Author: Tamazi Donauri

Toronto, Atlanta (28/11 – 20) A wise old expression intones “Behind every bad borrower is a bad lender”. Like many such cute, amusing aphorisms, it is accurate as far as it goes … but what if? What if a loan approval is held up, then granted, after a couple of phone calls from the office of the Vice President? What if the borrower is a crony or relative of Mr. Big, which is what practically bankrupted Indonesia, when the Soeharto vampire children took out multi-hundred-million-dollar “loans” (wink wink) for projects whose profit-making potential was near zero? What is the potential…

The European Union and the Republic of Tajikistan held their tenth annual Cooperation Committee meeting on 27 November in Brussels. The meeting took place in an open and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the continued strengthening of relations between the EU and Tajikistan. The Cooperation Committee reviewed the state of play of bilateral relations and addressed political and socio-economic developments, water, environment, energy, trade and investment cooperation, as well as regional and international issues. Both sides exchanged views on the ongoing negotiations for an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), which were launched earlier this year, and Tajikistan’s application for the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preference Plus (GSP+)…

When contemplating various scenarios for how the conflict with Russia might end, Ukraine’s leaders can take clear lessons from Moscow’s brutal military campaign against another one-time Soviet state, Georgia. The Russo-Georgian War of 2008 marked a significant moment in the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus, with far-reaching implications for Georgia’s territorial integrity and regional stability. But, in reality, that conflict did not start in 2008. Fighting began in 1992–93 instigated by militia groups set up by Russia using its infamous hybrid warfare toolkit in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia. Here, I examine the impact of…

Since the beginning of 2023, passenger traffic at Heydar Aliyev International Airport has been steadily growing. During January-September of this year, the total passenger flow of Baku Airport increased by 25 per cent and reached more than 4,325,000 people. For the same period last year, this figure was 3,223,000 passengers. The share of foreign air carriers accounted for 58.6% of passengers transported to international destinations. During the reporting period, these airlines transported more than 2,214,000 passengers, which means an increase of 39 per cent compared to the same period last year. Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) performed the remaining part of passenger…

Germany has floated that the United Nations could take control in Gaza once the Israel-Hamas war is over, according to a document seen by POLITICO. However, both the Palestinians and some EU diplomats have serious doubts about the feasibility of the idea, with a senior Palestinian figure in Europe calling it “unacceptable.” Israel has been striking the densely populated Gaza Strip in reaction to an attack by Hamas on October 7, during which the militant group killed around 1,200 Israelis. According to data from the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli strikes have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians.   Discussions are ongoing about how to…

Today, the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding on mutual cooperation was held between “AzerGold” CJSC, “Azerbaijan Investment Company” OJSC (AISH) belonging to the Ministry of Economy, and the Indian company “Devngi Innovations LLP,” Azernews reports. At the ceremony held at the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry, the memorandum was signed by Zakir Ibrahimov, Chairman of AzerGold, Ulvi Mansurov, Executive Director of AISH, and Sanat Nareshkumar Vaviya, authorized representative of Devngi Innovations LLP. The main purpose of signing the Memorandum of Understanding is to study the possibilities of building the synthetic (artificial) diamond industry and natural diamond processing infrastructure in Azerbaijan,…

On Wednesday, Georgia was told that it should officially be named as a candidate to join the bloc once it addresses shortcomings, including in the fight against corruption and election deficiencies. This doesn’t mean that it will start accession talks soon. The country will have to clear more reform hurdles before that can happen. But despite this, many in the former soviet country celebrated the news.  “This day belongs to everyone,” Salome Zourabichvili, the president of Georgia, said on Wednesday. “This valiant love nourishes our past and our future. This is our response to Russia, our response to occupation” Paata Zakareishvili,…

Frankfurt, Atlanta (23/11 – 10) Potatoes are a serious matter. The lowly potato does in fact have a lengthy and exotic history, being grown as a food crop, or domesticated, around the border of Peru and Bolivia over 7000 years ago. Maybe you just purchased some of those 7500-year-old taters and wondered why they taste funny. The potato was brought to Europe in the 16th Century, following other such appealing imports as bananas, cacao, tomatoes, maize, corn and squash. Ask an average European and he or she would likely claim these as native to their country. A wholesome tuber rich in…

Georgia will not participate in the regional cooperation meeting bringing together three regional and three South Caucasus states, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) cited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The so-called “3+3 platform” was initiated by Moscow and Tehran and is supposed to bring three regional powers – Iran, Russia, and Turkey – together with three states of the South Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. “Georgia is not participating in this meeting, and it has never participated [in this format],” – the MFA Press Office told the GPB. According to the Iranian state agency IRNA, Tehran will host the second 3+3 platform meeting…

The death last week of a woman, allegedly at the hands of her husband, a former top-ranking official in Kazakhstan’s government, is sparking fresh public calls for more to be done to combat spousal abuse. Over the weekend, a court in the capital, Astana, ordered that Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a 43-year-old whose meteoric rise through the ranks was cut short by a corruption scandal in 2018, be held in jail for at least two months pending investigations. The exact circumstances around what Bishimbayev may have done remain murky, not least as he appears to have engaged in a coverup in the immediate wake…