Olesya Vartanyan
@olesyavart.bsky.social
Conflicts and security issues in the South Caucasus. Former senior analyst at Crisis Group and journalist at the New York Times & Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. King's College London/War Studies alumna. Contact me at olesya.vartanyan@gmail.com
The EU will discuss suspending visa-free travel for Georgian citizens by the end of this year, according to the results of today’s EU Foreign Council meeting. rb.gy/bd7esb
October 20, 2025 at 7:24 PM
The EU will discuss suspending visa-free travel for Georgian citizens by the end of this year, according to the results of today’s EU Foreign Council meeting. rb.gy/bd7esb
Georgians are still showing they’re able and willing to protest. Even as the regime jails dozens and imposes huge fines just for appearing in the street. #GeorgiaProtests
October 4, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Georgians are still showing they’re able and willing to protest. Even as the regime jails dozens and imposes huge fines just for appearing in the street. #GeorgiaProtests
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
This week in the newsletter: @nateschenkkan.bsky.social on assassinations, abductions and other forms of transnational repression
thehundred.substack.com/p/how-dictat...
thehundred.substack.com/p/how-dictat...
How Dictators Hunt Enemies Abroad
#92: With Nate Schenkkan
thehundred.substack.com
September 15, 2025 at 12:53 PM
This week in the newsletter: @nateschenkkan.bsky.social on assassinations, abductions and other forms of transnational repression
thehundred.substack.com/p/how-dictat...
thehundred.substack.com/p/how-dictat...
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
1/ In my new commentary for @ceip-politika.bsky.social I look at what has and hasn’t happened in the month since the historic Armenia-Azerbaijan summit at the White House.
Key takeaway - much is still unresolved: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... 🧵
Key takeaway - much is still unresolved: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... 🧵
September 11, 2025 at 5:08 PM
1/ In my new commentary for @ceip-politika.bsky.social I look at what has and hasn’t happened in the month since the historic Armenia-Azerbaijan summit at the White House.
Key takeaway - much is still unresolved: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... 🧵
Key takeaway - much is still unresolved: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... 🧵
1/ In my new commentary for @ceip-politika.bsky.social I look at what has and hasn’t happened in the month since the historic Armenia-Azerbaijan summit at the White House.
Key takeaway - much is still unresolved: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... 🧵
Key takeaway - much is still unresolved: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... 🧵
September 11, 2025 at 5:08 PM
1/ In my new commentary for @ceip-politika.bsky.social I look at what has and hasn’t happened in the month since the historic Armenia-Azerbaijan summit at the White House.
Key takeaway - much is still unresolved: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... 🧵
Key takeaway - much is still unresolved: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... 🧵
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
"gli accordi di pace diventano ostaggi dei mutamenti geopolitici e rischiano di degenerare in un preludio a nuovi conflitti, sfollamenti di massa e guerre prolungate."
Ora anche in italiano su @balcanicaucaso.org l'importante contributo di @olesyavart.bsky.social
Ora anche in italiano su @balcanicaucaso.org l'importante contributo di @olesyavart.bsky.social
Il fallimento della missione russa di peacekeeping nel Caucaso meridionale evidenzia la necessità di mandati chiari e forti, sorretti da ampie garanzie e allineati ai principi internazionali. Diversamente si rischia la stessa sorte della piccola regione del Nagorno Karabakh che è sparita dalle mappe
Nagorno Karabakh, il fallimento dei peacekeeper russi
Il recente fallimento della missione russa di peacekeeping nel Caucaso meridionale evidenzia la necessità di mandati chiari e forti, sorretti da ampie garanzie e allineati ai principi internazionali.…
buff.ly
August 19, 2025 at 1:16 PM
"gli accordi di pace diventano ostaggi dei mutamenti geopolitici e rischiano di degenerare in un preludio a nuovi conflitti, sfollamenti di massa e guerre prolungate."
Ora anche in italiano su @balcanicaucaso.org l'importante contributo di @olesyavart.bsky.social
Ora anche in italiano su @balcanicaucaso.org l'importante contributo di @olesyavart.bsky.social
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
Washington’s signing ceremony holds the promise of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But the real work—steady, patient and far from the cameras—is only beginning, writes @olesyavart.bsky.social.
Beyond the Ceremony: The Real Test for Armenia–Azerbaijan Peace
This column explores the key issues shaping life in the South Caucasus, focusing on how the divergent paths of Georgia,
evnreport.com
August 12, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Washington’s signing ceremony holds the promise of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But the real work—steady, patient and far from the cameras—is only beginning, writes @olesyavart.bsky.social.
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
Great thread on the significance of and challenges ahead of of today's Aliyev-Pashinyan meeting in D.C. ⬇️
1/ If you’re enjoying your summer, Donald Trump is about to interrupt it - possibly with significant news.
He’s expected to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Oval Office this week. The goal: a handshake after 30+ years of conflict. But much remains uncertain. 🧵
📷 by AFP
He’s expected to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Oval Office this week. The goal: a handshake after 30+ years of conflict. But much remains uncertain. 🧵
📷 by AFP
August 8, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Great thread on the significance of and challenges ahead of of today's Aliyev-Pashinyan meeting in D.C. ⬇️
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
🗣️“The activation of the U.S. is particularly important for Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and, more broadly, for the South Caucasus,” says Olesya Vartanyan, an analyst on South Caucasus affairs, aboutWashington’s initiative to improve relations between Baku and Yerevan.
#SouthCaucasus
#Caucasus
#SouthCaucasus
#Caucasus
"U.S. Involvement in Baku-Yerevan Talks Is Good News for the South Caucasus" — Olesya Vartanyan - Batumelebi
Stories from the South Caucasus •
batumelebi.netgazeti.ge
August 5, 2025 at 2:13 PM
🗣️“The activation of the U.S. is particularly important for Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and, more broadly, for the South Caucasus,” says Olesya Vartanyan, an analyst on South Caucasus affairs, aboutWashington’s initiative to improve relations between Baku and Yerevan.
#SouthCaucasus
#Caucasus
#SouthCaucasus
#Caucasus
1/ If you’re enjoying your summer, Donald Trump is about to interrupt it - possibly with significant news.
He’s expected to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Oval Office this week. The goal: a handshake after 30+ years of conflict. But much remains uncertain. 🧵
📷 by AFP
He’s expected to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Oval Office this week. The goal: a handshake after 30+ years of conflict. But much remains uncertain. 🧵
📷 by AFP
August 6, 2025 at 7:26 AM
1/ If you’re enjoying your summer, Donald Trump is about to interrupt it - possibly with significant news.
He’s expected to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Oval Office this week. The goal: a handshake after 30+ years of conflict. But much remains uncertain. 🧵
📷 by AFP
He’s expected to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Oval Office this week. The goal: a handshake after 30+ years of conflict. But much remains uncertain. 🧵
📷 by AFP
Have a listen to this moving story of an Armenian family finding their old home and relatives in Turkey - and building bonds with a community later hit by the 2023 earthquake. Try not to tear up. podcasts.apple.com/md/podcast/d...
Daughter of the crying man
Podcast Episode · Country of Dust · 17/07/2025 · 42m
podcasts.apple.com
July 19, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Have a listen to this moving story of an Armenian family finding their old home and relatives in Turkey - and building bonds with a community later hit by the 2023 earthquake. Try not to tear up. podcasts.apple.com/md/podcast/d...
Armenia's Pashinyan is in Brussels shortly after the public announcement about the New Partnership Agenda - it is expected to take relations and cooperation with the European Union to a completely new level, hopefully paving the way for the future formalization of closer ties.
A pleasure to have you back in Brussels, dear Nikol Pashinyan.
You have demonstrated Armenia’s deep commitment to peace and stability.
As our ties grow closer than ever, the EU's Resilience and Growth Plan is a strategic investment in Armenia’s future.
→ europa.eu/!HyX7Rh
You have demonstrated Armenia’s deep commitment to peace and stability.
As our ties grow closer than ever, the EU's Resilience and Growth Plan is a strategic investment in Armenia’s future.
→ europa.eu/!HyX7Rh
July 14, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Armenia's Pashinyan is in Brussels shortly after the public announcement about the New Partnership Agenda - it is expected to take relations and cooperation with the European Union to a completely new level, hopefully paving the way for the future formalization of closer ties.
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
Armenia is intensifying its diplomatic outreach to Türkiye, betting that improved ties could either unlock a peace deal with Azerbaijan or at least help prevent military flare-up along its borders, analyzes Olesya Vartanyan: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras...
Why Armenia Is Seeking to Normalize Relations With Turkiye
Armenia is intensifying its diplomatic outreach to Türkiye, betting that improved ties could either unlock a peace deal with Azerbaijan or at least help prevent another military flare-up along its ten...
carnegieendowment.org
July 2, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Armenia is intensifying its diplomatic outreach to Türkiye, betting that improved ties could either unlock a peace deal with Azerbaijan or at least help prevent military flare-up along its borders, analyzes Olesya Vartanyan: carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras...
1/ Trump seems to be aiming for a Nobel Prize with his latest proposals to resolve one of the crucial unresolved issue in Armenia–Azerbaijan talks.
At the center: opening transit corridors to boost the Middle Corridor linking Asia with Europe via the South Caucasus. 🧵
At the center: opening transit corridors to boost the Middle Corridor linking Asia with Europe via the South Caucasus. 🧵
July 2, 2025 at 6:35 AM
1/ Trump seems to be aiming for a Nobel Prize with his latest proposals to resolve one of the crucial unresolved issue in Armenia–Azerbaijan talks.
At the center: opening transit corridors to boost the Middle Corridor linking Asia with Europe via the South Caucasus. 🧵
At the center: opening transit corridors to boost the Middle Corridor linking Asia with Europe via the South Caucasus. 🧵
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%... This is a very useful survey (in Russian) of where things stand in Armenia, with the always excellent @olesyavart.bsky.social
Власти Армении арестовали нескольких оппозиционеров. Их обвиняют в подготовке переворота, сами они называют аресты репрессиями. А что н
Podcast Episode · Что случилось · 06/30/2025 · 45m
podcasts.apple.com
July 1, 2025 at 2:42 PM
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%... This is a very useful survey (in Russian) of where things stand in Armenia, with the always excellent @olesyavart.bsky.social
I was in Kyiv recently when the city came under heavy missile and drone attack. It brought flashbacks from the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and the 2008 war in Georgia. Here’s my reflection on what an unfair peace deal in Ukraine could mean for the South Caucasus.
More than three years into Russia’s invasion, Kyiv has adapted to the rhythms of war. Resistance has faded into daily routine - yet the consequences of this conflict still ripple far beyond Ukraine, including into the South Caucasus. @olesyavart.bsky.social
Kyiv Doesn’t Sleep: A Dispatch From a City at War
This column explores the key issues shaping life in the South Caucasus, focusing on how the divergent paths of Georgia,
evnreport.com
July 1, 2025 at 5:50 PM
I was in Kyiv recently when the city came under heavy missile and drone attack. It brought flashbacks from the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and the 2008 war in Georgia. Here’s my reflection on what an unfair peace deal in Ukraine could mean for the South Caucasus.
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
More than three years into Russia’s invasion, Kyiv has adapted to the rhythms of war. Resistance has faded into daily routine - yet the consequences of this conflict still ripple far beyond Ukraine, including into the South Caucasus. @olesyavart.bsky.social
Kyiv Doesn’t Sleep: A Dispatch From a City at War
This column explores the key issues shaping life in the South Caucasus, focusing on how the divergent paths of Georgia,
evnreport.com
July 1, 2025 at 1:16 PM
More than three years into Russia’s invasion, Kyiv has adapted to the rhythms of war. Resistance has faded into daily routine - yet the consequences of this conflict still ripple far beyond Ukraine, including into the South Caucasus. @olesyavart.bsky.social
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
Useful interview (in Russian) with @olesyavart.bsky.social on Pashinyan’s arrests in Armenia and the overall very messy situation:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%...
Власти Армении арестовали нескольких оппозиционеров. Их обвиняют в подготовке переворота, сами они называют аресты репрессиями. А что н
Podcast Episode · Что случилось · 06/30/2025 · 45m
podcasts.apple.com
June 30, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Useful interview (in Russian) with @olesyavart.bsky.social on Pashinyan’s arrests in Armenia and the overall very messy situation:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%...
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
Looking forward to reading this regularly.
And here is my first post, explaining what I hope to do with this notebook while writing and looking for work: open.substack.com/pub/natesche...
Now What?
Starting a notebook on the current crisis
open.substack.com
May 30, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Looking forward to reading this regularly.
1/ Timely criticism from 10+ Armenian NGOs focused on women’s rights and human rights, aimed at PM Pashinyan — who has been storming Facebook since early morning with posts targeting church clerics and their personal lives. shorturl.at/swpxE
May 30, 2025 at 1:45 PM
1/ Timely criticism from 10+ Armenian NGOs focused on women’s rights and human rights, aimed at PM Pashinyan — who has been storming Facebook since early morning with posts targeting church clerics and their personal lives. shorturl.at/swpxE
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
Welcome home, Théo Clerc.
His release from Azerbaijan shows what quiet diplomacy and respectful engagement can achieve.
I am relieved his detention is over and I’ll continue doing my part to support our citizens abroad.
His release from Azerbaijan shows what quiet diplomacy and respectful engagement can achieve.
I am relieved his detention is over and I’ll continue doing my part to support our citizens abroad.
May 27, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Welcome home, Théo Clerc.
His release from Azerbaijan shows what quiet diplomacy and respectful engagement can achieve.
I am relieved his detention is over and I’ll continue doing my part to support our citizens abroad.
His release from Azerbaijan shows what quiet diplomacy and respectful engagement can achieve.
I am relieved his detention is over and I’ll continue doing my part to support our citizens abroad.
1/ Armenia reports some progress in integrating Nagorno-Karabakh refugees - but the process is slow and weighed down by long-term challenges.
Passport applications have nearly doubled since last September: from 4,400 to 8,300. 🧵
Passport applications have nearly doubled since last September: from 4,400 to 8,300. 🧵
May 26, 2025 at 12:01 PM
1/ Armenia reports some progress in integrating Nagorno-Karabakh refugees - but the process is slow and weighed down by long-term challenges.
Passport applications have nearly doubled since last September: from 4,400 to 8,300. 🧵
Passport applications have nearly doubled since last September: from 4,400 to 8,300. 🧵
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
“You can’t force love,” Lavrov warned in Yerevan. But that may be exactly what Moscow is trying to do as it struggles to hold the South Caucasus in its orbit.
Full analysis by @olesyavart.bsky.social
Full analysis by @olesyavart.bsky.social
“You Can’t Force Love”: Moscow’s Courting of the South Caucasus Stalls
This column explores the key issues shaping life in the South Caucasus, focusing on how the divergent paths of Georgia,
evnreport.com
May 26, 2025 at 8:13 AM
“You can’t force love,” Lavrov warned in Yerevan. But that may be exactly what Moscow is trying to do as it struggles to hold the South Caucasus in its orbit.
Full analysis by @olesyavart.bsky.social
Full analysis by @olesyavart.bsky.social
Fascinating story of cooperation with the Armenian community in Georgia's Javakheti to support the breeding of Arctic Velvet Scoters en route to Scandinavia - plus some stunning photos of the local landscapes. If you haven’t visited yet, consider going this summer! www.worldbank.org/en/news/feat...
Nature Pays Off: Conserving Georgia’s Lakes Grows Local Economies
Conserving lake ecosystems in Georgia’s Samtskhe-Javakheti region is protecting endangered species and boosting eco-tourism in rural communities.
www.worldbank.org
May 23, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Fascinating story of cooperation with the Armenian community in Georgia's Javakheti to support the breeding of Arctic Velvet Scoters en route to Scandinavia - plus some stunning photos of the local landscapes. If you haven’t visited yet, consider going this summer! www.worldbank.org/en/news/feat...
Reposted by Olesya Vartanyan
Read the full article by @olesyavart.bsky.social
Armenia’s Quiet Defiance
This column explores the key issues shaping life in the South Caucasus, focusing on how the divergent paths of Georgia,
evnreport.com
April 14, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Read the full article by @olesyavart.bsky.social