Conflicts

Azerbaijan’s silence over Gaza is not surprising

12/12/2024 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has publicly called for an end to the "Gaza tragedy." Despite protests from many quarters, however, Azerbaijan remains the main supplier of oil to Israel, which has provided key assistance to Baku in modernizing its army

Former Yugoslavia and Palestine, between solidarity and divisions

05/12/2024 -  Giovanni ValeSanja Mlađenović StevićAnna Lodeserto

More than a year ago, the Israeli invasion of Gaza began. In the countries of the former Yugoslavia, governments and civil society have reacted differently. If governments – with the exception of Slovenia – have all but sided with Israel, civil society organisations have organised protests and demonstrations in favour of Palestine

After elections, Georgia on the brink

03/12/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

A complex geopolitical web has entangled Georgia in another wave of protests. Following controversial elections held in October, thousands have taken to the streets in response to what many see as the government turning away from the European Union and moving closer to Russia

COP 29: hope for breakthrough with Azerbaijan dims as Armenia a no-show

20/11/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Armenia’s absence from this year’s Climate Conference in Azerbaijan underscores the ongoing tensions between Yerevan and Baku. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg surprised many by visiting Tbilisi and Yerevan to support protesters

Armenia-Azerbaijan talks in the balance as COP29 deadline approaches

18/10/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

With less than a month left before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, the clock is ticking down on any potential document to be signed by Armenia and Azerbaijan to end over three decades of conflict

Armenia, life after war

09/10/2024 -  Armine Avetisyan Yerevan

The story of Suren, 42, who moved from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia a year ago, after the military attack by Azerbaijan. The difficult life of a man who has already seen four wars, the everyday challenge to take care of his family

Yerevan and Baku at a crossroads as Russia flexes its muscles

24/09/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Though there had been hopes that some kind of agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan could be initialled or signed by November this year, the situation looks increasingly uncertain as Russia once again enters the fray

Russian border guards leave Yerevan airport in symbolic break from Moscow

08/08/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

After thirty-two years, on July 31, Armenians and Russians signed a protocol to end the presence of Russian border guards at Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport. This does not signify Moscow’s withdrawal from Armenia, but nevertheless has symbolic value

Armenia and Turkey meet on closed border

01/08/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

On 30 July, the Armenian and Turkish special envoys for normalising relations between the two countries met on their shared border. Though encouraging, however, the process appears to remain linked to normalising relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Ado Hasanović: Art and Culture in Shaping the Future of Srebrenica

11/07/2024 -  Anna Lodeserto

Ado Hasanović, a director of Bosnian origin living in Italy, interviewed on his way back from Cannes, talks about his next projects, which also directly involve his Srebrenica. An interview

Baku insists on Constitutional change for Armenia peace accord

02/07/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian Yerevan

The dispute over the modifications to the Armenian Constitution requested by Azerbaijan continues to hinder the normalization of relations between the two countries and the achievement of peace agreements

Armenian citizenship։ a passport that helps to live

20/06/2024 -  Armine Avetisyan Yerevan

Tens of thousands of people fled to Armenia last year from Nagorno Karabakh, reconquered by arms from Azerbaijan: many are now asking for Armenian citizenship, to be able to start rebuilding their lives again

Transnistria “under blockade”

13/06/2024 -  Giorgio Comai

A media analysis of Transnistria’s main news agency and TV station shows just how insistently local media and politicians talk about being “under blockade”. The expression is exceedingly dramatic. But Chișinău should do more to allay immediate and pragmatic concerns of local residents

Armenia, church and state battle it out at Sardarapat

31/05/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Though protests against border delimitation and demarcation had started to wane in recent weeks, smaller acts of civil disobedience this week might well have rejuvenated the movement led by a renegade archbishop calling for the Prime Minister’s resignation

Armenia, Pashinyan hails border delimitation as protests set to continue

21/05/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Following a landmark decision by Yerevan and Baku to delimit part of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, efforts towards an agreement to normalise relations move forward despite anti-Pashinyan protests in Yerevan

Moldova-Transnistria: a window of opportunity for the protracted conflict?

29/04/2024 -  Bernardo Venturi

The first Moldova Reintegration Forum has been a new occasion to debate some of the issues that for many years have shaped the protracted conflict with Transnistria. In the changing regional context, however, old issues emerge under a different light, opening a window of opportunity for moving forward

Armenia pushes ahead with demarcation, Azerbaijani village return

29/04/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Armenia moves forward with the demarcation and restitution of Azerbaijani villages. Despite the exultation of the leaders of the respective countries for a closer peace, the ongoing process is certainly not without problems

War in Kosovo and sexual violence, a painful legacy

26/04/2024 -  Arta Berisha Pristina

In Kosovo, thousands of people suffered sexual violence during the war: today institutions recognise them as civilian victims of the conflict, but for many talking about the trauma they suffered remains an insurmountable obstacle

Security concerns mount amid Armenia-Azerbaijan border talks

03/04/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Following a recent live interview, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has hinted that the long and difficult process of border demarcation with Azerbaijan could potentially be ready to start. There are other signs, however, that the process carries with it substantial risks both regionally and domestically

European Union Mission in Armenia Marks First Anniversary

29/02/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

For a year, the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) has been deployed on the border with Azerbaijan, which it patrols regularly: a measure considered necessary by Yerevan - which fears a new conflict - but viewed with suspicion by Baku

Armed conflict of the Dniester, thirty years later

07/02/2024 -  Giorgio Comai

A newly-published book explores the circumstances around the violence that accompanied Transnistria’s de facto secession from Moldova. Three decades later, finding new answers to old conundrums is key to preventing ongoing tensions from escalating

Armenia and Azerbaijan slow motion negotiations

05/02/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

The attempts of Armenia and Azerbaijan to normalize their bilateral relations after the Azerbaijani conquest of Nagorno Karabakh continue in an anemic and controversial manner. A process that could lead Yerevan to change its constitution

Has Transnistria just entered its last year with Russia’s gas subsidy?

18/01/2024 -  Giorgio Comai

A large share of Transnistria’s economy, including most of its budget, depends on a structural subsidy it receives from Russia in the form of free gas. As Ukraine has promised to stop all Russian pipelines going through its territory by the end of 2024, how will Transnistria cope?

Azerbaijan, tackling the problem of landmines and unexploded ordnance

27/12/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

The regions around Nagorno Karabakh are contaminated with thousands of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). An urgent matter, but demining takes a long time

Armenia and Azerbaijan, a rare declaration rekindles hopes for peace

12/12/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Armenia and Azerbaijan issued a late-night joint statement that surprised even the most seasoned of commentators. Though it remains unclear whether this could be a long-awaited breakthrough in negotiations, the international community was united in welcoming the move

Armenia and Azerbaijan, border commissions meet amid stalemate

01/12/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

As negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan appear to have stalled, border commissions from both sides met on 30 November. However, it remains unclear whether the meeting was nothing more than symbolic

Resolute efforts on dealing with the violent past are required in the region of the former Yugoslavia

29/11/2023

“The failure to fully deal with wartime atrocities and the root causes of conflicts in the 1990s continues to have devastating consequences on respect for human rights, the rule of law and social cohesion in the region”, said Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing a report on the state of play of transitional justice efforts in the countries of the former Yugoslavia

Cyprus’ Plan for a Maritime Humanitarian Aid Corridor to Gaza

21/11/2023 -  Mary Drosopoulos

While the international community is facing the challenge of getting humanitarian aid to Gaza amid restrictions in place, Cyprus has proposed the creation of a maritime corridor to reach civilians in need. Despite the technical challenges lying in its implementation, EU leaders seem to be supportive of this plan

Nagorno Karabakh, surviving war

09/11/2023 -  Armine Avetisyan Yerevan

With the blitzkrieg of last September, Armenian Nagorno Karabakh ceased to exist, and tens of thousands of people hastily abandoned it to move to Armenia, where a future full of uncertainty awaits them

Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian Prime Ministers address Tbilisi Silk Road Forum

03/11/2023 -  Onnik James Krikorian

In recent days, Georgia once again hosted the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, an event with an economic focus. What is new this year is that for the first time an Armenian leader spoke at such a high-level event in Tbilisi, and high-level officials from all three South Caucasus countries were also on the same stage