The mainly Armenian-populated Georgian region of Akhalkalaki has never declared independence from Georgia, or even autonomy within Georgia. But then, one might say that it has never really needed to. Isolated in its bowl of mountains, linked to Georgia by only two atrocious roads, Akhalkalaki is already very much a world unto itself.
Recent political developments have prompted some politicians in Armenia to express concern about an erosion in the country's special relationship with Russia. However, government officials, along with some influential experts, downplay suggestions that Armenia's geopolitical rating is being downgraded.
The CoE action was taken on January 25, despite massive lobbying by Human Rights organizations to keep the symbolically important sanctions on Russia. The suspension, which was imposed nine months ago as a response to Moscow's brutal conduct of military operations in Chechnya, may have meant little in practical terms.
The recent decision by the Council of Europe (CoE) to reinstate full rights to the Russian parliamentary delegation may have a profoundly negative impact on human rights conditions in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The restoration of voting rights is disappointing to human rights advocates because it essentially rewards the Kremlin where there is really nothing to reward.
Writing in "Novye Izvestiya," Natalia Konovalova said last week that rumors are now circulating that Russian security forces rather than Chechen fighters "might have been involved" in the disappearance of Kenny Gluck, a U.S. humanitarian assistance worker in the North Caucasus for the international aid group "Doctors without Borders."
Russian President Vladimir Putin's just-concluded visit to Azerbaijan confirms that Russia intends to act aggressively to regain its position as the dominant power in the Transcaucasus. However, unlike the Soviet era, it appears that economic interests, rather than political priorities, are currently driving Kremlin policy.
The change of administration in the US provides an opportunity for Washington to review a confused Caspian Sea policy. US Caspian Sea policy has strayed from the original parameters set by President Clinton in May 1998.
The hostage drama helped underscore that in Chechnya itself there appears to be no end in sight to a vicious cycle of violence. The Russian military has begun withdrawing troops, but each day the casualty list grows longer and the human suffering spreads. Russian news agencies reported March 14 that at least 12 Russian troops were killed in a Chechen rebel raid on a military convoy.
