CALL: Regional Cooperation for Peace and Stability, Georgia (mladiinfo.eu)

Deadline: 12 January 2014 Open to: residents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, or Turkey, aged 23–35, holding university degree Venue: 4–12 February 2014, Tbilisi, Georgia

Description

(mladiinfo.eu) The Centre for Cultural Relations — Caucasian House, with the financial support of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be conducting a study and dialogue visit (4–12 February 2014) in Georgia. Project aims to promote the regional cooperation between young professionals (civil activists, researchers, analysts, academics, etc.) of the South Caucasus and Turkey in an effort to contribute to integration process between the respective societies. It is our hope that the project will help to foster peace and stability in the region while making a contribution to the integration of these societies.
The process will consist of two components:

1. Study component: Participants will have the opportunity to receive information on current domestic and foreign policy issues in Georgia, examine the situation of ethnic and religious minorities in the country as well as look at the issues connected to economic development and security through meetings with senior officials, representatives of nongovernmental organizations, and think tanks working in the field.
2. Dialogue component: Participants will discuss the important issues in the region and in their respective countries. They will deliver presentations based on drafts submitted beforehand on prominent issues in their societies and discuss the possibilities for regional cooperation while working in the group. The presentations and discussions will form the basis for final articles which will be published on the website HERE. The website was developed under the dialogue projects previously implemented by the Caucasian House and serves as an analytical platform for the dialogue among young professionals from the region.

Eligibility

• Residents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, or Turkey;
• Age 23–35;
• University degree;
• At least early stage of professional/academic career;
• Interest in the region of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey;
• Proficiency in English.

Selected participants will be required to prepare a draft article. It will be presented during the dialogue and study visit and will form the basis of the final article.

Costs

All costs related to transportation, accommodation, and board will be covered by the project.

Application

The application form, CV or résumé, and the optional writing sample should be sent to regionalcooperation.ch@gmail.com no later than 12 January 2014, at midnight (UTC +04:00). Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview and notified of the selection results by 24 January.
For more information please visit the official website HERE.

Read more: mladiinfo.eu

DISKUSSION: 11. Außenpolitische Jahrestagung 2010: "Europas Osten", 7./8.10.10 (boell.de)

Europas Osten
Impulse für die Politik der EU gegenüber ihren östlichen Nachbarn

Datum: Donnerstag, 7. und Freitag, 8. Oktober 2010
Ort: Beletage der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Schumannstraße 8, 10117 Berlin-Mitte

Die Interessen der Europäischen Union an ihren östlichen Grenzen sind vielfältig.Russland ist der wichtigste Gaslieferant der EU, Länder wie Belarus, Ukraine und Georgien liegen entlang wichtiger Transitrouten. Außerdem sind mit derEU-Osterweiterung die Sicherheitsprobleme der östlichen Nachbarstaaten zuEU-Sicherheitsproblemen geworden.

Erhebliche Stabilitätsrisiken an den EU-Außengrenzen Alle Länder dieser Region sind nach dem Zerfall der Sowjetunion in tiefe Transformationskrisen geraten. In den meisten haben sich autoritäre Formenvon Herrschaft verfestigt. Chronische Menschenrechtsverletzungen, wirtschaftliche Monopolstrukturen und massive Korruption bedeuten aber langfristig erhebliche Stabilitätsrisiken an den Außengrenzen der EU. Es liegt daher in ihrem eigenenInteresse, den Gesellschaften in Osteuropa beim Aufbau demokratisch und rechtsstaatlich verfasster Gemeinwesen zu helfen.

Bisher kann von einer kohärenten, an gemeinsamen europäischen Interessen ausgerichteten und mit klaren Botschaften operierenden Politik gegenüber Russland und den Ländern der "Eastern Partnership" keine Rede sein. Die unterschiedlichen Haltungen bei alten und neuen EU-Mitgliedern müssen respektiert und in einem offenen Konsultationsprozess möglichst ausgeglichenwerden, um zu einer gemeinsamen Politik gegenüber dem Osten Europas zugelangen. Wir sehen darin eine europapolitische Kernaufgabe der nächsten Jahre.

Welche konstruktive Rolle sollte die EU im Osten Europas verfolgen? Mit der außenpolitischen Jahrestagung 2010 will die Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Impulsegeben für eine gesamteuropäische und transatlantische Debatte darüber, welche konstruktive Politik die EU im Osten Europas verfolgen sollte, um jenseits geopolitischer Nullsummen-Spiele Sicherheit, Rechtsstaatlichkeit und nachhaltige Entwicklung zu befördern.

Wir möchten mit Ihnen über folgende Fragen diskutieren:

* Wie sollte Europa im Jahr 2025 aussehen?
* Wie könnte sich ein EU-Russland-Verhältnis gestalten, das von Kooperationgeprägt ist, ohne von exklusiven „Einflusszonen“ auszugehen?
* Welches Sicherheitssystem benötigt Europa im 21. Jahrhundert, um eineeine europäische Spaltung zu verhindern?
* Welche Lehren können aus dem Georgien-Krieg für ähnliche Konfliktpotentiale in der östlichen Nachbarschaft gezogen werden?
* Welche Perspektiven einer nachhaltigen Energiesicherheit gibt es für Europa?
* Lässt sich die demokratische Transformation im Osten Europas nur mit einer EU-Beitrittsperspektive konsolidieren?

Projektleitung und Information:

Marc Berthold,
Referent Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, berthold@boell.de

Melanie Sorge,
Politische Beraterin/ Projektmanagerin, melanie@boellstiftung.org

Anmeldung unter: www.boell.de

STATEMENT: Georgia's Abkhazia less secure without monitors: U.N. (reuters.com)

By Matt RobinsonTBILISI (Reuters) - Failure to extend the United Nation's monitoring presence in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region would undermine stability and leave ethnic Georgians there unprotected, the mission head said on Friday.
The mission's mandate expires on June 15, and the U.N. Security Council is split between the West and Russia over the wording of a resolution to extend it.
Russia wants it to reflect Abkhazia's assertion that it is an independent state, recognized by the Kremlin and secured by Russian forces since last year's five-day war between Russia and Georgia over the rebel region of South Ossetia.full article >>>

POLITICS: EU urged to boost profile in ex-Soviet republics (pr-inside.com)

BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Commission pushed EU governments Monday to provide more long-term economic and other aid to Ukraine and four other ex-Soviet republics _ areas Moscow regards as its backyard.
The EU «has a strategic interest ... in economic and political stability» in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, EU External Relations Commissioner

more >>>

CALL FOR PAPERS: Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA)

All for Papers for the Spring 2009 issue (Vol. 3, No. 2) of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs

Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA) announces a call for papers for its Spring 2009 issue to be published at the end of April 2009.

Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2009. Submission guidelines can be found at here >>>

CRIA is particularly interested in papers on the following topics:
- Prospects of the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after the recent developments in the region;
- Recent attempts of rapprochement in Turkish-Armenian relations and their prospects;
- Russian policy towards the South Caucasus;
- GUAM and its role in the security of the member-states;
- The recent initiatives for the stability in the Caucasus – their prospects;
- European Union and the conflict resolution in the South Caucasus;
- Eastern Partnership initiative of the European Union – chances and prospects;
- Western energy interests in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, especially the Nabucco project;
- Role of the South Caucasus in the energy security of Europe;
- Situation in the North Caucasus;
- Iranian nuclear program and its implications for the South Caucasus
- Germany and South Caucasus;
- Georgia and its NATO-membership aspirations;
- Integration of the South Caucasus to the Euro-Atlantic structures;
- Prospects of the South Caucasian regional security;
- Global financial crisis and the South Caucasus;
- Israel in the Caucasus;
- Azerbaijan's relations with the Islamic world;
- Foreign Policy of Armenia;
- Iran-Armenia relations;
- Azerbaijani community of Iran;
- Legal status of the Caspian Sea;
- China in Central Asia;
- Foreign Policy of Turkmenistan under the new government;
- Turkey's accession to the EU;
- Iran-Turkey relations;
- Ukraine's foreign policy - NATO and EU versus Russia;
- Armenian Diaspora and lobby in the US – its influence over US foreign policy;
- What will be Obama's foreign policy towards Turkey and South Caucasus?

This is a preliminary list. Please feel free to offer alternative topics, including book reviews, to the Editor.
The CRIA is a Germany-registered quarterly peer-reviewed free, non-profit and online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. The CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints. The last issue of the Review can be viewed at www.cria-online.org.

Best regards,
Nasimi Aghayev
Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 18656773

NEWS:

RadioFreeEurope about the Black-Sea-Region

Turkey: Ruling Party's Victory A Boost To Black Sea Stability? 26 Jul 2007 05:50, RFE/RL... security developments elsewhere. "Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Georgia are really concerned about the resurgence of ... directly involve the Black Sea region, the Caucasus, and the Balkans. Though unrelated, he says, ...
Caucasus: Region Sees Opportunity In Sochi 26 Jul 2007 05:50, RFE/RL... projecting an image of stability in the Caucasus -- has been a top priority in ... contention in the standoff between Russia and Georgia that lies just 40 kilometers from the ...

Georgia:
An Important State for the Stability in the Caucasus
By Dr. Kamer Kasim
Wednesday , 07 February 2007

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia became an independent state, however, since its independence Georgia faced severe internal crisis and security problems, which were the great obstacle for the implementation of reforms and the success of the state-building process. Having border with Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia and access to the Black Sea make Georgia important transit routes to the Europe and Central Asia. Internal conflicts and lack of stability prevented Georgia to utilize its location in the Caucasus and delayed the possible regional cooperation, which would be beneficial for all the countries in the region. Given the fact that Georgia has lack of natural resources and weak economic structure, it is very difficult for Georgia to exploit its geographical location without support from the regional powers and the United States. In fact, Georgia is the one of the biggest beneficiary of the US aid in the world. Georgia has received approximately $ 800 million aid from the US. Turkey, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands are also important donors for Georgia. To analyze the roots of Georgia’s continuing problems and its difficulty to solve them despite the financial and political support from the outside world; we need to look at Georgia’s frozen conflicts and Russian role in the region.

full article: http://www.turkishweekly.net/comments.php?id=2465


Related News, Comments & Articles
Related News
Russia Moving Military Equipment Out Of Georgia
Georgia May Discuss CIS, Peacekeepers in July
Saakashvili Thanks Russia for ‘Advertising’ Georgian Wine
Mexico slams Georgia migrant law
Georgia Envoy Shut Out Of UN Security Council Meeting
Turkey and Georgia pledge closer cooperation
Georgian MPs Detained At Minsk Airport
Speaker Of Georgian Parliament Rules Out Pipeline Sale
Russian Envoy, Georgian MFA Officials Discuss Abkhazia
Georgia And Turkey Agree To Share Airport In Ajara

Related Comments
Russia’s Economic Imperialism
Georgia: An Important State for the Stability in the Caucasus
Georgia: An Important State for the Stability in the Caucasus
Is Georgia Becoming Progressively Less Democratic?
Is Georgia Gearing Up for Armed Intervention in South Ossetia?
Iraq: U.S. Ambassador Announces Seven-Point Plan For Country
Georgia Hit by Wave of Political Turmoil
Georgian Base Closure Shifts Strategic Balance
Georgians Fight Power Reform
The Main Theme Of The President's Trip To Latvia And Georgia

Armenian-Turkish border opening to promote stability in region

24 Jan 2007 12:10, PanArmenian Network

... communications to bypass Armenia. However, if Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey wish to build a railway ... cooperation, stability and security in the South Caucasus ...

more >>>