Tbilisi was previously planning to apply in 2024, after further reforms. But domestic political pressure, and apparent positive signals from Brussels, has sped up the process.
A new government investigation has brought arrests and official recognition of many more victims. But it remains unclear why the Tartar case, which alleged widespread spying in the military, was launched in the first place.
Many Armenians sympathize with the Ukrainians under attack, but are tightly bound to Russia and resentful of Ukraine’s long-standing pro-Azerbaijan position on Karabakh.
The two lawmakers brought up the contentious history of the city’s most famous Islamic monument, and Azerbaijan’s president suggested they were in physical danger.
To many in Azerbaijan, it appeared that the new agreement was aimed at ensuring their country’s loyalty to Russia during the attack on Ukraine. Officials said the timing was just a coincidence.
Hyperlocal activism over green issues has been on the rise, but its resurgence is hurting the interests of tycoons profiting from the natural resource extraction sector.
Every country in the region has its own relationship with self-proclaimed breakaway republics, forcing them to reckon in their own ways with Russia’s moves in Ukraine.
A disengagement from the world medical community combined with conservative societal norms have led to many doctors shunning COVID jabs even as the wave of infections reaches new heights.
There are many parallels between what is happening today in Ukraine and what happened in Georgia in 2008. But overstating them leads to misunderstanding both conflicts.