 RFE/RL Caucasus Report 22.05.2009 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the South Caucasus and Russia's North Caucasus region.For more stories on the Caucasus, please visit and bookmark our Caucasus page . |
 Georgian Opposition Deplores Killing Of Alleged Mutiny Suspect Georgian opposition party leaders staged a demonstration on May 21 outside the Defense Ministry building in Tbilisi to protest the killing in a shoot-out with Interior Ministry troops earlier that day of a suspect in the alleged mutiny on May 5 by members of a tank battalion stationed at the Mukhrovani military base east of Tbilisi. More  Website Posts Photo Of Supposedly Dead Chechen Commander The Chechen resistance website kavkazcenter.com posted on May 21 a photograph it said it received earlier that day of Sulim Yamadayev, ex-commander of the Russian Defense Ministry's notorious Vostok Battalion. The photo shows Yamadayev dressed in black pajamas, propped up on pillows in a hospital bed, looking at the camera, and holding a mobile phone. More  Circassians Mark 145th Anniversary Of Caucasus War's End The 145th anniversary of the end of the Russian-Circassian war in the North Caucasus was marked on May 21, RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service reports. More  Azeri Bloggers, Activists Harassed By Police In Wake Of Baku Protest On May 10, Ali Novruzov, an Azeri blogger, and Emil Elmanli, an opposition activist, found themselves on the streets of Baku, along with some 2,000 other young people, protesting the government’s refusal to schedule an official day of mourning for the 13 victims of the shooting rampage on April 30 at the State Oil Academy. Instead, authorities chose to proceed with a Flower Festival and birthday celebration for former President Heidar Aliyev, who died in 2004. More  South Ossetian Opposition Group Protests In Moscow Alan Gassiev, a member of the political council of the opposition People's Party, told RFE/RL that Kokoity is implementing "antidemocratic politics." More  What Is Ramzan Kadyrov's New Game Plan? Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has called for police and security forces in Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Daghestan to coordinate their efforts to hunt down and kill Islamic militants. But Daghestan is reluctant to comply, while some analysts have questioned how effective such coordination would be. Is Kadyrov's proposal part of a long-cherished desire to extend his control to Ingushetia? Or is he simply trying yet again to demonstrate to Moscow that he personally holds the key to stability in the North Caucasus? More There might be a lot of disappointed Wales fans, who were going to see their country's soccer team face off against Azerbaijan next month. More  Multiple Pipelines, But No Happiness The European Union and Russia are holding a summit in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk that will have a special focus on energy resources. The discussions on oil and natural gas are likely to reflect a spirit of competition, rather than cooperation. More  Unspecified 'Progress' Registered At Geneva Talks The fifth round of talks between Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia on security and humanitarian issues in the aftermath of the August 2008 Russian-Georgian war took place in Geneva on May 18-19. International mediators told journalists afterwards that "some progress" was made; they did not elaborate. More  Georgian Opposition Unveils Counterproposals The Georgian opposition parties that aligned to launch a campaign on April 9 to demand the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili unveiled on May 18 a broader six-point plan for implementing political reforms. That plan, which the opposition wants implemented by May 26, is intended as a response to proposals Saakashvili made one week earlier in the hope of ending the monthlong political standoff between the authorities and opposition. Opposition leaders have rejected those proposals as too little, too late. More  A Not-So-Strategic Partnership? What is a strategic partner when it stops acting like one? That's the question the EU must answer as its representatives meet Russian leaders for a biannual summit. The two sides' disputes have multiplied over the past year, and relentless Russian pressure is putting the EU's drive for pragmatic cooperation under increasing strain. More  Abkhaz Opposition Lambastes President Two opposition groups have released a joint statement criticizing the "damaging" policies implemented by the republic's leadership. They say those policies, including the "multivectoral" foreign policy advocated by President Sergei Bagapsh, "pose a real threat to the [continued] existence of our people and independent state." More  Thousands Attend Former Armenian President's Election Rally Thousands of people attended an election rally and subsequent march through central Yerevan on May 15 organized by the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK). With less than two weeks to go before the May 31 Yerevan municipal-council election, predictions of the outcome differ widely. More  On Red Lines And Reset Buttons Three former U.S. and EU diplomats recently called on Washington to lead efforts to prevent a "new tragedy" in Georgia. Citing Moscow's military buildup and its resentment over "unfinished business" from August, they argue that the West must step in to prevent a fresh escalation of violence. Co-author Denis Corboy talked with RFE/RL about the warning. More  Ramzan Kadyrov: No More 'Mr. Nice Guy' Since his appointment as Chechen Republic head two years ago, Ramzan Kadyrov has employed a combination of blandishments and threats in an attempt to stem the steady outflow of young people to join the ranks of the armed Islamic resistance. But in recent days Kadyrov has toughened his position, warning that for those who "head for the forest, there is no way back." More  Eurovision's Nationalism Eurovision has never been a friendly competition; it's always been beset by rivalries and petty nationalism (arguably, this is about the only thing that actually makes the competition interesting.) More Inspired by The Atlantic's mock "World Leaders" Facebook group, RFE/RL presents a Facebook-style summary of last week's events. More  Georgian Opposition Skeptical About Amending Constitution Following the inconclusive May 11 talks between Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and four prominent opposition leaders, the opposition has modified its tactics, lifting its blockade of traffic in front of the office of the Georgian Public Broadcaster on a major Tbilisi thoroughfare. At the same time, it holds fast to its previous demands that Saakashvili should resign. More Businessman and former parliament deputy Beslan Butba, who is reputed to be one of Abkhazia's wealthiest men, has said he may run as a candidate in the presidential election due this fall. More  Brother Of Alleged Georgian Mutiny Mastermind Beaten In Detention Georgia's human rights ombudsman, Sozar Subari, told journalists in Tbilisi on May 13 that five men detained in connection with the insurrection, including Nugzar Otanadze, have been beaten or tortured while in detention. More  U.S. Karabakh Envoy Defends His Role Earlier this week, the Azerbaijani president's foreign-policy adviser said he sees double standards and clear evidence of "Christian solidarity" among the co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group. Novruz Mammadov said that the co-chairs might also be manipulating the talks for professional reasons. The Minsk Group mediates negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. More Eurovision: Foreign-Born Stars Force Native Acts Offstage This year's Eurovision contest saw a number of nations turning away from homegrown artists in favor of foreign-born stars with broader appeal. More  Is Karabakh Peace Process In Jeopardy? Does Baku intend to create a pretext for Azerbaijan to backtrack on all or some of the principles agreed on in Prague? That may only become clear when Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian meet again next month in St. Petersburg. More  Preventing New Crimean War It is time to learn lessons from the Russia-Georgia conflict by transforming the existing system of security in Europe and Eurasia. Elements of a new system should include the mutual renunciation of force as a method for solving separatist disputes and a moratorium on the expansion of NATO. More  Baku's Flower Children A new and apparently unanticipated challenge has emerged to Azerbaijan's political status quo in the form of peaceful student protests. The catalyst was a bloodbath perpetrated by a young Azeri from Georgia whom the authorities have written off as an unhinged loner. More  South Ossetian Opposition Leader Bewails 'Lost Opportunity' Oleg Teziyev, who served in the early 1990s as prime minister of the then-unrecognized breakaway republic of South Ossetia, has accused the current president, Eduard Kokoity, of squandering the opportunity to build a truly independent republic after Russia formally recognized South Ossetia as an independent state. More  IMF Predicts Sharp Economic Contraction For Armenia The International Monetary Fund says Armenia's economy will contract by 5 percent this year and will not resume growing again until 2011, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More |
