Local families rushed to move belongings out of their farmsteads, as masked Russian soldiers began fencing off their property from the rest of Georgia.
The inaugural Caspian Economic Forum, which was held in the hyper-developed but under-visited Awaza tourist zone, was high on expressions of intent but low on firm outcomes.
The emblematic Georgian cheese pie would be the latest casualty of the ongoing crisis between Tbilisi and Moscow, if a Communist-backed proposal is implemented.
The host expressed what many Georgians – and Russians – feel, but many worried that it could unnecessarily escalate the ongoing crisis between the two countries.
The Kremlin response has internationalized the crisis, which has already roiled Georgian politics over the ruling party’s perceived softness toward Russia.
The homecoming has occasioned some controversy, as Azerbaijani authorities say the remains of the legendary Caucasus hero Hadji Murad were taken out of the country without their permission.
Migrants from other Soviet republics help Russia meet its workforce needs as the ethnic-Russian population declines. But paperwork is keeping many away.
The Armenian prime minister blamed “remnants of the corrupt system” for trying to use the exchange with his Russian counterpart to mock him on social media.
