Azerbaijan has toned down its rhetoric about shooting down planes that fly over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. But Baku remains at loggerheads with Armenia and Karabakh separatists over plans to reopen the region’s airport. From Eurasianet.org

Armenia’s civil rights record isn’t exactly unblemished, but to thousands of Iranians eager to hear pop singers banned in Iran, the conservative South Caucasus country still ranks as a land of liberty.

Is EU policy in the Caucuses constructive? The functioning of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) vis-à-vis the Southern partners has received considerable international scrutiny over the past weeks. From CEE Bankwatch Network

The project of an Armenian theatrical director and actor turned peace activist to open a peace center in Tekalo, a small village in Georgia a few kilometers from the border with Armenia and Azerbaijan. An update on Nagorno Karabakh from the OBC.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over Nagorno Karabakh in the early 1990s. Around 25,000 were killed and nearly a million from both sides forced to flee their homes. Although hostilities were put on hold by a 1994 ceasefire agreement, in addition to skirmishes on the frontline, landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) continue to pose a threat to life.

Dilijan is a microcosm of what Armenia is now and what it could be: a balance between the old sectors like agriculture, and services, of which outsourcing could bring jobs to a population that is highly skilled but needs the right opportunities in order to make a decent living.

Ani was once the capital of a vast medieval Armenian kingdom. Over 1000 years ago the city, which was once a rival of Constantinople and Cairo, was sacked by Turkish invaders. What was once a city of over 100,000 people rapidly declined, and has been abandoned for centuries.

Sivas, or in Armenian, Sebastea, was once an Armenian cultural center. Armenians inhabited the city for centuries, even after it fell to the Ottoman Turks around 1400 AD. My grandmother, who would have turned 105 yesterday, sometimes talked about the hot springs where her family would vacation during the summers.