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LONDON (AP) — More badly needed humanitarian aid was on its way to the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh via both Azerbaijan and Armenia on Saturday. Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military in separatist fighting that ended in 1994. Armenian forces also took control of substantial territory around the Azerbaijani region. Political Cartoons View All 1176 ImagesUnder the agreement mediated by Russian peacekeeping forces, Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist authorities made sizable concessions: disbanding the region’s defense forces and withdrawing Armenia’s military contingent. Valeri Hayrapetyan from Haterk said that he and his neighbors scrambled to leave after Azerbaijani forces entered the village earlier that day.

Persons: —, ”, Elena Yeremyan, “, Valeri Hayrapetyan, Haterk, Romela Avanesyan, Jeyhun Bayramov, Ilham Aliyev, Ararat, Nikol Pashinyan, Russia’s, Aida Sultanova Organizations: Azerbaijan, Russian, RIA Novosti, “, Baku, International Committee, Russia's Defense, RIA, Russian Defense Ministry, Ararat Mirzoyan, . Security, Armenia’s, ___ Associated Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Baku, Russia, Azerbaijani, Yevlakh, Artsakh, Askeran, ”, Haterk, Caucasus, Aghdam, Stepanakert, Azerbaijan’s, Yerevan, Moscow, Armenia’s, ___

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan says it wants to "reintegrate" breakaway region. What does that mean?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Karabakh officials said their forces were outnumbered and had no choice but to surrender. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has long been explicit about the choice that confronts Karabakh officials. In a speech delivered in May, he told Karabakh Armenians they needed to “bend their necks” and accept full integration into Azerbaijan. “It’s a mess.”It is also unclear where Karabakh Armenians will travel to, if evacuations are able to begin. Azerbaijani officials met with ethnic Armenian representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh in Yevlakh, Azerbaijan, September 21, 2023.

Persons: ” Olesya, “, ”, Ilham Aliyev, Aliyev, AZA, Nikol Pashinyan, Miroslav Jenca, Siranush Sargsyan, Sargsyan, Reuters Olesya Vartanyan, Vartanyan, –, Armenia doesn’t, Farid Shafiyev, Shafiyev, Anna Ohanyan, Ohanyan, ” Ohanyan, …, Catherine the Great Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan’s, Karabakh, Armenian, United Nations, UN, UN Security, Russian, Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters, ICRC, ”, International Relations, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, gaslight Locations: Azerbaijan, Armenian, Nagorno, Karabakh, South Caucasus, Armenia, Soviet Union, Baku, Yevlakh, Stepanakert, ”, Russian, Soviet Azerbaijan, Russia, Eurasia

☆ South Caucasus Conflict Reveals Signs of Russia’s Crumbling Influence in Its Own Backyard
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Thomas Grove | Matthew Luxmoore | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Locations: russia, caucasus

☆ Azerbaijan says it sees amnesty for Karabakh fighters who lay down arms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure via REUTERS/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsGORIS, Armenia, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan envisages an amnesty for Karabakh Armenian fighters who give up their arms, though there have been some Karabakh military units which have said they will continue their resistance, an Azeri presidential adviser told Reuters. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday said his iron fist had consigned the idea of a separate ethnic Armenian Karabakh to history and that now the region would live in "paradise" as part of Azerbaijan. Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijan's president, told Reuters in a television interview that Baku envisaged an amnesty for those Karabakh fighters who gave up their weapons. Karabakh Armenian rights would be respected as part of their integration into Azerbaijan, he said, adding that they had requested humanitarian support as well as oil and gasoline supplies. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia was prepared to accept refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Hayk, Ilham Aliyev, Hikmet Hajiyev, Hajiyev, Roman, Guy Faulconbridge, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Karabakh, Wednesday, Reuters, Soviets, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Yerevan, Armenia, Photolure, Azerbaijan, Baku, Soviet Union, Russia, West, Turkey, Armenian, Russians, Ottomans, South Caucasus, United States, Iran

[1/2] Vehicles of Russian peacekeepers leaving Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region for Armenia pass an Armenian checkpoint on a road near the village of Kornidzor, Armenia September 22, 2023. Images of fleeing Armenians at Russia's own peacekeeping base at an airport in Nagorno-Karabakh have been harder for them to watch. But its handling of the Karabakh crisis has forced it into a blame game with Armenia and obliged it to defend its foreign policy in the region. It now accuses him of triggering the crisis by saying - after Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Karabakh in 2020 following Armenia's defeat in a 44-day war - that he recognised Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Baku has long argued that Karabakh falls within its own borders, but Karabakh Armenians wanted Pashinyan to recognise their independence and unify them with Armenia.

Persons: Irakli, Alexander Baunov, Russia's, Sergei Markov, Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Margarita Simonyan, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Armenian, Soviet, Carnegie, Karabakh, Protesters, Kremlin, Russian, Security Council, NATO, Thomson Locations: Karabakh, Armenia, Kornidzor, Russia, Azerbaijan Moscow, Kabul, U.S, Afghanistan, Nagorno, Turkish, Moscow, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, South Caucasus, Stepanakert, Russian, America, Baku ., Yerevan, Baku, Pashinyan

☆ The Nagorno-Karabakh crisis raises serious questions for Russia — and the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The contested mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it has been under de-facto Armenian control since the early 1990s. It follows an abrupt 24-hour offensive by Azerbaijani forces on Tuesday that swiftly broke through ethnic Armenian lines, seized strategic positions and resulted in the surrender of separatist forces. Armenia, which has typically looked to Russia as a security guarantor, said Azerbaijan's military operation was an attempt to ethnically cleanse Nagorno-Karabakh, a charge Baku has denied. Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh accused Azerbaijan of violating a cease-fire agreement, with Reuters reporting gunfire could be heard in the region's capital on Thursday. Armenians attend a rally in Yerevan on September 21, 2023, following Azerbaijani military operations against Armenian separatist forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Persons: Karen Minasyan, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Japaridze, Pashinyan, Karabakh, Kusa, Pashynian's Organizations: Government, Armenian, Afp, Getty, CNBC, Eurasia Group, Kremlin, Collective Security, Organization, NATO, Anadolu Agency, Ukrainian Institute, Russian Embassy Locations: Yerevan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Caucasus, South Caucasus, Russia, Baku, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, London

☆ After Surrender in Nagorno-Karabakh, Leaders Discuss Armenians’ Fate
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | More About Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One day after Azerbaijan used force to assert its authority over a mountainous breakaway region in the South Caucasus, its officials met with representatives of the pro-Armenian enclave on Thursday to discuss the future of the residents there under new rule. Escorted by Russian peacekeepers, a delegation of the government of Nagorno-Karabakh arrived in the town of Yevlakh in Azerbaijan to meet with representatives of the Azerbaijani government. Azerbaijan’s brisk military recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh — a strategic slice of land slightly bigger than Rhode Island that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan — could further alter power dynamics in the combustible region where interests of Russia, Turkey and Western states collide. Azerbaijan’s victory also posed a humanitarian challenge for tens of thousands of Armenians living there. Citing multiple historic grievances, many Armenians have been adamantly opposed to coming under Azerbaijani rule.

Organizations: Russian Locations: Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Nagorno, Karabakh, Yevlakh, Rhode, Russia, Turkey

☆ Azerbaijan pounds Karabakh as Russia and US call for calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ethnic Armenians in Karabakh said Azerbaijan had triggered a new war against the 120,000 people living in an area they consider their homeland. Armenians in Karabakh, known by Armenians as Artsakh, said fighting was continuing with varying intensity. As the Soviet Union crumbled, what is known as the First Karabakh War erupted (1988-1994) between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours. RUSSIAIn 2020, after decades of skirmishes, energy-rich Azerbaijan began a military operation which became the Second Karabakh War, swiftly breaking through Armenian defences. Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, won a resounding victory in the 44-day war, taking back parts of Karabakh.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Karabakh, Antony Blinken, Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan, Aliyev, Blinken, Antonio Guterres, Baku's, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Chris Reese, Lincoln, Gareth Jones Organizations: Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Nagorno, Armenian, U.S, Washington, Residents, United Nations, European Union, TASS, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, U.S, Azerbaijan, YEREVAN, United States, Baku, Yerevan, Turkey, Ukraine, Soviet Union, South Caucasus, Iran, Artsakh, Russian, France, Germany, RUSSIA, Moscow, Melbourne

Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a mountainous region within Azerbaijan that is internationally recognised as part of that country. But its 120,000 inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Armenians who broke away during a first war in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In a 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan recaptured seven surrounding districts and took back about a third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. Azerbaijan has been tightening pressure on Nagorno-Karabakh for months, effectively blocking its lifeline road connection with Armenia - the "Lachin corridor". Such a deal would put Azerbaijan close to achieving all its objectives, while any further fighting could increase the risk of a bigger war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Persons: Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan's, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters, Russian, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Thomson Locations: Askeran, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, KARABAKH, Artsakh, Soviet Union, AZERBAIJAN, Moscow, Ukraine, Aghdam, Turkey, Russia, Iran, South Caucasus, Baku, United States, EU

☆ Azerbaijani leader sends Karabakh Armenians and Armenia message of cooperation and peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Nailia Bagirova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 20 (Reuters) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday offered the ethnic Armenians of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region and also neighbouring Armenia prospects of cooperation, reconciliation and joint development after his forces took control of the enclave. He said Azerbaijan had nothing against Karabakh's Armenian people - "they are our citizens" - but only against their "criminal" separatist leadership. A separatist Armenian human rights official said on Wednesday that at least 200 people had been killed and more than 400 wounded in the fighting. The Kremlin denied this, saying Russia was "not going anywhere" and would remain the guarantor of security. Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Kevin Liffey; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev, Mikhail Metzel, Aliyev, Azerbaijan's, Nailia Bagirova, Kevin Liffey, Grant McCool Organizations: Armenia's, Eurasian, Sputnik, Wednesday, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Baku, Yerevan, Nagorno, Soviet Union, Stepanakert, Karabakh's, South Caucasus, Georgia, Armenian, Ukraine

☆ Why the volatile South Caucasus is important for oil and gas supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The region is criss-crossed with oil and gas pipelines, though none are in close proximity to Karabakh itself. OIL- Azerbaijan's primary route for oil exports is the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which accounts for around 80% of country's oil exports and runs via Georgia and on to the Turkish Mediterranean coast. - Azerbaijan's total oil exports in January-July 2023 were 23.1 million tons (800,000 bpd), of which 76.3% flowed through the BTC. NATURAL GAS- Azerbaijan has plans to increase natural gas exports to Europe. Azerbaijan exported 6.6 bcm of natural gas to Europe in January-July.

Persons: Deniz, Vladimir Soldatkin, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: BTC, BP, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, South Caucasus, Armenia, Baku, Tbilisi, Ceyhan, Georgia, Turkish, Russia, Supsa, Europe, Azeri

☆ Azerbaijani forces strike Armenian-controlled Karabakh, raising risk of new Caucasus war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Karabakh, a mountainous area in the volatile wider South Caucasus region, is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory. Karabakh has been at the centre of two wars - the latest in 2020 - since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. The European Union, France and Germany also condemned Azerbaijan's military action, calling on it to return to talks on the future of Karabakh with Armenia. Loud and repeated shelling was audible from social media footage filmed on Tuesday in Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, called Khankendi by Azerbaijan. Karabakh separatist authorities said 25 people had been killed, including two civilians, and 138 injured due to Baku's military action.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hikmet Hajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Hajiyev, Nikol, Baku's, Dmitry Peskov, Blinken, Ruben Vardanyan, Vardanyan, Andrew Osborn, Mark Heinrich, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Soviet Union . U.S, European, Reuters, Armenian, . Security Council, Russian, Kremlin, TASS, Security, Thomson Locations: Khankendi, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Artsakh, Baku, Armenia, BAKU, Caucasus, Soviet, European Union, France, Germany, Stepanakert, Yerevan, Russia, South Caucasus, Ukraine, Turkey, Republic of Azerbaijan, Moscow, United States

☆ Explainer: What is happening between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Armenia and Azerbaijan have already fought two wars over Karabakh in the three decades since the Soviet Union they were both members of collapsed. Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a mountainous region at the southern end of the Karabakh mountain range, within Azerbaijan. Under the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the republic of Azerbaijan. FIRST KARABAKH WARAs the Soviet Union crumbled, the First Karabakh War (1988-1994) erupted between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours. Despite that, tensions have risen sharply this month, with Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of building up troops.

Persons: Stringer, Nikol Pashinyan, Cross, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Christ, FIRST, Karabakh, REUTERS, European Union, United, International Committee, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Soviet Union, KARABAKH, Artsakh, Stepanakert, Turkey, Israel, Russia, United States, Baku, Aghdam, Ukraine, Moscow, South Caucasus

☆ Kremlin says Karabakh tensions rising, Armenia warns of 'critical' humanitarian situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Artem Mikryukov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin expressed concern on Thursday that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh were increasing, as Armenia's prime minister described the situation in the blockaded territory as "critical". Armenia has in recent weeks repeatedly accused Azerbaijan of massing forces around Karabakh, which Baku has effectively blockaded since December 2022, causing acute hunger. Armenian state news agency Armenpress on Thursday quoted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as saying the humanitarian situation inside Karabakh was desperate. He said a Russian aid truck which Karabakh authorities allowed to enter the region from Azerbaijan on Tuesday had not alleviated the crisis. Armenpress also quoted Pashinyan as saying that Azerbaijan was continuing to mass troops along the frontlines with Karabakh and Armenia, a charge that Baku has repeatedly denied.

Persons: Artem Mikryukov, Dmitry Peskov, Antony Blinken, Matthew Miller, Armenpress, Nikol Pashinyan, Felix Light, David Ljunggren, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Department, Karabakh, Thomson Locations: Taghavard, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Baku, Russia, Yerevan, South Caucasus, Moscow, Russian, Tbilisi, Ottawa

☆ Russia Issues 'Harsh' Protest to Armenia Over Range of 'Unfriendly' Actions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia on Friday summoned the Armenian ambassador for a "harsh" protest about a list of what it termed "unfriendly steps", the latest sign of strain between Moscow and the small ex-Soviet republic in a region Russia considers its back yard. He said Moscow, distracted by its war with Ukraine, had been unable to deliver and was winding down its role in the South Caucasus. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Thursday of moving troops close to their joint border as tensions over the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave rose. The ICC issued an arrest warrant in March for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes in Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the idea that Russia's actions in Ukraine could be war crimes and noted that Russia does not recognise the court.

Persons: Vagharshak Harutyunyan, Alen Simonyan, Maria Zakharova, Nikol Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, Russian Foreign Ministry, International Criminal, Armenian National Assembly, Collective Security, Organization, Red, ICC Locations: Russia, Moscow, Soviet, United States, Ukraine, Armenia, Russian, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Caucasus, Georgia

☆ Russia protests to Armenia as tensions rise over disputed Caucasus region
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Within hours, Armenia's foreign ministry issued a statement expressing willingness to resolve disputes with Azerbaijan over the territory, focal point of two wars in the past 30 years. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry, in a series of statements, said it was Armenia which was posing a threat to regional stability by abetting separatism in Nagorno-Karabakh. "Armenia pursues one goal: to sustain separatism in the territory of Azerbaijan through all possible ideological, political, military, financial and other means," the Azeri Foreign Ministry said. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Thursday of moving troops close to their joint border. Armenia hosts a Russian military base and relies almost entirely on Russia for defence supplies.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich, Ron Popeski, Richard Chang Organizations: Azeri Foreign Ministry, International Criminal Court, Collective Security, Organization, Reuters, Red, Thomson Locations: Russia, South Caucasus, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, United States, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Soviet Union, Soviet, Caucasus

☆ China is eroding Russia's influence over old allies as the alliance it leads crumbles over Ukraine, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian influence is waning despite formal alliances and the old ties of the Soviet Union. It is also home to most members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO): Russian President Vladimir Putin's equivalent of NATO. Russia's influence on them is also being weakened by more countries competing for their attention, Graham said. AdvertisementAdvertisementHe said that "Russia's operation in Ukraine is undermining, eroding its ability to maintain its influence across the former Soviet space." "You're seeing the slow erosion of Russian influence."

Persons: Thomas Graham, Vladimir Putin's, Graham, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Stanislav Zas, Nikol Pashinyan, Alexander Lukashenko, Kassym, Tokayev, Sadyr Japarov, Emomali Rakhmon, Anton Novoderezhkin Organizations: Service, Yale, Collective Security, Organization, NATO, Moscow REUTERS, Russia, Armenian, Kazakh, Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS, Central, AFPTV, Getty Locations: Central Asia, Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, China, Turkey, East, Caucasus, Moscow, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Central, Europe, Iran, Russian, Belarusian, Bakhmut, AFP, Azerbaijan, Soviet

☆ Armenia says it will stage joint military exercise with US next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 6 (Reuters) - Armenia said on Wednesday it would host a joint military exercise with the United States next week, a development likely to irritate Russia. The Armenian Defence Ministry said the purpose of the Sept. 11-20 "Eagle Partner 2023" exercise was to prepare its forces to take part in international peacekeeping missions. Russia has a military base in Armenia and sees itself as the pre-eminent power in the South Caucasus region, which until 1991 was part of the Soviet Union. It maintains a peacekeeping force in the region to uphold an agreement that ended a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020, the second they have fought since the Soviet collapse. "Russia plays a consistent, very important role in stabilising the situation in this region ... and we will continue to play this role."

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Dmitry Peskov, Pashinyan's, Mark Trevelyan, Christina Fincher Organizations: United, Armenian Defence Ministry, Eagle, Thomson Locations: Armenia, United States, Russia, U.S, South Caucasus, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Soviet, Italian, Ukraine

☆ Armenia to exercise with US troops next week, Russia voices concern
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 6 (Reuters) - Armenia said on Wednesday it would host a joint military exercise with the United States next week, a development that Russia said was cause for concern. The Armenian Defence Ministry said the purpose of the Sept. 11-20 "Eagle Partner 2023" exercise was to prepare its forces to take part in international peacekeeping missions. Russia has a military base in Armenia and sees itself as the pre-eminent power in the South Caucasus region, which until 1991 was part of the Soviet Union. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a weekend interview with an Italian newspaper that Russia had failed to protect Armenia against what he called continuing aggression from Azerbaijan. "Russia plays a consistent, very important role in stabilising the situation in this region ... and we will continue to play this role."

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Nikol Pashinyan, Peskov, Pashinyan's, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: United, Armenian Defence Ministry, Eagle, Kansas National Guard, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Armenia, United States, Russia, U.S, South Caucasus, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Soviet, Italian, Ukraine

In an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica published on Sunday, Nikol Pashinyan accused Russia of failing to ensure Armenia's security in the face of what he said was aggression from neighbouring Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. "Armenia's security architecture was 99.999% linked to Russia, including when it came to the procurement of arms and ammunition," Pashinyan told La Repubblica. "This example should demonstrate to us that dependence on just one partner in security matters is a strategic mistake." His words underscore resentment inside Armenia about what many there see as a failure by Russia to defend their interests. Pashinyan accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to uphold the ceasefire deal of failing to do their job.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Andrew Osborn, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian, Italian, Repubblica, European Union, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Armenia, Caucasus, Yerevan, United States, Ukraine, Russian, Baku, Nagorno

☆ Germany adds Georgia and Moldova to list of safe countries of origin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Vladislav Culiomza/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Germany's coalition government on Wednesday listed Georgia and Moldova as safe countries of origin in a bid to cut asylum applications from those nations, which are almost always rejected. The move means asylum applications from those countries could be processed more quickly and lead to faster deportations for failed applicants. According to ministry data, 99.9% of applications from both countries were rejected in 2022 and the first half of 2023. Some 8,865 Georgians and 5,218 people from Moldova applied for asylum in Germany last year. The ministry defines safe countries of origin as those where there is generally no fear of state prosecution and where the state protected its citizens.

Persons: Vladislav Culiomza, Nancy Faeser, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Pro Asyl, Asyl, Alexander Ratz, Matthias Williams, Mike Harrison Organizations: Moldovan, REUTERS, Rights, Pro, Thomson Locations: Chisinau, Moldova, Georgia, Schloss Meseberg, Berlin, Germany, Russia, Moldova . Georgia, South Caucasus

☆ How Saudi Arabia and UAE learned to stop worrying and love Turkey's Bayraktar drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have signed multibillion-dollar deals for Turkish drones in recent months. Azeri Ministry of DefenseSaudi Arabia previously showed interest in procuring Turkish drones and securing rights for local production. Bakir told Insider that Turkish drones have gained "global recognition" due to their "affordability, efficiency, and lethal capabilities" and documented successes over modern battlefields. "Moreover, Saudi Arabia could use such capabilities to balance Iran's drone technology in the long run," Ozeren said. Ozeren said the Saudi deal could help Baykar "monopolize" drone technology in Turkey but noted that crucial details about the agreement remain unknown.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Baykar, Abu Dhabi's, Loong, Loongs, Abu Dhabi, Abu, Ali Bakir, Erdogan, Mohammed bin Salman, Murat Kula, Bakir, Suleyman Ozeren, It's, Ozeren, Ali Atmaca, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Murat Centinmuhurdar, Bashar Assad, Paul Iddon Organizations: UAE, Service, United, United Arab Emirates, Turkey's Baykar Defense, Ministry of Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Dassault Rafales, Ibn Khaldon, NATO, European Union, American University, Orion Policy Institute, Ataturk Airport, Security Initiative, Atlantic Council Locations: Saudi Arabia, Wall, Silicon, United Arab, Turkish, Riyadh, East, North Africa, South Caucasus, Ukraine, Armenian, Ministry of Defense Saudi Arabia, Republic of Turkey, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi, Istanbul, Yemen, Libya, Abu, Turkey, China, France, Qatar, Jeddah, Anadolu, Nahyan, Abu Dhabi

☆ Hundreds of thousands of people fled Russia after it invaded Ukraine — and now the countries that took them in are seeing a boost in their economies
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scores of Russians fled their homeland following the outbreak of the Ukraine war. The growth of such countries surged in 2022 after the arrival of these Russians, per a new report. About six months later, there was another wave of departures after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilization for the Ukraine war on September 21. Armenia — once known as the Silicon Valley of the Soviet Union — saw its 2022 growth spike to 12.6%, per the World Bank. Meanwhile, Georgia's GDP jumped by 10.1% in 2022, per the World Bank, beating an 8.8% growth forecast.

Persons: —, Insider's Jason Lalljee, Vladimir Putin, Georgia —, Armenia —, Soviet Union —, Suren, Martin Galstyan, Oleg Itskhoki Organizations: Service, Reuters, Kremlin, Novaya Gazeta, World Bank, Bank, Armenian State University of Economics, Georgia's, University of California, Bloomberg Locations: Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union, IT, outpacing, Turkey, Kazakhstan

☆ Anti-LGBT protesters break up Pride festival in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Anti-LGBTQ protesters scuffle with police as they try to break into the site of Tbilisi Pride Fest, in Tbilisi, Georgia July 8, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYJuly 8 (Reuters) - Up to 2,000 anti-LGBT protesters broke up a Gay Pride festival in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Saturday, scuffling with police and destroying props including rainbow flags and placards, though there were no reports of injuries. "The protesters managed to find... ways to enter the area of the event, but we were able to evacuate the Pride participants and organisers," Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze told reporters. Georgia aspires to join the European Union but its ruling Georgian Dream Party has faced increased criticism from rights groups and the EU over its perceived drift towards authoritarianism. Georgia has passed laws against discrimination and hate crimes, but LGBT+ rights groups say there is a lack of adequate protection by law enforcement officials and homophobia remains widespread in the socially conservative South Caucasus nation.

Persons: Alexander Darakhvelidze, Nobody, Mariam Kvaratskhelia, Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, Alexander Lashkarava, Gareth Jones, Ros Russell Organizations: Tbilisi Pride Fest, REUTERS, Gay, Pride, Tbilisi Pride, Reuters, LGBT, European Union, Georgian, Party, EU, Thomson Locations: Tbilisi, Tbilisi , Georgia, Georgian, Georgia, . Georgia, South Caucasus

☆ Georgia's flagship airline bans president over Russia flights criticism - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TBILISI, May 21 (Reuters) - The founder of Georgia's national airline Georgian Airways has banned the country's president from using its services after she said she would boycott the airline over its resumption of flights to Russia, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Sunday. Russia announced this month it was lifting a four-year old ban on direct flights with Georgia and removing a decades-old visa requirement for Georgians travelling to Russia. President Salome Zourabichvili urged Georgian authorities to thwart the Russian initiative, an appeal they ignored. Many Georgians oppose any rapprochement with Moscow whose troops garrison two breakaway regions - Abkhazia and South Ossetia - that make up around one fifth of the country's territory. President Zourabichvili, whose position is largely ceremonial and whose relations with the government are strained, has warned that deepening ties with Russia could jeopardise the country's chances of the EU one day.

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