Author: Vasil Iarajuli

Thousands of protesters rallied outside the Georgian parliament on Sunday amid mounting opposition to the country’s government. Critics accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party of being under the sway of Russia and of backsliding on democracy. The government has been accused of jailing political opponents and silencing independent media. The rally was organised by the main opposition party in support of jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Mr Saakashvili, who served two terms as president between 2004 and 2013, is currently serving a six-year jail term for abuse of power, although international rights groups have condemned his conviction as politically motivated.…

President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili is demanding a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the possibility of three-month visas for Russian citizens. According to her, more control is needed by the state over Russians in the country. In her view, Russia’s revocation of the visa policy and restoration of direct flights is a provocation. “The public understands that when Russia takes such steps, it does so based on its own interests. It is a shame that our government has not yet understood and thought about the history and all the examples that exist, that Russia never responds to the…

Trouble appears to be brewing on Afghanistan’s border with the remote Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, or GBAO, in eastern Tajikistan. Or at least it appears to be. As is often the way in Tajikistan, relying on the official narrative for a sense of the unfolding events is proving more confounding than enlightening. On April 28, Khovar state news agency reported that a high-ranking security services officer was earlier that day killed during an armed clash with an alleged gang of drug smugglers trying to cross into Tajik territory. The State Committee for National Security, or GKNB, said in a statement that three of…

It has now become easier to move to Slovenia, an EU and Schengen Area member, for third-country nationals, who wish to live and work or study there, or simply join their family members already living in this country. On Thursday, April 27, the government has published new changes to the Aliens Act in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, eliminating several obstacles for getting a residence permit for non-EU nationals, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. The amendments to this act, also make it possible to get a residence permit through quicker procedures, while the government has extended Slovenian language available for free as…

Austrian foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg recently said during an interview that his country will maintain its veto against the extension of the EU’s border-free Schengen Area until a “sustained decline” in asylum seekers is observed. Austria’s decision to stop the expansion of the Schengen Area left Bulgaria and Romania outside of the zone, maintaining border controls between the two countries and Schengen Area members. The Netherlands also vetoed Bulgaria but approved Romania’s bid for membership. At that time, critics from Romania argued that the governing center-right People’s Party of Austria was using the issue of migration to keep its far-right…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cancelled his election appearances for a third day after falling ill with what officials described as an intestinal infection. Erdogan is seeking a third presidential term in Turkey’s May 14 elections. He had been due to appear at a bridge opening and a political rally in the southern city of Adana, but his schedule changed on Friday to show he would attend the opening ceremony via video link. Erdogan became ill during a TV interview on Tuesday with what Health Minister Fahrettin Koca later said was a “gastrointestinal infection”. His election rallies planned for…

Geography has long been a strong driver of Australia’s national security and economic planning, the oft-noted tyranny of distance a blessing and curse. And while technology and globalisation have made the world much ‘smaller’, geography seems to matter even more in this time of great power competition. The AUKUS announcement illustrates the seriousness of this challenge. The government’s focus on capabilities is essential but given the reduced warning time heralded by the 2020 Defence Strategic Update (DSU), new thinking on preparedness, resilience and sovereignty is still needed to make Australia ready for a range of contingencies. In recent years, Australian policymakers recognised that strategic…

The changing global order poses significant challenges for nations worldwide, with growing competition and instability emerging as key features of the coming years. The situation in Eurasia is a prime example of this transformation, with the war in Ukraine, growing tensions between China and the US, and upheaval in Afghanistan, among other events, leading to uncertainty and potential conflict in the region. Armenia’s Vulnerability in the Shifting Geopolitical Landscape Small states like Armenia are particularly vulnerable to these changes, as demonstrated by their recent defeat in the Nagorno Karabakh war. Armenia had previously prioritized an alliance with Russia but failed…

On April 27, at the Palace of the Nation, the Founder of Peace and National Unity – Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon received the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov. During the meeting, various issues of strategic partnership between the two countries, including cooperation in the industrial sector, were discussed. The President of the country, Emomali Rahmon, expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia, as well as the relations between our countries within the framework of international and regional organizations.…

Students from different universities in Tbilisi on Friday said they would on Saturday join a rally of parents with children suffering from achondroplasia – a rare genetic disease slowing bone growth – demanding the government to supply and fund an expensive, revolutionary drug in treatment of the disease. The students said they would gather in central Tbilisi at 2 p.m. and march to the government office, demanding the imports of Voxzogo (vosoritide), that was in 2021 approved by the European Medicines Agency and the United States Food and Drug Administration. In its comments, the government claimed possible side effects, not…