Having swept to power in a landslide electoral victory, the new government of revolutionary leader Nikol Pashinyan is now laying out its vision for a ‘New Armenia’ — with ambitious plans for peace and reform.
Georgian ‘Gülen-connected’ university banned from taking in new students
Student protest in support of IBSU on 21 August (Dato Parulava /OC Media)
The Education Ministry of Georgia has banned the International Black Sea University from taking in new students for one year, raising questions about possible political motives amidst the Turkish ambassador’s recent allegations that the Gülen movement ‘still has its university in Georgia’. The university denies any connection to the movement.
Widow of Omar al-Shishani detained in Istanbul
Seda Dudurkayeva (/Daily Sabah)
The widow of the Georgian-born former Islamic State Minister of War, Tarkhan Batirashvili, aka Abu Omar al-Shishani, has been detained on the outskirts of Istanbul. Turkish authorities announced on Thursday that Seda Dudurkayeva was detained by Turkish special services on 4 July.
Living in an ‘enemy land’: the Armenian women working abroad
Yerevan bus station (Armine Avetisyan /OC Media)
Low pay and high unemployment have led many Armenian women to seek work beyond the country’s borders. Despite fears of trafficking, often abusive working conditions, and a closed border with Turkey, the allure of higher salaries have led thousands to leave Armenia, mainly to Russia and even Turkey — a country many consider an ‘enemy land’.
Two States, One Nation: the mixed blessings of Turkish influence in Azerbaijan
(Nika Musavi /OC Media)
For better or worse, Turkish culture exerts a considerable influence on modern Azerbaijani youth culture. While for many films, television, music, and literature from Turkey offer a window into the wider world, some worry it is supplanting Azerbaijan’s own culture. [Read more…]
German MEP says Georgia should not extradite Çabuk
Rebecca Harms (wikimedia.org)
Member of the European Parliament Rebecca Harms has expressed concerns about attempts to extradite Mustafa Emre Çabuk, a former manager at Tbilisi’s Private Demirel College who is being sought by Turkey on terror charges.
‘Gülen-connected’ school manager loses asylum appeal in Georgia
Emre Çabuk
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals upheld on 26 January the decision to deny asylum to Mustafa Emre Çabuk. The former manager at Tbilisi’s Private Demirel College, which has been linked to Turkish opposition political figure Fethullah Gülen, is being sought by Turkey on terror charges. Rights groups urged the government not to extradite Çabuk to Turkey, where they say he would not receive a fair trial. [Read more…]
Georgia granted asylum to ‘25% of applicants in last six years’
(IDFI)
In the last six years, 5,885 people registered for asylum in Georgia, only quarter of which were granted humanitarian or refugee status, data published by Institute for Development of freedom of Information (IDFI) indicates. In most cases proceedings were terminated by the applicants themselves (2,743), with 1,346 people being rejected. [Read more…]
Analysis | Azerbaijan and Turkey: beyond ‘one nation, two states’
Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (president.az)
Arzu Geybulla is a freelance writer originally from Azerbaijan, currently based in Istanbul.
With Turkey’s slide into authoritarianism, ‘one nation, two states’ rings truer than ever of Azerbaijan and Turkey. But below the politics, Turkey has changed for many Azerbaijanis — from a beacon of hope and gateway to the West to a symbol of their disenchantment.
Tbilisi Court upholds asylum refusal of ‘Gülen school manager’ Çabuk
(Facebook)
Tbilisi City Court has upheld the Ministry of Refugees’ decision to refuse asylum to Mustafa Emre Çabuk, a manager at Tbilisi’s Private Demirel College being sought by Turkey on terror charges. The school, closed down by Georgian authorities in August, has been linked to Turkish opposition figure Fethullah Gülen. [Read more…]
