Olesya Vartanyan

In Georgia it’s really starting to feel like the protest is gaining momentum. Today’s massive rally in Tbilisi has overwhelmed the police, and demonstrations are spreading nationwide. With Monday approaching, it’s hard to see state-run institutions operating as usual.

The standoff between Georgian riot police and protesters is escalating. Authorities deploy coordinated enforcement groups, while protesters use fireworks, smoke, and barricades to counter police. Violence is rising by the hour, with protester numbers steadily growing.

1/ Day 15 of #TbilisiProtests: Despite freezing cold, people hit the streets nightly, but the government still won’t listen to their concerns. How can this standoff be broken? I discuss this in my commentary for @ceip-politika.bsky.social: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras...

My friend Tamara Mearakishvili is behind bars in South Ossetia. Local authorities have accused her of espionage, which could keep her in prison for over a decade. Tamara is absolutely innocent, and the charges appear driven by a personal vendetta of the local de facto leadership.

1/ How Statelets Die? I look at this question through the story of Nagorno-Karabakh - once one of the most “successful” de facto entities in the post-Soviet space, and today something no one even wants to remember. Link here: defactostates.ut.ee/how-statelet...

The EU will discuss suspending visa-free travel for Georgian citizens by the end of this year, according to the results of today’s EU Foreign Council meeting. rb.gy/bd7esb

Georgians are still showing they’re able and willing to protest. Even as the regime jails dozens and imposes huge fines just for appearing in the street. #GeorgiaProtests

1/ In my new commentary for @ceip-politika.bsky.social I look at what has and hasn’t happened in the month since the historic Armenia-Azerbaijan summit at the White House. Key takeaway - much is still unresolved: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... 🧵

1/ If you’re enjoying your summer, Donald Trump is about to interrupt it - possibly with significant news. He’s expected to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Oval Office this week. The goal: a handshake after 30+ years of conflict. But much remains uncertain. 🧵 📷 by AFP

Have a listen to this moving story of an Armenian family finding their old home and relatives in Turkey - and building bonds with a community later hit by the 2023 earthquake. Try not to tear up. podcasts.apple.com/md/podcast/d...

Armenia's Pashinyan is in Brussels shortly after the public announcement about the New Partnership Agenda - it is expected to take relations and cooperation with the European Union to a completely new level, hopefully paving the way for the future formalization of closer ties.

1/ Trump seems to be aiming for a Nobel Prize with his latest proposals to resolve one of the crucial unresolved issue in Armenia–Azerbaijan talks. At the center: opening transit corridors to boost the Middle Corridor linking Asia with Europe via the South Caucasus. 🧵

I was in Kyiv recently when the city came under heavy missile and drone attack. It brought flashbacks from the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and the 2008 war in Georgia. Here’s my reflection on what an unfair peace deal in Ukraine could mean for the South Caucasus.