Eurasianet

The COVID-19 vaccination experiences of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia show that if you’re a small and poor country, you need to rely on powerful friends.

Denialism and conspiracy theories about the disease appear to be in retreat as more and more people are infected.

The authorities have indicated some sensitivity to the public mood, announcing that they are investigating evidence of excessive use of force.

This year, Azerbaijan embraces both the Orient and bisexuality, while Georgia complains about the West.

An SMS system to regulate residents’ trips outside the home seems to be working smoothly, but there are still thousands of violations of the regime every day.

There are worries that election observers from Armenia – which has been relatively hard-hit by the COVID-19 outbreak – could bring the virus into Karabakh.

All three countries have now seen cases of the disease, most of which have come from Iran.

Armenia went farther than most of Iran’s neighbors, closing its border for two weeks. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, was the only country to have not closed its border with Iran at all.