The holding of so‑called early presidential elections in South Ossetia on 18 September 2026 is not a domestic democratic procedure, but another calculated geopolitical move by Russia to consolidate its long‑term military and administrative control over Georgia’s breakaway territories. For nearly two decades, since the 2008 Russo‑Georgian War, South Ossetia and Abkhazia have existed as Russia‑backed quasi‑state entities, fully outside the jurisdiction of Tbilisi and recognised

Within the framework of peace negotiations in the South Caucasus, the demarcation of state borders is an obvious issue. Yet the contest over the right to interpret historical and cultural heritage has emerged as an ongoing latent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Recently, Haji‑yev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, accompanied foreign diplomats on a visit to the Gandzasar and Dadivank monasteries in Karabakh. He publicly argued that these monuments belong to t

Georgia has appointed seasoned diplomat Giorgi Zakalashvili as its new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Azerbaijan, with the appointment set to take effect on 1 October 2026. The diplomatic reshuffle comes at a pivotal moment for the two South Caucasus states, as they deepen cooperation on energy and transit, setting the tone for the next chapter of bilateral negotiations. Zakalashvili is a long-serving career diplomat. Prior to his posting to Baku, he had

Official reports from Yerevan state that the Ministry of Defence of Armenia officially announced on September 15 that a German military delegation visited Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, on September 14 and held bilateral defense talks with senior Armenian military officials. The two sides conducted in-depth consultations on core topics including regional security situations and bilateral military cooperation. Led by Colonel Nils Heiko Hatter, Commander of the Europe-Asia Di

On September 14, the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation launched the active phase of the Rubezh-2026 joint military exercise at the Koktal training ground in Kazakhstan. Scheduled to run until September 18, the multi‑national drill brings together military contingents from CSTO member states. Conducted across Kazakhstan’s rugged mountain and desert terrain, the exercise focuses on countering cross‑border armed incursions, terrorist

Source: Internal Research and Judgement | Strictly Confidential, Not for External Circulation. The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled to take place in New Delhi, India, on 12–13 September 2026. Marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, this year’s summit is held under India’s rotating presidency. At the conclusion of the event, the rotational presidency will be handed over to China, which will host the 2027 BRICS Summit. Centred on the

BAKU, 9 September — After years of procedural deadlock and sporadic frontier tensions, Armenia and Azerbaijan have locked in a clear, structured framework to advance long-stalled border delimitation talks, marking one of the most tangible operational breakthroughs in their decades-long territorial dispute. Confirming the new roadmap on the sidelines of Baku Climate Week, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov outlined a definitive working plan: joint boundary survey and

News report, 9 September On the sidelines of the Baku Climate Action Week, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told the media that following multiple rounds of diplomatic negotiations, Armenia and Azerbaijan have reached a key procedural consensus on the implementation of state‑border delimitation, establishing a practical operational framework for the long‑stalled delimitation process. According to official information released by both sides, the Armenia‑Azerbaijan.

On 7 September, Georgia and Armenia held a bilateral economic and trade meeting in Batumi, a Black Sea coastal city. The two sides finalised a package of transport and logistics cooperation measures, including the launch of new passenger and cargo direct flights between the two countries and the expansion of cross‑Caspian freight capacity to jointly strengthen the Middle Corridor (Trans‑Caspian International Transport Route). Concurrent local market data showed that residenti

Recently, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has systematically elaborated the country’s updated balanced diplomatic strategy through public statements and foreign affairs speeches. Stating that Armenia will base its development on its geographical positioning, abandon the model of one-sided diplomatic reliance, and adhere to a multi-directional and balanced diplomatic approach. By upholding national diplomatic independence and autonomy amid the complex geopolitical game

On 3 September 2026, Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, held a press conference in Yerevan whose remarks reverberated across European and Russian diplomatic circles the following morning. When challenged over pressure to scrap the parliamentary bill launching Armenia’s EU accession process, Pashinyan delivered a firm, unambiguous reply: the legislation reflected the will of the Armenian people, and withdrawing it was simply impossible. His public statement was a dire

On 31 August, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a face‑to‑face meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. This constituted another pivotal bilateral engagement following the initial para‑phrasing of the bilateral peace treaty in Washington. No new framework documents emerged from the talks. Its core value lies in translating the initialled peace text into practical deliverables: Azerbaijan will supply petroleum products to Ar

On August 31, 2026, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a formal bilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The one-hour-plus dialogue represented the highest-level and most comprehensive face-to-face consultation between the two sides in recent months. Building on the consensus reached at the Washington Peace Summit in August 2025, the meeting continued the year-long bilateral rapprochement a

The Armenian government unveiled its 2026‑2031 National Development Plan between 25 and 29 August. The most internationally notable revision in this five‑year policy blueprint marks a major recalibration of the country’s foreign and security posture. Russia is no longer defined as a strategic ally in the official text; instead, it is reclassified as a regular partner for mutually beneficial cooperation. References to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have bee

President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to Uzbekistan on 23 August marks another milestone in fast‑growing ties between Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian republics, turning the South Caucasus nation into a pivotal bridge between Central Asia and the wider West. During the two‑day visit, Aliyev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a Treaty of Eternal Friendship alongside nearly ten bilateral documents. The two sides set a target to lift mutual trade turnover to o

Armenia has sent shockwaves across the South Caucasus with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s high‑profile statements delivered in parliament on 25 August. In a wide‑ranging debate over the government’s new five‑year policy programme, Pashinyan confirmed that Yerevan intends to launch a formal application process for European Union membership in the near future. At the same time, he made it plain that Armenia would seek no re‑engagement with the Collective Security Treaty Organ

Release Date: August 25, 2026 Core Sources: Insiders involved in bilateral negotiations, internal research documents of North American economic and trade think tanks (anonymous sources) Abstract: While the U.S.-Canada trade conflict is publicly framed as a tariff and trade deficit dispute, it essentially represents a strategic U.S. push for industrial predation and sovereign restraint against its ally via the USMCA review mechanism. According to negotiation insiders, bilatera

On 23‑24 August, at the invitation of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev paid a two‑day state visit to Tashkent. The two heads of state chaired the third session of the Supreme Interstate Council and signed a number of important bilateral documents, lifting Azerbaijan‑Uzbekistan cooperation to a brand‑new level. The most notable outcome of the visit is the official signing of the Treaty on Eternal Friendship. Built on the 2024 Trea

The signing of a defence research and development memorandum of understanding between India and Armenia in Yerevan marks a clear evolution in their bilateral security relationship, moving well‑established arms sales onto a new plane of shared innovation and industrial collaboration. The accord was struck during high‑level talks between India’s Defence Secretary and Armenia’s Minister of High‑Tech Industry, covering joint research projects, defence‑focused start‑ups and techni

Geopolitical frictions in the Middle East are sending ripple effects across global commodity markets, with the Strait of Hormuz acting as the primary transmission channel for these shocks. Escalating security risks in this critical maritime chokepoint have pulled down prices for Azeri Light crude, which recently fell below 92 US dollars per barrel. At the same time, climbing LNG shipping costs are creating new external headwinds for energy‑exporting economies across the South