|
|
January
|
2
January 2009
|
Greece,
which takes over the OSCE chairmanship from Finland, declares
diplomatic efforts will continue to reach a consensus on the
extension of the OSCE mission in Georgia
|
4
January 2009
|
Georgian
Ministry of Internal Affairs says Georgian police post was
attacked in the village of Ganmukhuri at the Abkhaz administrative
border
|
6
January 2009
|
Azerbaijan
Democratic Party condemns the closure of foreign radio stations in
Azerbaijan
|
6
January 2009
|
Georgian
public TV announces Georgia’s participation in the Eurovision
song contest in Moscow in May
|
8
January 2009
|
An
inter-agency anti-corruption council is set up in Georgia to
upgrade the national anti-corruption strategy and action plan
|
9
January 2009
|
US
and Georgian officials sign a bilateral charter on strategic
partnership
|
9
January 2009
|
Transit
of Russian gas to Armenia is halted after a gas pipeline is
damaged in Southern Georgia
|
10
January 2009
|
Russian
state-controlled electricity trader Inter RAO signs a memorandum
of understanding with Georgia on the exploitation of the Enguri
hydro power plant (HPP)
|
12
January 2009
|
Tbilisi
Mayor Gigi Ugulava rules out early elections
|
12
January 2009
|
Swiss
Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey visits Georgia to sign
agreement with Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze on the
protection of Georgia’s interests in Russia by Switzerland
|
12
January 2009
|
Estonian
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves visits Azerbaijan
|
13
January 2009
|
Opposition
parties in Georgia criticize the government for striking a deal
with the Russian state-controlled energy trader Inter RAO over the
Enguri hydro power plant (HPP)
|
13
January 2009
|
Georgia
resumes the transit of Russian gas to Armenia
|
15
January 2009
|
The
Council of Europe criticizes Azerbaijan’s decision to ban
international radio stations from broadcasting on national
frequencies
|
16
January 2009
|
Riot
police break up opposition protest in Armenia
|
16
January 2009
|
Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Ministry expresses concern over Russian arms delivery to
Armenia
|
16
January 2009
|
Turkish
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan says that relations between Armenia
and Turkey as well as Azerbaijan and Armenia may normalize in 2009
|
16
January 2009
|
A
Georgian police officer is shot dead near Georgia’s de facto
border with South Ossetia
|
19
January 2009
|
Russia
notifies Georgia of its willingness to inspect Georgia’s
military bases in line with the OSCE 1999 Vienna
Document on confidence and security-building measures
|
19
January 2009
|
Russian
presidential decree orders an arms embargo on Georgia
|
19
January 2009
|
Abkhaz
leader Sergey Bagapsh says he is “bewildered” over a
memorandum signed between Georgia and the Russian state-controlled
electricity trader Inter RAO on the exploitation of the Enguri
hydro power plant (HPP)
|
20
January 2009
|
OSCE
High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek visits
Georgia
|
21
January 2009
|
Armenian
Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian says that Armenia and Turkey
have come close to normalizing relations
|
22
January 2009
|
Azerbaijani
police detain opposition campaigners in the city of Sabirabad
|
22
January 2009
|
Georgia
says it will not allow Russia to inspect its military bases citing
“force majeure”
|
22
January 2009
|
European
Commission will allocate 16 million Euros for the development of
Azerbaijan’s judicial system
|
25
January 2009
|
Georgia
resumes natural-gas supplies to South Ossetia
|
27
January 2009
|
Abkhaz
Deputy Interior Minister Zakan Jugelia is shot dead
|
27
January 2009
|
The
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) orders the Georgian state to
pay 26,700 Euros to the founders of 202 TV
|
28
January 2009
|
Georgia’s
Conservative Party, a member of the opposition, calls for Interior
Minister Vano Merabishvili to be brought to trial in connection
with the murder of banker Sandro Girgvliani
|
29
January 2009
|
Twelve
opposition parties in Georgia call for President Saakashvili’s
resignation in a joint declaration
|
30
January 2009
|
Georgian
Prime Minister Grigol Mgaloblishvili resigns, citing poor health
|
February
|
2
February 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili offers to set up an advisory group
of Georgian expatriate economists
|
3
February 2009
|
Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze says Georgia has no plans to sign
agreements on non-use of force with Abkhazia and South Ossetia
|
4
February 2009
|
Georgia’s
ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Viktor Dolidze resigns
|
6
February 2009
|
Armenia
confirms a USD 500 million loan from Russia to help mitigate the
effects of the global economic crisis
|
7
February 2009
|
US
Vice President Joe Biden declares that the United States will not
recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
|
8
February 2009
|
Russia
reaffirms plans for building military bases in Abkhazia and South
Ossetia
|
9
February 2009
|
EU’s
inquiry mission into the August war visits Georgia
|
10
February 2009
|
Chairman
of Russian energy company Gazprom Alexei Miller meets South
Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity in Moscow to discuss the
construction of the Dzuarikau-Tskhinvali gas pipeline to link
South Ossetia with North Ossetia in the Russian Federation
|
10
February 2009
|
The
OSCE says two OSCE monitors were released after being briefly
detained in a Georgian conflict zone
|
10
February 2009
|
Georgia’s
former ambassador to the OSCE Viktor Dolidze confirms his
intention to join the opposition after leaving the OSCE
|
11
February 2009
|
The
head of the Azerbaijani Air Force Lieutenant General Rail
Rzayev is shot dead
|
12
February 2009
|
The
Armenian National Congress (HAK), an umbrella opposition movement,
officially announces its intention to resume public rallies
|
13
February 2009
|
The
UN Security Council agrees to extend its Georgia mission for four
months
|
13
February 2009
|
Former
Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli’s party Movement for a Fair
Georgia holds a protest rally in Adjara
|
17
February 2009
|
Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze visits Poland
|
17
February 2009
|
Col.
Koba Lachkepiani appointed as new commander of the land forces in
Georgia
|
18
February 2009
|
Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze says that Georgia will send
troops to Afghanistan
|
19
February 2009
|
Azerbaijani
Russian-language website day.az is shut down
|
20
February 2009
|
Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze visits Armenia
|
23
February 2009
|
Prime
Minister of breakaway republic of Abkhazia Alexandr Ankvab visits
Moscow
|
23
February 2009
|
Activists
collecting signatures to protest a referendum on presidential term
limits in Azerbaijan are arrested in Baku
|
24
February 2009
|
The
EU’s special representative to the South Caucasus Peter Semneby
meets Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and opposition leader
Levon Ter-Petrossian on a visit to Armenia
|
24
February 2009
|
State
Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) suspends
money allocated for environmental projects in 2009
|
25
February 2009
|
Georgia
commemorates the anniversary of the 1921 Red Army invasion
|
26
February 2009
|
Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze visits Ukraine
|
28
February 2009
|
Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigori Karasin meets Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov on a visit to Azerbaijan
|
March
|
1
March 2009
|
Georgian
President Saakashvili visits Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah emirate
of UAE
|
3
March 2009
|
Armenia’s
national currency, the dram, goes into free fall after the Central
Bank ceases its support
|
3
March 2009
|
Russia
resumes limited visa service for Georgian citizens
|
3
March 2009
|
EU’s
war inquiry mission visits Abkhazia
|
4
March 2009
|
Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev meets with Abkhaz leader Sergey Bagapsh
in Moscow
|
5
March 2009
|
A
meeting of the NATO-Georgia commission is held in Brussels
|
5
March 2009
|
Leader
of the opposition movement Alliance for Georgia Irakli Alasania
meets with the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign
and Security Policy Javier Solana in Brussels
|
5
March 2009
|
U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says NATO should continue
to help Georgia and Ukraine to meet NATO standards
|
5
March 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili says that he rules out a new
“military adventure” by Russia in Georgia
|
6
March 2009
|
The
EU’s war inquiry mission visits Tskhinvali in South Ossetia
|
6
March 2009
|
Leader
of the opposition movement Alliance for Georgia Irakli Alasania
calls for a joint “action plan” with other opposition parties
to achieve the resignation of Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili
|
6
March 2009
|
Abkhaz
leader Sergey Bagapsh says that Russia will soon sign an agreement
with Abkhazia to allow the stationing of a Russian military base
in the Gudauta district of Abkhazia for a term of 49 years
|
10
March 2009
|
The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) officially approves a 540
million US dollars loan to Armenia
|
10
March 2009
|
Armenian
Ombudsman Armen Harutiunian criticizes Armenia’s
“oligarchic” political system in annual report
|
11
March 2009
|
Georgia
withdraws from the Moscow Eurovision Song Contest
|
12
March 2009
|
Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian criticizes Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili’s comments on the “collapse” of the Armenian
economy
|
13
March 2009
|
U.S.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza visits Georgia
|
16
March 2009
|
Georgian
National Electricity Regulatory Commission (GNERC) takes over
management of the Kazakh-owned gas distributor company
KazTransGaz-Tbilisi
|
17
March 2009
|
Russia
pledges 149 million US dollars aid package for Abkhazia and South
Ossetia
|
18
March 2009
|
Voters
approve a constitutional referendum lifting presidential term
limits in Azerbaijan, allowing the current leader to seek a third
term
|
18
March 2009
|
Azerbaijani
Parliament adopts a prisoner amnesty
|
19
March 2009
|
Georgian
Energy Ministry announces the building of a new power line between
Georgia and Turkey
|
19
March 2009
|
Four
opposition parties set up an “Alliance for Freedom” in Georgia
|
20
March 2009
|
Russian
President Medvedev approves the signing of two treaties with
Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the joint protection of borders
|
23
March 2009
|
Belarusian
President Alexander Lukashenko meets with Abkhaz leader Sergey
Bagapsh in Moscow and offers financial help to Abkhazia
|
23
March 2009
|
Activists
of opposition leader Nino Burdjanadze’s Democratic Movement –
United Georgia party are arrested in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi
on charges of illegal possession of arms
|
23
March 2009
|
Georgian
Parliament Speaker David Bakradze visits the United States
|
25
March 2009
|
Kazakh
state company KazMunaiGas says it is ready to sell its gas
distribution company in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi,
KazTransGaz-Tbilisi
|
26
March 2009
|
EU’s
special envoy and co-mediator to the Geneva talks Pierre Morel
meets with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin in
Moscow
|
27
March 2009
|
Russian
state gas company Gazprom and Azerbaijan’s state oil company
SOCAR sign memorandum of understanding on gas sales from
Azerbaijan to Russia from 2010 in Moscow
|
27
March 2009
|
13
opposition parties in Georgia agree to organize peaceful
demonstrations to demand Georgian President Saakashvili’s
resignation in a “Manifesto of Unity”
|
27
March 2009
|
International
Monetary Fund says it sees “considerable downside risks” to
Georgia’s economy
|
29
March 2009
|
Georgian
Ministry of Internal Affairs declares that one Georgian policeman
died and six others were injured in an explosion near the
administrative border with South Ossetia
|
April
|
1
April 2009
|
Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov visits Georgia
|
2
April 2009
|
Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev declares he does not want any relations
with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and he would only talk
with a new leadership in Georgia
|
2
April 2009
|
Egypt-based
company Fresh Electric plans to create a free industrial zone in
Kutaisi, Georgia
|
7
April 2009
|
Armenia
and Iran agree to build a 1.2 billion dollar railway between
the two countries
|
7
April 2009
|
Lithuanian
Foreign Minister Vigaudas Ushatskas visits Azerbaijan
|
8
April 2009
|
Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that
Nagorno-Karabakh’s status must be resolved first before Turkey
and Armenia can open diplomatic relations
|
8
April 2009
|
Abkhaz
authorities declare that Abkhaz troops together with Russian
forces are reinforcing border with Georgia
|
9
April 2009
|
Thousands
of protesters gather on Tbilisi’s streets to demand the
resignation of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili
|
9
April 2009
|
Ukrainian
President Viktor Yushchenko visits Azerbaijan
|
10
April 2009
|
The
EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby
meets with opposition leaders in Tbilisi
|
10
April 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili offers the opposition the direct
election of the Tbilisi mayor
|
11
April 2009
|
Armenian
government approves a 54 million dollar credit for local
construction firms
|
12
April 2009
|
Opposition
parties in Georgia say that a protest venue outside the Parliament
was raided
|
13
April 2009
|
Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze visits the United States
|
13
April 2009
|
The
Georgian Ministry of Defense declares that Russia is increasing
its military presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, especially in
the Gali and Akhalgori districts
|
14
April 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili says he does not think that Russia
will renew a “military adventure” in Georgia
|
17
April 2009
|
Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met
in Moscow to discuss energy exports and the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict
|
18
April 2009
|
Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev warns Russia will closely watch planned
NATO military exercises in Georgia
|
21
April 2009
|
The
opposition in Georgia launches a “town of cells” by setting up
mock prison cells in front of the Georgian Parliament on Tbilisi’s
Rustaveli Avenue
|
21
April 2009
|
Kazakhstan
refuses to take part in NATO military exercises in Georgia in a
show of support for Russia
|
22
April 2009
|
The
EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) announced that EU and OSCE
monitors would facilitate a meeting of the Georgian and South
Ossetian sides, as well as representatives from the Russian
forces, at the Ergneti village between the Georgian and South
Ossetian checkpoints
|
22
April 2009
|
Azerbaijan
and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sign a protocol on bilateral
cooperation in transport
|
23
April 2009
|
Turkey
and Armenia agree on a road map to normalize
their relations
|
26
April 2009
|
Patriarch
of the Georgian Orthodox Church Ilia II calls on politicians to
pray together on a day of nationwide prayer for repentance on
April 28
|
27
April 2009
|
Georgia
denies the presence of Chechen militants on its territory in
response to Russia’s accusations
|
28
April 2009
|
The
EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) says it is satisfied that
the Georgian authorities are in compliance with commitments to
create a restricted armament zone near the borders with Abkhazia
and South Ossetia
|
30
April 2009
|
Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev signs border cooperation agreements
which give Russia control over the Abkhaz and South Ossetian
borders with Abkhaz leader Sergey Bagapsh and South Ossetian
leader Eduard Kokoity at a ceremony in the Kremlin in Moscow
|
30
April 2009
|
At
least 13 people are killed during a shooting at Azerbaijan’s
State Oil Academy in Baku
|
30
April 2009
|
Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian says that Armenia’s largest
chemical plant Nairit will resume operations
|
30
April 2009
|
Russia
accuses Georgia and Azerbaijan of not taking effective measures to
curtail transfer of funds to the North Caucasus resistance
|
May
|
5
May 2009
|
Georgian
government officials suggest a mutiny at the Mukhrovani military
base outside Tbilisi was funded by Russia to undermine NATO
military exercises and foment a rebellion against Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili
|
5
May 2009
|
Armenia,
along with Kazakhstan, Serbia and Moldova, pulls out of NATO
military exercises in Georgia
|
5
May 2009
|
Campaign
for mayoral election officially starts in Yerevan
|
5
May 2009
|
Belarus
President Alexander Lukashenko declares that Belarus and
Azerbaijan need enhanced cooperation at a meeting with Azerbaijani
First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyyubov
|
6
May 2009
|
NATO
begins war games in Georgia involving over 1,000 soldiers from
more than a dozen NATO member states and partner nations
|
8
May 2009
|
EU
leaders approve the Eastern Partnership initiative aimed at
increasing ties between the EU and six Eastern neighbors
(Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) at a EU
summit in Prague
|
8
May 2009
|
The
EU and four partner countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and
Egypt) sign a joint declaration at an energy summit in Prague to
support the realization of a Southern energy corridor aimed at
decreasing Europe’s dependency on Russian supplies
|
11
May 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili meets four opposition leaders for
talks
|
13
May 2009
|
Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev in Baku
|
14
May 2009
|
Abkhaz
leader Sergey Bagapsh meets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
in Sochi
|
14
May 2009
|
Russia
rejects the Greek OSCE chairmanship’s proposal of keeping OSCE
monitors with right of free movement across the border with South
Ossetia
|
14
May 2009
|
Iran
starts gas supplies to Armenia
|
15
May 2009
|
Abkhaz
Businessman Beslan Butba says he may run as a presidential
candidate in Abkhazia
|
16
May 2009
|
Abkhaz
official says Abkhazia will not take part in the Geneva talks
claiming that the United Nations has not sent a key document in
time
|
17
May 2009
|
EU
Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby meets
opposition leaders in Tbilisi
|
18
May 2009
|
Russia
walks out of Geneva talks pending clarification of the Abkhaz
position over taking part in the talks
|
18
May 2009
|
Russian
State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov visits Sukhumi in Abkhazia
|
18
May 2009
|
Energy
and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisian
says Armenia
will
build a new
nuclear power plant to replace the
old
Metsamor plant
|
19
May 2009
|
The
Geneva talks are resumed after Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia
finally join the fifth round of talks
|
19
May 2009
|
EU
Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby meets
with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku to discuss
EU-Azerbaijan cooperation
|
20
May 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili
meets with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliev on an official visit to Azerbaijan
|
21
May 2009
|
The
United States allocates $53.3 million
for Georgia as part of a $1 billion assistance pledge made after
the August war
|
22
May 2009
|
The
Azerbaijani parliament ratifies the
contract signed between Azerbaijan’s State
Oil Company SOCAR and the French Total
company to explore the Absheron bloc in the Azerbaijani section of
the Caspian Sea
|
26
May 2009
|
Abkhazia
and the Russian Rosneft company sign an agreement that gives
rights to the company to prospect for oil and natural gas off
Abkhazia’s Black Sea coast for a period of five years
|
28
May 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili
meets with
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini in Rome
|
28
May 2009
|
Vice-president
of the
breakaway republic of Abkhazia
Raul Khajimba resigns
|
29
May 2009
|
Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin meets
with UN special envoy Johan Verbeke in
Moscow to discuss the future mandate of the UN observer mission at
the administrative border between Georgia and Abkhazia that
expires on 15 June
|
29
May 2009
|
US,
Russian and French diplomats from the OSCE Minsk Group meet in
Baku with Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev for talks
|
31
May 2009
|
Party
of Unity supporting South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity
leads in parliamentary elections in South Ossetia
|
June
|
1
June 2009
|
Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia
wins the municipal elections in Armenia’s capital Yerevan which
opposition parties declare fraudulent
|
1
June 2009
|
Opposition
party Armenian National Congress (HAK) vows
to boycott Yerevan’s newly elected municipal council,
denouncing the elections’ results as fraudulent
|
3
June 2009
|
Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov says
Iran should not interfere in Azerbaijan’s affairs after Iranian
officials say
a planned visit by Israeli President Shimon Peres
to Baku could impact bilateral ties
|
3
June 2009
|
Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev
meets Syrian Foreign Minister Valid
Al-Muallem in Baku
|
4
June 2009
|
The
EU’s special representative
for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby
meets with
three opposition leaders, Irakli Alasania (Alliance
for Georgia), Davit Usupashvili
(Republican Party, part of the Alliance
for Georgia) and Salome Zourabichvili
(Georgia’s Way)
|
5
June 2009
|
Bayram
Safarov is elected
as the head of the Azeri community in Nagorno-Karabakh
at a congress of the community in Baku
|
6
June 2009
|
Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan criticises
Armenia’s economic dependence on Georgia’s transit
infrastructure and high transportation tariffs
|
6
June 2009
|
An
activist from Nino Burjanadze’s
opposition party
Democratic Movement-United Georgia (DMUG)
is arrested on charges of illegal possession of arms in Georgia
|
8
June 2009
|
Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze and his Armenian counterpart
Edward Nalbandian meet in Tbilisi to discuss
the visit of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to Armenia
scheduled for 24–25 June as
well as the issue of the costs of
cargo transportation via Georgia
|
9
June 2009
|
Opposition
politician Levan Gachechiladze meets Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili at the president’s residence
|
9
June 2009
|
Estonian
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet visits
Georgia
|
10
June 2009
|
U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Philip H. Gordon visits Georgia
|
11
June 2009
|
The
Russian Defense Ministry announces the conduct of the Kavkaz-2009
military exercises in the North Caucasus from 29 June to 6 July
|
11
June 2009
|
Head
of Tbilisi-based Abkhaz government-in-exile
Malkhaz Akishbaia
resigns
|
11
June 2009
|
Three
explosions in the western Georgian city
of Zugdidi halt traffic on the
Zugdidi-Tbilisi railway
|
12
June 2009
|
Opposition
protesters scuffle with the parliament guard after the first
Parliament session ends following two months of street protests in
Georgia’s capital Tbilisi
|
14
June 2009
|
Opposition
politician and leader of Alliance for Georgia
Irakli Alasania says he will establish his party “Our
Georgia-Free Democrats” in July
|
15
June 2009
|
Georgian
police officers beat dozens of opposition protesters demanding the
release of opposition activists at Tbilisi’s main police station
|
15
June 2009
|
Leader
of opposition party Georgia’s Way
Salome Zourabichvili says she is ready to
accept Georgian President Saakashvili’s offer giving the post of
Deputy Interior Minister to the opposition
|
16
June 2009
|
Russia
vetoes the extension of the UN observer mission in Georgia
|
17
June 2009
|
Chief
of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Armed Forces
General Nikolai Makarov says Russia will reduce the number of its
military staff in Abkhazia and South Ossetia from the initially
planned 3,700 servicemen
|
18
June 2009
|
Lieutenant
Alik Bzhania, a former Georgian coast guard, says on Russian
television that he fled Georgia to request asylum in Russia
|
20
June 2009
|
A
visit to Iran by an Armenian parliamentary delegation is cancelled
by the Iranian side
|
21
June 2009
|
A
mine explosion at the administrative border between Georgia and
Abkhazia kills the driver of an ambulance and slightly damages a
vehicle of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM)
|
22
June 2009
|
Head
of the EU monitoring mission Hansjörg Haber says the blast of 21
June was a “deliberate attack” on the EU patrol
|
22
June 2009
|
Four
leading Armenian opposition figures are freed in an amnesty after
being arrested and sentenced to up to five years’ imprisonment
in the wake of the disputed presidential election in early 2008
|
22
June 2009
|
The
United States and Georgia launch a joint council to work on the
implementation of the Charter on Strategic Partnership signed
between the two countries on 9 January 2009
|
22
June 2009
|
Opposition
leader Levan Gachechiladze says he will set up a foundation to
develop “freedom and democracy” in Georgia
|
23
June 2009
|
The
Georgian Defense Ministry says Georgia will send a military
batallion to contribute to the NATO-led operations in Afghanistan
in 2010
|
24
June 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili visits Armenia to discuss economic
cooperation and regional issues
|
24
June 2009
|
Foreign
Minister of the breakaway republic of Abkhazia Sergey Shamba and
Foreign Minister of breakaway South Ossetia Murat Jioev meet with
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin in Moscow
|
25
June 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili says he is ready to reopen the Zemo
Larsi border crossing point with Russia
|
26
June 2009
|
A
French frigate arrives in Batumi, Georgia, to make a three-day
port call
|
27
June 2009
|
NATO
and Russia resume political and military cooperation despite
“differences” on Georgia at a meeting of the foreign ministers
from the 28 NATO allies and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
on the Greek island of Corfu
|
27
June 2009
|
A
member of the opposition Republican Party in Georgia is arrested
over arms-related charges
|
30
June 2009
|
The
OSCE mission in Georgia closes seventeen years after it was
established to facilitate the settlement of the Georgian-South
Ossetian conflict
|
30
June 2009
|
Gazprom
head Alexei Miller says Gazprom will purchase 500 million cubic
meters of Azerbaijani gas starting from 1 January 2010
|
July
|
1
July 2009
|
The
sixth round of the Geneva talks with negotiators from Georgia,
Russia and the United States, as well as from the breakaway
republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, take place
|
2
July 2009
|
A
Russian soldier deserts a post in the village of Perevi on the
administrative border with South Ossetia to seek asylum in Georgia
|
2
July 2009
|
Polish
President Lech Kaczynski visits Azerbaijan
|
3
July 2009
|
Leader
of the opposition party Democratic Movement-United Georgia Nino
Burdjanadze confirms her meeting with Ukrainian billionaire and
former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma’s son-in-law, Victor
Pinchuk in Kiev
|
7
July 2009
|
US
President Barack Obama says that state sovereignty is “a
cornerstone of international order” referring to Ukraine and
Georgia in a speech at Moscow’s New Economic School during
his visit to Russia
|
7
July 2009
|
The
European Union and Azerbaijan sign an agreement on cooperation in
the field of aviation, lifting national restrictions for European
air companies
|
8
July 2009
|
Syrian
President Bashir al-Assad visits Azerbaijan
|
9
July 2009
|
United
Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visits
Azerbaijan
|
9
July 2009
|
Youth
activists Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada are arrested in Baku on
charges of hooliganism after being involved in a fight in a
restaurant
|
10
July 2009
|
The
president of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Rovnag
Abdullayev discusses energy cooperation with Turkmenistan during a
meeting with Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov in
Ashgabat
|
10
July 2009
|
A
new public movement “Defend Georgia” is established in Georgia
to support the opposition parties’ objective of calling for
early presidential elections
|
11
July 2009
|
The
Georgian Parliament approves, in the first of three readings, an
amendments package for laws on rallies, police and administrative
offences
|
13
July 2009
|
Turkey
and four EU member states (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and
Austria) sign the Nabucco Intergovernmental Agreement, allowing
work to start on the Nabucco gas pipeline
|
13
July 2009
|
Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev visits the breakaway republic of South
Ossetia
|
13
July 2009
|
The
Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to the breakaway republic of South
Ossetia
|
13
July 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili attends the high level summit on the
Nabucco gas pipeline project in Ankara
|
14
July 2009
|
A
meeting between the Georgian and the Abkhaz sides, as well as the
command of the Russian troops on the ground, took place in Gali at
the administrative border between Georgia and Abkhazia with
facilitation from the EU monitoring mission (EUMM) and the UN in
the framework of incident prevention mechanisms
|
14
July 2009
|
A
US warship makes a port call at Georgia’s Black Sea port of
Batumi
|
15
July 2009
|
A
Caspian Airline plane flying from the Iranian capital of Tehran to
Yerevan in Armenia crashes in northern Iran
|
17
July 2009
|
Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian meet
in Moscow to discuss the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict
|
20
July 2009
|
A
delegation of EU officials on a visit to Azerbaijan criticizes the
arrest of two opposition bloggers
|
20
July 2009
|
Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian dismisses calls for his
resignation from political groups over his handling of the Nagorno
Karabakh settlement process and the Turkish–Armenian
rapprochement
|
21
July 2009
|
Georgian
Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria says that Georgia wants the
United States to participate in the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM)
at the administrative borders with Abkhazia and South Ossetia
|
22
July 2009
|
US
Vice President Joe Biden visits Georgia
|
28
July 2009
|
The
head of the EU’s inquiry mission into the Georgian–Russian war
Heidi Tagliavini meets with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister
Grigory Karasin in Moscow
|
August
|
4
August 2009
|
Georgia
and South Ossetia accuse each other of provoking incidents at the
border
|
4
August 2009
|
American
President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
discuss the situation in Georgia in a phone conversation
|
5
August 2009
|
The
Parliament of the breakaway republic of South Ossetia approves
Vadim Brovtsev as new Prime Minister
|
7
August 2009
|
Georgia
marks the anniversary of the Georgian–Russian August war with
official commemorations
|
12
August 2009
|
Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits Abkhazia
|
14
August 2009
|
The
U.S. Defense Department declares that the United States will
resume the training of Georgian troops for counterinsurgency
operations in Afghanistan
|
14
August 2009
|
The
Georgian and South Ossetian sides held a meeting facilitated by
the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) within the framework of the
Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism in the village of Dvani
|
17
August 2009
|
Georgia
detains a Turkish cargo vessel en route to Sukhumi in Abkhazia
|
18
August 2009
|
Georgia
finalizes its withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS)
|
26
August 2009
|
An
Armenian police officer is charged with “excessive force”
during the dispersal of the 2008 post-elections demonstrations
|
31
August 2009
|
Armenia,
Turkey and the mediator Switzerland release a protocol on “The
establishment of diplomatic relations” that acts as a guideline
for both countries to sign an agreement on diplomatic recognition
|
31
August 2009
|
Moscow
Mayor Yuri Luzhkov visits Tskhinvali in South Ossetia
|
September
|
1
September 2009
|
The
European Commission hails the efforts of Armenia and Turkey to
normalize ties
|
2
September 2009
|
The
EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) says the Georgian, Abkhaz and Russian
sides should address tensions over maritime dispute issues
involving cargo ships en route to and from Abkhazia during a
meeting planned in Gali on 8 September as part of the Incident
Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM)
|
4
September 2009
|
The
trial of two Azerbaijani bloggers arrested on charges of
hooliganism begins in Baku
|
8
September 2009
|
Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu meets with Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili
|
8
September 2009
|
Georgia
releases the Turkish captain of a cargo vessel seized in August
2009 when trying to deliver fuel to Abkhazia
|
9
September 2009
|
Leader
of Armenian opposition party Zharangutyun (Heritage) Raffi
Hovannisian decides to resign from the Armenian Parliament
|
9
September 2009
|
The
UN General Assembly passes a resolution on the return of displaced
persons and refugees to Abkhazia and South Ossetia
|
10
September 2009
|
Venezuela
recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia
|
15
September 2009
|
Belarus
President Alexander Lukashenko says that the Belarusian Parliament
will consider recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia
|
15
September 2009
|
Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze meets with Azeri President Ilham
Aliev in Baku
|
15
September 2009
|
Russia
signs treaties on military cooperation with the breakaway
republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Moscow
|
15
September 2009
|
Georgia
starts the construction of a high-voltage power line to Turkey
|
15
September 2009
|
The
Abkhaz Orthodox Church officially splits from the Georgian
Orthodox Church
|
17
September 2009
|
A
potential agreement on the non-use of force is discussed during
the seventh round of the Geneva talks
|
20
September 2009
|
The
breakaway republic of South Ossetia marks the 19th anniversary of
its independence with a military parade in the capital Tskhinvali
|
23
September 2009
|
The
EU monitoring mission (EUMM) in Georgia intensifies its patrols at
the administrative borders with South Ossetia and Abkhazia ahead
of the release of an EU report on the August war
|
24
September 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili advocates the direct election of
mayors in Georgia in an address to the UN General Assembly
|
28
September 2009
|
Head
of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia Hansjörg Haber meets with
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin in Moscow
|
30
September 2009
|
An
independent report commissioned by the European Union on the
origins of the Georgian–Russian war is published
|
30
September 2009
|
Ossetians
whose homes have been destroyed during the August war protest in
Tskhinvali against the delay in providing them with new homes
|
Octuber
|
6
October 2009
|
11
Armenian political parties issue a statement against the
rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey
|
7
October 2009
|
The
US Agency for International Development (USAID) says the United
States will allocate a further 50 million US dollars as part of
its 1 billion US dollars pledge to Georgia after the August war
|
8
October 2009
|
The
NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus
and Central Asia Robert Simmons meets with Georgian Defense
Minister Bacho Akhalaia in Tbilisi
|
10
October 2009
|
Turkey
and Armenia sign two protocols to restore diplomatic ties and open
borders during an official ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland
|
11
October 2009
|
Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Armenia should withdraw
from the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in order to gain the
approval of the Turkish Parliament for the adoption of the
protocols signed between Ankara and Yerevan
|
14
October 2009
|
Opposition
alliance Armenian National Congress (HAK) calls for the
resignation of President Serzh Sarkisian over the agreement signed
between Armenia and Turkey
|
14
October 2009
|
Chairman
of the Benelux Azerbaijani Congress Elsevar Mammadov says that
organizations from the Azerbaijani diaspora are negotiating with
the Turkish diaspora to prevent the opening of the
Turkish–Armenian borders
|
15
October 2009
|
Armenia’s
natural gas company says that Russia’s Gazprom will lower its
price for gas exports to Armenia
|
15
October 2009
|
Georgia
rejects the accusations of the head of the Russian Federal
Security Service (FSB) Aleksandr Bortnikov that the Georgian
intelligence service is collaborating with Al-Qaeda in arranging
the transit of mercenaries and weapons to the North Caucasus via
Georgia
|
16
October 2009
|
Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev says Turkey is paying too little for Azeri
gas and Azerbaijan will seek other energy routes to Europe
|
16
October 2009
|
The
leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church Ilia II criticizes
President Mihkeil Saakashvili for the August war
|
18
October 2009
|
Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian accuses the Transport Ministry of
corruption in its use of funds to repair roads
|
18
October 2009
|
The
European Union announces plans to approve a loan of 65 million
euros and a grant of 35 million euros to help Armenia deal with
its economic crisis
|
18
October 2009
|
Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev visits Switzerland
|
19
October 2009
|
The
President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic
(SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev says that the energy company is
negotiating with Iran to start gas exports in the coming winter
|
19
October 2009
|
Georgian
villagers in the Lagodekhi region block traffic on the
Georgia–Azerbaijan highway to protest against problems related
to water supply in the Mitsimi village
|
20
October 2009
|
The
Georgian Parliament votes in favour of establishing a commission
that will investigate the death of the first post-Soviet President
Zviad Gamsakhurdia
|
20
October 2009
|
Kazakh
President Nursultan Nazarbayev says that Kazakhstan will make
efforts to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
|
20
October 2009
|
The
Azerbaijani and Russian Ministries of Internal Affairs sign a
protocol on cooperation against international terrorism and
transnational crime
|
20
October 2009
|
A
Tbilisi court starts hearing the case of Vakhtang Maisaia, who is
accused of spying for Russia
|
20
October 2009
|
The
World Bank tells Armenia to end the ‘oligopolistic’ structure
of the economy
|
21
October 2009
|
Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian visits the Nagorno Karabakh region
|
22
October 2009
|
Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian starts a two-day visit to
Nagorno-Karabakh
|
22
October 2009
|
Armenian
Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian says
Turkish–Armenian rapprochement is a separate issue from the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
|
22
October 2009
|
Azerbaijani,
Armenian and Russian MPs meet in Moscow
|
22
October 2009
|
Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu meets with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev in Baku
|
24
October 2009
|
The
US and Georgia begin two-week bilateral military exercises as part
of ongoing US training of Georgian troops to prepare them for
deployment in Afghanistan
|
27
October 2009
|
Sixteen
Georgian citizens detained near the breakaway region of South
Ossetia
|
27
October 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili visits Poland
|
27
October 2009
|
A
Turkish parliamentary delegation arrives in Baku to ease tensions
between Turkey and Azerbaijan over the Turkish–Armenian
rapprochement
|
27
October 2009
|
Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin meets with former Georgian
Prime Minister and opposition leader Zurab Nogaideli in Moscow
|
27
October 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili visits Poland
|
30
October 2009
|
Sixteen
Georgians arrested by Russian border guards on 25 October are
released by the authorities of breakaway South Ossetia
|
November
|
2
November 2009
|
The
Armenian government says that Russia will build a nuclear power
plant in Armenia
|
4
November 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili visits Qatar
|
5
November 2009
|
Russian
military intelligence (GRU) chief Aleksandr Shlyakhturov says that
Georgia might again start an attack against South Ossetia and
accuses NATO countries of supplying arms to Georgia
|
5
November 2009
|
Georgia
plans the launch of a Russian-language regional television channel
in the Caucasus
|
6
November 2009
|
Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze renounces his Russian citizenship
|
6
November 2009
|
Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev meets with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov
in Baku
|
9
November 2009
|
NATO’s
special representative to the South Caucasus Robert Simmons says
that Armenia will soon send a small contingent of troops to
Afghanistan
|
10
November 2009
|
The
Russian Chief of the General Staff of the Army General Nikolai
Makarov says that Georgia is rearming
|
11
November 2009
|
Negotiators
from Georgia, Russia and the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia take part in the Geneva international talks
co-chaired by the EU, the UN and the OSCE
|
11
November 2009
|
Two
Azeri opposition bloggers receive prison sentences
|
11
November 2009
|
Russian
soldiers detain Georgians accused of illegally fishing in waters
near the breakaway region of Abkhazia
|
11
November 2009
|
Azerbaijan’s
budget deficit is expected to reach 1.56 billion US dollars
|
11
November 2009
|
Azerbaijan
and Iran sign a memorandum on gas exports
|
13
November 2009
|
Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev visits Bulgaria
|
4
November 2009
|
Five
candidates are nominated to run in the presidential elections in
Abkhazia scheduled for 12 December 2009
|
5
November 2009
|
Belarusian
MPs decide to set up a working group to develop a position on the
possible recognition of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia
|
13
November 2009
|
The
European Union expresses its “deep concern” at the detention
of four Georgian teenagers in Tskhinvali, the capital of the
breakaway republic of South Ossetia
|
14
November 2009
|
Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili discusses with government members
and representatives of opposition parties the possible reopening
of the Zemo Larsi-Kazbegi border crossing point with Russia during
a session of the National Security Council (NSC)
|
15
November 2009
|
Abkhazia
switches from Georgia’s to Russia’s international dialing code
|
16
November 2009
|
A
Georgian battalion departs to Afghanistan to serve under the
French command
|
19
November 2009
|
Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev accuses Armenia of delaying efforts to
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
|
19
November 2009
|
Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian becomes a member of the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia (HHK)
|
22
November 2009
|
Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
meet in Munich to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
|
24
November 2009
|
Georgia
releases three Russian citizens arrested at the administrative
border with South Ossetia
|
27
November 2009
|
Georgian
Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia meets with Polish Defense Minister
Bogdan Klich in Tbilisi
|
28
November 2009
|
Two
leaders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation party
(Dashnaktsutyun) criticize Russian policies towards Turkey and
Azerbaijan, in particular Russia’s deepening military
cooperation with the two countries
|
December
|
2
December 2009
|
Former
British Prime Minister Tony Blair held talks with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev in Baku
|
7
December 2009
|
Iran
plans to cancel its visa regime with Azerbaijan
|
4
December 2009
|
The
Georgian Parliament approves Georgia’s 2010 state budget
|
5
December 2009
|
The
Armenian government unveils plans to create a Russian-Armenian
joint venture to build a nuclear power station
|
12
December 2009
|
Two
Russian coast guard boats are deployed in Abkhazia
|
13
December 2009
|
Sergey
Bagapsh is re-elected after presidential elections are held in the
breakaway region of Abkhazia
|
14
December 2009
|
Iranian
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says that Iran is ready
to mediate in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during a meeting with
the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
|
15
December 2009
|
The
Pacific island of Nauru recognizes Abhazia and establishes
diplomatic ties with Sukhumi
|
15
December 2009
|
The
State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and the National Iranian
Gas Export Company sign an agreement on gas supply from Azerbaijan
to the northern provinces of Iran
|
16
December 2009
|
The
Pacific island of Nauru recognizes South Ossetia and establishes
diplomatic ties with Tskhinvali
|
17
December 2009
|
The
European Parliament adopts a resolution critical of media freedom
in Azerbaijan calling for the release of jailed opposition
journalists
|
18
December 2009
|
Giorgi
Chkheidze is appointed as the new Georgian ambassador to Belarus
|
19
December 2009
|
Two
people are killed in the demolition of a World War II memorial in
the Georgian town of Kutaisi
|
19
December 2009
|
Former
Georgian Prime Minister and opposition leader Zurab Nogaideli
meets the leader of breakaway South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity in
Tskhinvali
|
23
December 2009
|
Local
elections are held in Azerbaijan
|
23
December 2009
|
Former
Georgian Prime Minister and opposition leader Zurab Nogaideli
meets with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow
|
23
December 2009
|
A
delegation of the Russian State Duma visits Azerbaijan
|
26
December 2009
|
SOCAR
President Rovnag Abdullayev says that Azerbaijan will increase gas
supplies to Russia to up to 1 billion cubic meters per year
in 2010
|
29
December 2009
|
The
Georgian Foreign Ministry denounces an agreement between the
Russian oil company Rosneft and the breakaway region of Abkhazia
as being in violation of Georgian and international laws
|