense Minister Army-General Nikolai Makarov during the Paris air show this week said: "Georgia is saber-rattling and preparing weapons to resolve its territorial problems by any means." Makarov accused NATO of supporting Georgian aggressive intentions and E.U. observers of ignoring Georgian rearmament and war preparations. Makarov stated that the Russian army and the FSB Border Guards in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are preparing together with local forces and forming new military infrastructure. He confirmed that the defense ministry will permanently station "somewhat less combat troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia" than the previously announced 3,700 soldiers in each region. READ MORE
Armenia Presses Ahead with Nuclear Power Plant Construction
Armenia is pressing ahead with its ambitious plans to build a new nuclear power station to replace the aging Soviet-era facility at Metsamor slated for decommissioning by 2017. The Armenian government has commissioned an Australian engineering company to manage the project. However, the key question of who will provide the funding needed for the plant's construction remains unanswered. READ MORE
Armenia, Azerbaijan 'Satisfied' With Fresh Summit
Officials from Armenia and Azerbaijan have reported further progress toward a resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict after a fresh meeting of their presidents held in St. Petersburg, Russia. READ MORE
Russian-Azerbaijani Approach: Strategic Impulse or an Immediate Game?
The end of the “five-days war” and Russian recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia independence gave a new powerful impulse for the discussion of the Caucasian region future. International summits, conferences, official visits and informal consultations go on almost non-stop. And sometimes it is pretty difficult tell progress from “diplomatic tourism”. READ MORE
Russia, Turkey premiers to talk trade, energy in Sochi
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will discuss with his Turkish counterpart economic and regional issues, European security and the Nagorny-Karabakh dispute at a meeting in Sochi, a government source said on Saturday. READ MORE
OSCE Chairperson urges renewed commitment to peaceful resolution on 15th anniversary of Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire
The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, expressed hope today that the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would make further progress towards a peaceful settlement, and urged them to implement fully the provisions of the ceasefire, including pulling back snipers from the front lines. READ MORE
Turkish-Armenian Dialogue on the Verge of Collapse
The nearly year-long negotiations between Armenia and Turkey look set to prove fruitless after Ankara has revived its long-standing linkage between the normalization of bilateral ties and a resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly made clear this month that his government will not establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan and re-open the Turkish-Armenian border without Azerbaijan's consent. In Armenia and especially amongst its worldwide diaspora, meanwhile, there are growing calls for President Serzh Sarkisian to abandon the Western-backed talks. READ MORE
