RFE/RL CAUCASUS REPORT
10/28/2011 8:29:26 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 . |
 Yerevan Mayor Confirms Resignation Yerevan Mayor Karen Karapetian has confirmed that he has decided to resign after less than one year in office. More  Armenia Sends Quake Relief To Turkey Armenia says it will send a planeload of humanitarian aid to the survivors of a powerful earthquake in southeastern Turkey that killed more than 500 people and left thousands of others homeless. More  Russia 'Still Committed' To Armenian Nuclear Project Russia has reaffirmed its commitment to help Armenia build a new nuclear plant, though it said the expensive project will not be easy to implement. More  Armenia's CIS Trade Deal OK With EU A senior European Union official says Armenia's decision to join a free-trade zone comprising Russia and other former Soviet republics will not hamper its signing of a more far-reaching deal with the EU. More  Armenian PM Warns Against Challenging Ruling Party Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian says the ruling Republican Party (HHK) intends to increase its dominance in domestic politics and it would be wrong for anyone to challenge it. More  Georgia's 'Pragmatic Dreamer' Outlines Political Credo Just three weeks ago, few Georgians would have recognized Bidzina Ivanishvili if they had encountered the reclusive billionaire philanthropist on the streets of Tbilisi. More  Azerbaijani-Turkish Gas Deal Opens Southern Corridor In agreeing on gas shipments for Turkish consumption, Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders have resolved one of the biggest obstacles to sending Caspian region gas to Europe. Now the game is on to see which of three proposed pipelines, including the EU's long-delayed Nabucco project, gets the bid. More  Ingushetian Leader's Guard Shot In Road-Rage Incident Road rage anywhere can be hazardous to your health. But in the unstable Russian North Caucasus province of Ingushetia, a fit of motorized anger escalated into a regional security concern on October 23, when an irate motorist shot a trusted member of regional President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov’s security detail. More Employees Go Back To Work At Armenian Nuclear Plant After Pay Rise Dozens of employees at Armenia's Metsamor nuclear power plant who quit their jobs last week have agreed to return to work after accepting an offer of a 10-percent pay rise by the government. More  Armenian Power Utility Accused Of Tax Evasion Tax officers have raided the offices nationwide of Armenia's Russian-owned national power distribution company after the State Revenue Committee (SRC) accused it of withholding about 2 billion drams ($5.3 million) in taxes.More  Armenian Activist's Arrest Condemned The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) has demanded the immediate release of one of its activists arrested after a scuffle with police.More  Why Does The Russian Army Need A Lot More Snipers? The Russian Defense Ministry is planning crash courses to train large numbers of snipers -- and train them fast, according to the Russian dailies "Rossiiskaya gazeta" and "Izvestiya." More  Armenian Editors Protest Libel Law The editors of eight leading Armenian newspapers have expressed support for the Constitutional Court to repeal controversial legislation that has led to a sharp increase in libel suits filed against media outlets. More  In Hosting Domino Championship, Abkhazia Hopes To Score Internationally All eyes -- at least in the world of international dominoes -- are on Abkhazia this week, as the breakaway Georgian territory hosts the World Domino Championship. Local officials hope that the event, which has attracted delegations from countries including the United States, will support the region’s push for international recognition. Tbilisi, meanwhile, is less than pleased. More  Most CIS Countries Sign Up To Free-Trade Zone Heads of government from eight member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have announced the signing of a free-trade agreement during a meeting in St. Petersburg. More  Will This Billionaire Be Good For Georgian Democracy? If the elevation of political competition in Georgia is completely dependent on the personal caprice of an eccentric billionaire who wants to buy power for money and whose real motives are obscured by fog, then it is far from clear that this development will elevate the quality of Georgia's democracy. More  Armenian Tax Chief Skeptical About 2012 Budget The head of Armenia's State Revenue Committee is concerned by a more than 13 percent increase in tax revenues envisaged in the government's 2012 draft budget. More  Main Opposition Candidates Barred From South Ossetian Presidential Ballot The South Ossetian presidential election campaign has claimed its first fatality: Soslan Khugayev, a leading member of would-be opposition presidential candidate Albert Dzhussoyev's party, was shot dead in neighboring North Ossetia just days after the South Ossetian Central Election Commission rejected Dzhussoyev's application to register for the ballot. More |
