Tag Archives: international relations

Tbilisi court sentences Saakashvili (in absentia)

TBILISI, JAN 5 (The Conway Bulletin) — — A court in Tbilisi sentenced former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili to three years in prison, in absentia, for abusing his power and trying to cover up the 2006 murder of a banker.

The sentence will pile more pressure on the authorities in Ukraine where Saakashvili, who says that the charges are politically motivated, is leading demonstrations against Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Georgia wants Saakashvili extradited. He left Georgia in 2013 after the end of his 10 years term in power. A year earlier his party, the United National Movement party (UNM), had lost a bitter parliament election to rivals, the Georgian Dream. Since then, the Georgian Dream has accused various members of Saakashvili’s former government of abuse of power, corruption and murder. Georgia’s allies have warned the authorities not to use their powers to pursue vendettas.

A statement on the court’s website said: “The city court of Tbilisi has delivered a guilty verdict for abuse of power against Mikheil Saakashvili and given him four years in custody as punishment, reduced by one quarter within the framework of an amnesty law meaning that the final punishment will stand at three years in custody.”

Essentially the court said that Saakashvili was guilty of trying to cover up the 2006 murder of banker Sandro Girgvliani who was found dead shortly after arguing with a Georgian government official in a restaurant.

Saakashvili, whose stock has fallen both in Georgia where support for his UNM party has slumped, and overseas where his backers have been increasingly concerned about his erratic behaviour, replied on his Facebook page. He said that the Georgian prosecutor’s verdict was driven by Mr Poroshenko and his arch-enemy Russian President Vladimir Putin who want to see him in prison.

The 50-year-old Saakashvili had been the darling of the West when he led a peaceful revolution in Georgia in 2003, even persuading US President George W. Bush to visit in 2005. A reckless war with Russia in 2008 undermined his golden-boy aura, though.
ENDS

— This story was first published on Jan. 5 2018 in issue 356 of The Conway Bulletin

Azerbaijan to finance train line to Iran

Leave a Reply

SEPT. 21 (The Bulletin) — Azerbaijan agreed to lend Iran $500m to complete a railway line between Rasht and Astara, north Iran, that it deems essential for a North-South Transport Corridor that should, according to the plan, transport products from India to Russia by sea and rail. The rehabilitation of relations between Azerbaijan and Iran have been key to getting this project off the ground.

ENDS

— This story was first published in issue 344 of The Conway Bulletin, now called the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Sept. 24 2017.

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2017

Kyrgyzstan accuses Kazakhstan of political meddling

Leave a Reply

BISHKEK/SEPT. 20 (The Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan exchanged testy diplomatic notes after Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev travelled to Bishkek to meet with Omurbek Babanov, a former PM and a high-profile opposition candidate in next month’s presidential election.

Immediately after news of meeting between Mr Nazarbayev and Mr Babanov broke, the Kyrgyz government complained that the Kazakh government was trying to influence the election.

The Kazakh government replied in kind, saying that Mr Nazarbayev had every right to visit opposition leaders in Bishkek.

The election in Kyrgyzstan, set for Oct. 14, is ratcheting up into a grumpy affair. Pres. Almazbek Atambayev is stepping down after his single six-year term. He has backed his PM Sooronbai Jeenbekov to replace him.

ENDS

— This story was first published in issue 344 of The Conway Bulletin, now called the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Sept. 24 2017.

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2017

Armenian president says that friendship protocols with Turkey are void

Leave a Reply

SEPT. 20 (The Bulletin) — In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan said he would declare 2009 Armenia-Turkey Protocols null and void unless ratified by April. The speech is a public indicator of just how far relations between Armenia and Turkey have soured since the now-seemingly-heady-days of 2009, when a rapprochement between the old enemies had appeared possible.

ENDS

— This story was first published in issue 344 of The Conway Bulletin, now called the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Sept. 24 2017.

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2017

Tajikistan blocks Iran’s application to join the SCO

Leave a Reply

SEPT. 20 (The Bulletin) — Tajikistan is blocking Iranian membership of the Russia and China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) because it accuses Tehran of supporting a banned Islamic party, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported. The SCO is often viewed in the West as a military organisation, although its functions and institutions go further. It is focused on Central Asia, although this year India and Pakistan joined. SCO ascension needs approval from every member.

ENDS

— This story was first published in issue 344 of The Conway Bulletin, now called the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Sept. 24 2017.

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2017

Armenia says it will give up land in return for peace around Nagorno-Karabakh

Leave a Reply

SEPT. 19 (The Bulletin) — Armenia’s foreign minister Eduard Nalbandian said that the government may be willing to surrender slices of disputed land around the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenian-backed separatists control, in return for a lasting peace-deal. The proposal, made during a speech to diaspora in Yerevan was roundly criticised by the Armenian media. Azerbaijan has not responded to the suggestions that were heavily label as ‘hypothetical’.

ENDS

— This story was first published in issue 344 of The Conway Bulletin, now called the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Sept. 24 2017.

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2017

Russia is a threat to Georgia, says US

Leave a Reply

SEPT. 19 (The Bulletin) — In its 2018 ‘National Defense Authorization Act’, the US Congress recognised Georgia’s assistance to its operations in Afghanistan and said that Russia was a constant threat to its survival. After the US, Georgia has the largest troop presence in Afghanistan, a policy it is leveraging to win support for its pro-West policies.

ENDS

— This story was first published in issue 344 of The Conway Bulletin, now called the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Sept. 24 2017.

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2017

Chinese president to visit Azerbaijan for first time this year

Leave a Reply

SEPT. 14 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Chinese President Xi Jinping intends to visit Azerbaijan for the first time later this year, a source at the Chinese embassy in Baku told the Trend news agency. The visit is a sign of the increased importance that China is putting on relations with Azerbaijan, a stage post on its ‘Belt and Road’ trade plan. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited China in 2015.
ENDS

— This story was first published in issue 343 of The Conway Bulletin on Sept. 15 2017

Armenian MP group submits request to leave Eurasian Economic Union

Leave a Reply

SEPT. 8 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — A group of pro-Western MPs in Armenia submitted a proposal in parliament to leave the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Armenia’s government is staunchly pro-Russia and has no intention of leaving the EEU but the proposal is a reminder that a more pro-Western strand exists in the Armenian political spectrum. Yelk, which holds nine seats in the 105 member chamber, said that Armenia’s economy has suffered in the three years it has been part of the EEU.
ENDS

— This story was first published in issue 343 of The Conway Bulletin on Sept. 15 2017

CSTO decrees Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan as a terrorist organisation

Leave a Reply

SEPT. 7 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a post-Soviet grouping of most militaries in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Belarus and Russia, decreed at its meeting in June that the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) was a terrorist organisation, media reported. Tajik officials have arrested or forced into exile all the main members of the IRPT since 2015 after President Emomali Rakhmon accused the group of a coup attempt. Until then, the IRPT, whose top members have sought sanctuary in Europe, had been the official opposition group.
ENDS

— This story was first published in issue 343 of The Conway Bulletin on Sept. 15 2017