Tbilisi has set up a commission to implement a long-stalled deal with Russia to establish trade corridors through Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But political minefields lie ahead.
President Ilham Aliyev ordered the case to be dropped after an international and domestic outpouring of support for the young imprisoned blogger. Activists cheered the concession as a victory of people power.
In his new autobiography, Armenia’s second president portrays himself as a wise statesman, criticizes Nikol Pashinyan, and describes his respect for Heydar Aliyev.
Conflicts over the informal ban flare up occasionally, but this one is unusual in that it is taking place against the backdrop of warming Baku-Moscow ties.
Several political prisoners and activists have declared hunger strikes in solidarity, and both the government and opposition have slammed the Western response.
The former president was enemy number one of Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution.” Since being ousted, Sargsyan has virtually disappeared, but he remains in the country and appears safe – for now – from the wave of prosecutions targeting former officials.
A number of recent personnel moves, softened rhetoric and positive statements suggest a new willingness in Baku to reach out to Armenia’s new authorities.
