The Dutch government has decided to request the European Commission to suspend visa-free movement for Albanians, who enjoyed this since 2010. Can this decision of the Dutch government influence Georgia’s visa free travel to the Schengen Zone and the challenges it faces? Continue reading What could European suspension of visa-free travel for Albania mean for Georgia?
Various reports over the last few years have clearly shown a worrying global trend: the protection of human rights is under pressure. Human rights, civil liberties and democracy are actively undermined by an increase of authoritarian and populist driven rule. When UN conventions and resolutions, EU resolutions or verdicts of the European Court of Human Rights don’t help, other measures are necessary. Continue reading EU should introduce Global Human Rights Accountability Law
“From now on, the Georgian Nation is accepted by the great nations, as equal – among equals”. Those were the … Continue reading Georgia’s Phantom Treaty — Civil.ge
On December 11 2019 the Free Russia Foundation organized a mini symposium in The Hague on the return of Russia into the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It focused on “the balance between the rights and obligations” of being part of the Council of Europe. Here is my contribution to the panel discussion Continue reading Russia’s return to Council of Europe: compliance in a rules based order
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a history lecture in Yekaterinburg on July 9, 2019 on the status of Abkhazia and … Continue reading Putin: Throwing sand of historic deceit — Civil.ge
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced to simplify the procedure for Ukrainian citizens in the Donbass occupied territories to obtain Russian citizenship, a step directly aimed at weaponizing the right of citizenship and has to be interpreted as outright state aggression. Continue reading Passportization: Russia’s tool of state aggression in its near abroad
This summer it has been 10 years ago the world was caught by surprise when Russian and Georgian military forces started a war over a small Georgian separatist region that not many had heard of: South Ossetia. While it took many by surprise, the war was in the making for quite some time. A look into the prelude of the war, part three, rolling into war. Continue reading Russia – Georgia War 2008: Rolling into war
This summer it has been 10 years ago the world was caught by surprise when Russian and Georgian military forces started a war over a small Georgian separatist region that not many had heard of: South Ossetia. While it took many by surprise, the war was in the making for quite some time. A look into the prelude of the war, part two. Continue reading Russia – Georgia War 2008: The Prelude #2
This summer it’s been 10 years ago the world was caught by surprise when Russian and Georgian military forces started a war over a small Georgian separatist region that not many had heard of: South Ossetia. While it took many by surprise, the war was in the making for quite some time. A look into the prelude of the war. Continue reading Russia – Georgia War 2008: The Prelude #1
With various Russian gas infrastructure projects in full steam, and other adjustments in the delivery of Russian gas to Europe, it is time to face what it wil mean for the country that will be hit by this: Ukraine. Continue reading Europe’s sleepwalk into eastern gas troubles
Where accessing your own land is treated as trespassing Continue reading Borderline life: Georgia and South Ossetia
Last summer we visited the remote Tusheti valley in Georgia, located in the northeast of the country bordering the Russian Federation Republics of Dagestan and Chechnya. The valley has only one dangerous access road, open only in the summer season. Continue reading Trip to Tusheti Valley