Georgia
US MEGOBARI Act met with mix of resentment and jubilation in Tbilisi
The MEGOBARI Act mandates sanctions against senior officials from the Georgian Dream government and pledges support for the Georgian people’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
First commercial flight arrives in Georgia’s separatist Abkhazia region after 33 years
Tbilisi protested over resumption of "illegal" direct flights from Moscow to Sokhumi.
Post-war order teetering – rights watchdog
Eurasia “at forefront” of assault on individual freedoms.
COMMENT: Middle Corridor makes progress, but playing second fiddle to the Northern Route
The Middle Corridor linking China to Europe through the South Caucasus and Central Asia has expanded significantly in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but its long-term prospects remain uncertain.
“Lost” Ottoman era painting reappears at Sotheby’s London, sold for a million at auction
Osman Hamdi Bey’s 1881 work Kahve Hazirlamak was bought by a Georgian prince around 1910. Its whereabouts became a mystery.
After Samarkand summit, Europe’s quest for Central Asian resources meets reality
Playing long game for rare earths.
Think-tank urges EU to consider 'Big Bang' enlargement and sweeping reforms
European Policy Centre analysts call on the EU to abandon its piecemeal, hesitant approach to enlargement and commit to ‘permachange’: a permanent state of adaptation in response to cascading crises.
COMMENT: Embracing “Greater Central Asia” has become a strategic imperative for US
Wider region increasingly seen as arena in which major powers’ interests, such as in sourcing critical minerals, collide and converge.
Georgian government lashes out at EU after warnings of visa-free regime freeze
The EU has toyed with the idea of suspending visa-free travel privileges for Georgians in light of Georgian Dream's increasing authoritarianism and pivot away from European values.
INTERVIEW: Georgian opposition leader Giorgi Vashadze
Vashadze regards the incumbent Georgian Dream government as a “double-faced” Kremlin agent: ostensibly committed to Western integration, but in reality deliberately sabotaging Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future in favour of closer ties with Russia.
Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker denounces UK grant programme for local election watchdogs
Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Georgian Dream majority Parliament, has condemned a new UK grant programme which offers funding to Georgian NGOs working to safeguard democracy in the Caucasus country.
Measuring impact of US tariffs on Central Asia and South Caucasus
Little near-term pain, but lots of uncertainty about future.
Georgian ruling party moves to ban all opposition
The ruling Georgian Dream party seeks to ban opposition parties based on the impending conclusions of a temporary parliamentary commission the party set up to investigate alleged “crimes” of the previous government.
Critical response to Zourabichvili’s 'platform of resistance' signals rifts within Georgia's pro-Western opposition
Georgia's fifth president announced the creation of a “platform of resistance” during a mass demonstration in Tbilisi, but some pro-Western opposition politicians declined to participate.
Democracy nosedives as authoritarian grip tightens on Georgia
Brutal police crackdowns on pro-EU street protesters have given way to a targeted campaign of repression seemingly intent on throttling every dimension of the Georgian civil resistance movement.
US Senate committee passes MEGOBARI Act to sanction Georgian government officials
The bill reaffirms support for pro-EU protesters in Georgia and mandates sanctions on members of the governing Georgian Dream party.
Several EU countries back push to fund Prague-based RFE/RL in response to Trump axeing it
Member states want EU to fund Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty after US President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at dismantling the Agency for Global Media.
Georgian authorities freeze funds of NGOs supporting pro-EU protesters
Ruling Georgian Dream party has introduced increasingly repressive legislation in recent months in an attempt to intimidate protesters and crush the resistance.
COMMENT: Rail and logistics firms bet on Middle Corridor as key Eurasian route
As the Trans-Caspian International Transport route grows in importance, rail operators and other companies have committed to boosting traffic along the route.
Former Georgian president Saakashvili gets a further 4.5 years in prison for illegal border crossing
Mikheil Saakashvili, president of Georgia from 2004-13, has been found guilty of illegally crossing the Georgian border in September 2021 and sentenced to four years and six months in jail by the Tbilisi City Court.