APRIL 4 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenian PM, Tigran Sargsyan, suggested that Russia could move its missile defence radar station in the South Caucasus from Gabala in Azerbaijan to Armenia. His suggestion is certain to stir strained Armenia-Azerbaijan relations as Baku is re-negotiating Russia’s rent on the important Soviet-era radar.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 082, published on April 6 2012)
MARCH 7 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenian public TV broadcaster, APTV, formally pulled out of the Eurovision Song Contest, to be hosted by arch-enemy Azerbaijan. Public broadcasters organise the national entrants for the competition and APTV’s withdrawal means Armenia will not be represented at the contest in May.
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(News report from Issue No. 080, published on March 8 2012)
FEB. 24 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – A group of 22 Armenian singers called on the country to boycott the Eurovision Song contest in Baku in May. Armenia and Azerbaijan are still officially at war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia has applied for a place at Eurovision but has not yet selected its singer.
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(News report from Issue No. 079, published on March 1 2012)
FEB. 17 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Facing a growing threat from wolves, Armenia’s government said it would pay hunters $260 for every wolf they kill. Officials want to cull 200 wolves of an estimated population of 600. Attacks on villages have risen as wolves adapt to the cold weather and deforestation.
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(News report from Issue No. 78, published on Feb. 23 2012)
FEB. 16 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Attacks against Israeli targets in Georgia, India and Thailand and an acrimonious row between Baku and Tehran have thrown a spotlight over the relationship between the South Caucasus and Iran.
The same day that Georgian security forces disarmed a car bomb in Tbilisi another exploded in Delhi, injuring an Israeli woman (Feb. 13). Israel has blamed Iran for both attacks and another in Bangkok the following day.
Three weeks earlier the authorities in Baku arrested two Iranians for conspiring to assassinate Israeli diplomats, although Iran denied the charges.
The South Caucasus has a complex, fluid relationship with Iran.
Over the past year, much to the irritation of the US, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia have strengthened ties with Iran. Gas deals have been made, railway and air links solidified, visa regulations waived and military delegations hosted. Private business and trade links have also surged.
But behind these strengthening connections relations often remain strained.
Azerbaijan has built up good links with Israel and Georgia’s main backer is the US. Both are Iran’s sworn enemy. Armenia has more cordial ties with Iran but it also needs to be flexible.
The South Caucasus countries have to deal with their powerful neighbour but they are also wary.
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(News report from Issue No. 77, published on Feb. 16 2012)
FEB. 3 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police in Yerevan arrested Hayk Gevorgyan, editor of the pro-opposition daily newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak, for allegedly knocking over a man while driving. Mr Gevorgian’s supporters say he has been set up by the police. He was granted bail on Feb. 6.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 76, published on Feb. 9 2012)
FEB. 1 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Media freedom rankings by the France-based NGO Reporters Without Borders reflect another tough year for local journalists in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
Turkmenistan retains its standard position at the bottom of the 179-country list, just above North Korea and Eritrea, underlining its reputation as one of the world’s most repressive states. Twenty places above Turkmenistan is Uzbekistan, also in familiar territory.
But this year, between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, sliding 10 places to 162nd is Azerbaijan.
In 2011, the authorities in Azerbaijan quashed anti-government protests and imprisoned journalists and bloggers. In November a prominent Azerbaijani journalist was also murdered in Baku.
Reporters Without Borders called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev a “predator” of the media.
“Violence is back in a big way there, with threats, beatings and abduction of opposition journalists,” the report said.
The report was compiled between Dec. 1 2010 and Nov. 30 2011, before the Kazakh authorities’ crackdown on media after riots in the west of the country.
Even so, Kazakhstan comes in at 154th position and looks set to slip in the next rankings.
Armenia enjoys the most media freedom in the region. In 77th position it has regained ground lost after opposition protests and a state-of-emergency in 2008.
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(News report from Issue No. 75, published on Feb. 2 2012)
JAN. 23 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – France’s parliament voted to make the denial of genocide of ethnic Armenians by Ottoman Turks in eastern Turkey at the end of World War I a crime. Armenia’s foreign minister, Eduard Nalbandian, said “this day will be written in gold”. Turkey threatened France with reprisals.
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(News report from Issue No. 74, published on Jan. 26 2012)
JAN. 18 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – In its annual growth forecasts, the World Bank said weakening markets in the West would hit the developing world in 2012. For 2012 growth forecasts for Central Asia and the South Caucasus were: Tajikistan 6%, Kyrgyzstan 5.5%, Kazakhstan 5.5%, Uzbekistan 8%, Turkmenistan N/A, Azerbaijan 3.1%, Georgia 5%, Armenia 4.3%.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 73, published on Jan. 19 2012)
JAN. 17 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia will compete at the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan later this year, the Eurovision event organisers said. Armenia and Azerbaijan are still technically at war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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(News report from Issue No. 73, published on Jan. 19 2012)