Kavkaz

Belarussian parliamentarians will visit Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia to study the socio-political and economic situation there, head of the commission on international affairs and ties with the CIS of the lower chamber of parliament Sergei Maskevich told journalists on Thursday. 

The head of Russia’s powerful military intelligence agency said on Thursday that Georgia might again attack South Ossetia, the pro-Moscow region over which the two countries fought a war last year. Alexander Shlyakhturov, who in April took over command of the GRU — the Russian acronym for Russia’s Chief Intelligence …

The Georgian Foreign Ministry protested the use of Russian area codes today in Abkhazia. The ministry will release a statement about Russia’s illegal actions, the Foreign Ministry said. Abkhazia will begin to use new Russian area codes from Nov. 16, the de facto Abkhazian government reported. The area codes will …

At the present stage, Georgian MP of Christian-Democrats fraction Nika Laliashvili thinks it is necessary to set up Upper Lars check-point between Russia and Georgia. At present, the situation in the North Caucasus is very intense. Setting up the check-point is unreasonable, opposition MP said at a plenary meeting of …

Current situation with Armenia-Turkey relations can’t last forever, so the perspective of rapprochement and border opening should be accepted. Scenarios of protecting regional interests should be developed, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Ambassador Peter Semneby stated. According to him, the war in Georgia has shown everybody there are …

Higher education will become more accessible for Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Georgia. Relevant amendments will be made to the Law on Higher Education. The bill, which was initiated by the government, has been already introduced to the Parliament. It aims to promote integration of Georgian citizens of Armenian and Azerbaijani …

Five Georgians were freed by the Ossetian separatists. They were detained yesterday in the Karelia region of Georgia on charges of violating the administrative border of South Ossetia. 

The EU is ready to assist Georgia under the Eastern Partnership program, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a meeting with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in Brussels on Oct.29.

The US administration admits that the process of admission of Georgia and Ukraine to NATO will take years, US Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs Alexander Vershbow confirmed on Wednesday at hearings devoted to the Obama administration policy towards the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). …

The European Union monitoring mission confirmed the violation of so-called the administrative border between Georgia and South Ossetia by 16 Georgian citizens who were detained by Russia’s border guards, the website of the mission reported.