 RFE/RL Caucasus Report 9/4/2009 5:59:56 PM 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 . |
 Azerbaijani Minister Criticizes RFE/RL Over Eurovision Interrogation Story The Azerbaijani Minister of Youth and Sport has criticized RFE/RL for covering news about the interrogation of some people who voted for the Armenian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. More  Are Azeri Activists Hooligans, Or Merely Pests? The trial of two Azerbaijani bloggers arrested on charges of hooliganism has begun in Baku in a case that rights groups say is an attempt by authorities to stifle dissent. More  Turkmen President Invites Azerbaijan’s Aliyev To Visit Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has invited his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, to visit Ashgabat later this month to celebrate the finish of the Silk Road 2009 rally. More  Georgia, Abkhazia, And The Law Of The Sea As Georgia tries to impound ships delivering cargo to breakaway Abkhazia, Sukhumi has responded by threatening to destroy any Georgian warships operating off its coastline. The feud, which has the potential to escalate into an armed confrontation, poses tough legal questions for third parties. Should ships from other nations respect Georgia’s sea blockade? Or is Tbilisi acting out of bounds by treating any shipments to Sukhumi as smuggling? More  Why They Flee The North Caucasus The reasons why young people from the North Caucasus seek asylum in Europe are well-known -- abductions and disappearances; persecution on religious and political grounds; and even extrajudicial killings. Journalists, human rights activists, and young people who profess allegiance to branches of Islam outside the mainstream are most frequently subject to such persecution. More  A Hitchhiker's Guide To The North Caucasus It all began last year, when Tomas Polacek, a reporter for the Czech newspaper “Mlada Fronta Dnes,” suggested to his editors that he could hitchhike from Prague to China and write a daily blog. To his surprise, they agreed. Three weeks later, Polacek had reached Beijing and the blog was a hit. This year, Polacek suggested a follow-up: How about hitchhiking through the Caucasus, a year after the Russia-Georgia conflict, to see what life was like on the ground? Polacek’s editors did a double take, but they didn’t hesitate. More  Tensions Rise Over Georgia's Sea Blockade A war of words is heating up between Georgia and Abkhazia over the Tbilisi's imposition of a sea blockade on the breakaway region. The latest tensions focus on Georgia sentencing a Turkish sea captain to a lengthy jail sentence for carrying cargo to Abkhazia. More  Armenian President Proposes Measures To Alleviate Plight Of Minority In Georgia The steps include granting Armenian the formal status of a regional language, registering the Armenian Apostolic Church, and preserving Armenian historic monuments on Georgian territory. More  New Defense Minister: Goals 'Clear And Unchanged' Controversial former Penitentiary Department head Bacho Akhalya, whose appointment last week as Georgian defense minister elicited a wide range of reactions, has embarked upon his new duties and made public the broad outlines of his agenda. The ministry's "unchanged and clear objective," in Akhalaya's words, encompasses three basic priorities: modernization, peace, and integration with NATO. More  Turkey, Armenia Move Toward Reconciliation Armenia and Turkey have taken a step toward reconciliation -- announcing that they will launch final talks aimed at establishing diplomatic ties. But diplomatic protocols announced on Monday still need to be approved by the parliaments of both countries. More  Karabakh Peace Process Must Be Fully Inclusive Javid Huseynov argues that one of the keys to finding a peaceful resolution for Nagorno-Karabakh is achieving the normalization of relations between the region's ethnic Armenian and Azeri communities. More  Armenian Opposition Refuses To Cooperate With Unrest Probe The Armenian National Congress (HAK), one of Armenia's most influential opposition groupings, has refused to cooperate with the ad hoc parliament commission conducting a probe into last year's postelection unrest in clarifying HAK allegations that "illegal armed groups" were used to suppress street demonstrations in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008. More New Georgian Defense Minister Implicated In Prison Riots Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has incurred harsh criticism by naming as his new defense minister Bacho Akhalaya, who during his tenure as head of the Justice Ministry department responsible for overseeing prisons was accused of triggering two separate prison disturbances by arbitrarily maltreating prisoners. More  Moscow Court Prepares For Chechen President's Lawsuit A court in Moscow has begun its preparations ahead of hearing a lawsuit filed by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov against a human rights activist, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Turkmenistan Plans Caspian Naval Base Turkmenistan has announced plans to build a naval base on its Caspian Sea coast, an area at the center of a territorial dispute with Azerbaijan over oil and gas fields. More  Armenian Journalist Rejects 'Mistaken Identity’ Explanation A prominent television journalist who was beaten up by unknown assailants has dismissed the police version that the attack was a case of mistaken identity, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported. More  Turkey’s Energy Hub: Ignore At Your Peril It behooves Western decision makers to fully appreciate Turkey's energy big picture or risk upcoming surprises such as Armenian electricity exports to Turkey and a Russia-dominated Turkish nuclear sector. More  Has South Ossetia's President Fallen Out Of Favor With Moscow? Two Russian commentators have construed comments by Vladimir Putin, in conjunction with the failure of North Ossetian President Taymuraz Mamsurov to attend the anniversary celebrations in Tskhinvali, as reflecting Moscow's annoyance and possibly disillusion with Kokoity, who is widely regarded as incompetent and corrupt. More  CSTO Military Exercises Off To Discouraging Start A military exercise in Russia marks the first official test of the new Collective Operational Reaction Forces, created within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. But the exercises have been overshadowed by profound divisions within the CSTO concerning the new force. More 'They Asked Why I Voted For Armenia' Rovshan Nasirli, a 25-year-old Azerbaijani, was called to the National Security Ministry on August 12 to explain why he voted for an Armenian song in the televised Eurovision Song Contest in May. The officials said Nasirli's vote for Armenia -- Azerbaijan's long-standing rival -- was a matter of national security, and asked him for a written explanation before releasing him. More  Abkhazia, South Ossetia Still In Legal Gray Zone One year ago, Russia recognized Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states. Almost no other country followed suit. Today, the two territories remain mired in legal limbo, with uncertain futures. More  North Caucasus Resistance Sentences Chechen Leader To Death The Supreme Shariat Court of the Caucasus Emirate proclaimed in late 2007 by former Chechen Republic Ichkeria (ChRI) President and North Caucasus resistance commander Doku Umarov has issued a fatwa condemning to death Akhmed Zakayev, who heads the ChRI government in exile. |
