Executive Summary: Azerbaijan is responding to increased trade through the Middle Corridor with international partnerships and ambitious reforms of its railway and port systems, highlighting Baku’s desire to become a critical node in global trade. Reforms such as standardized cargo procedures, digital customs systems, and... MORE

Executive summary: Georgia may soon lose its visa-free travel to the European Union due to the country’s democratic backsliding, triggering widespread domestic and diplomatic reactions. Georgian opposition leaders support maintaining visa-free travel for citizens while urging the European Union to impose direct sanctions on the... MORE

Executive Summary: Ramzan Kadyrov declared this week that he wants to retire from his position as head of the Chechen Republic but acknowledged that only Russian President Vladimir Putin could release him. Putin agreed to meet with him and appears to have turned down his... MORE

Executive Summary: On April 22, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev conducted a state visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to strengthen Azerbaijan’s role as a transit hub between the PRC, Central Asia, and Europe and expand the Azerbaijan-PRC partnership to new spheres. Azerbaijan–PRC cooperation... MORE

Executive Summary: The Georgian State Registry re-registered “Conservatives for Georgia,” a pro-Russian party tied to political violence and anti-Western rhetoric, signaling the ruling Georgian Dream party’s continued effort to consolidate pro-Russian forces ahead of elections. Ultranationalist groups, originally civil movements promoting anti-Western propaganda, have gained... MORE

Executive Summary: Georgia hosted the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on April 17 for a closed trilateral summit to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries and geopolitical stability of the South Caucasus. Armenia and Azerbaijan’s progress, albeit slow, in signing a peace agreement... MORE

Executive Summary: Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have announced they will hold joint naval exercises in the northern portion of the Caspian Sea near Russia’s coastline to prepare for any asymmetrical threat. While this announcement was overshadowed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ratification of a cooperation accord... MORE

Executive Summary: Azerbaijan has launched the second phase of the Port of Baku’s expansion, aiming to support its growing role in transcontinental trade as the region seeks alternative routes to Europe. Regional instability and Western sanctions on Russia due to its war against Ukraine have... MORE

Executive Summary: The diplomatic relationship between Georgia and Ukraine has reached its lowest historical point as both sides lack the political will necessary to normalize relations. Kyiv and Tbilisi’s continuing estrangement is a result of strained relations between the ruling party of Georgia and the... MORE

Executive Summary: Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili’s first official foreign visit to Azerbaijan reflects a pivot in Georgia’s foreign policy toward regional partnership amid strained relations with the European Union and Western partners. Georgia and Azerbaijan reaffirmed their opposition to foreign intervention in South Caucasus affairs,... MORE