The history of relations between Russia and Turkey has always been based both on rivalry and cooperation. Although in regions such as the Middle East and the South Caucasus the political interests of both states have often clashed, in terms of economic cooperation, each side has shown a certain degree of flexibility towards the other. Despite being a member of NATO and the West’s tough stance against Russia, Turkey has continued to maintain its relations with Russia in parallel. We most recently witnessed this during the war in Ukraine. This very approach is also reflected in the foreign policy concepts adopted by both states. Thus, the political, economic, and military cooperation between the two countries has influenced the formation of their mutual approaches within their foreign policy concepts.

ABSTRACT Iran is trying to redefine its engagement in Central Asia and the South Caucasus against the backdrop of recent geopolitical developments. This article revisits its policies in the same region in a similar period of dramatic changes – the immediate aftermath of the Soviet collapse. It explains how Iranian visions of regionalism influenced its foreign policy in its newly emerged northern neighbourhood. The article shows how Iran tried to be recognized as a regional actor that could offer more than being anti-Western. At the same time, it put forward a vision of an independent region that was primarily articulated in the context of resisting Western presence. The analysis uses the cases of the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Caspian Sea to demonstrate how Iran oscillated between these two positions. Its proactiveness in regional affairs was undermined since it could not convey a clear and consistent message.

Prevalence of circulating hepatitis C virus genotypes and drug-resistant variants in former Soviet Union countries: a scoping review with genotype meta-analysis.

Integration of Geostatistical and Hot Spot Analysis to Identify Drivers of Radionuclide Spatial Heterogeneity in the High-Mountain Lake Basin Topsoil.

This study examines how culinary culture in the South Caucasus is used not only as a part of everyday life but also as a strategic tool in processes of identity construction and cultural diplomacy. The intertwined historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia forms a shared cultural sphere, particularly through food practices; however, the interpretation and representation of this heritage vary significantly among these countries. The article questions whether shared culinary elements are approached from the perspective of “common heritage” or transformed into instruments that reinforce national identities in line with gastronationalist approaches.In this context, the study reveals that Azerbaijan and Georgia tend to develop relatively more inclusive and sharing-oriented discourses, whereas Armenia adopts a more exclusionary and appropriative strategy regarding culinary heritage. In the case of Armenia, presenting dishes historically shared among the peoples of the region as unique elements of national culture serves the reconstruction of cultural boundaries. This situation demonstrates that culinary culture is being instrumentalised not as a unifying element but as a divisive tool.Through case analyses conducted via UNESCO applications, official discourses, and media representations, the study analyses how food culture is positioned as an element of soft power in the region. As a result, the article argues that culinary heritage in the South Caucasus is not perceived by some actors as a shared value but has instead been transformed into a domain that reinforces national identity and reproduces historical rivalries.

Between 3500–2500/2400 BC, during the Early Bronze Age, specifically within the so-called Kura-Araxes culture of Armenia and the broader South Caucasus, clay wheel-and-cart models and animal figurines begin to appear alongside the characteristic, black-polished pottery of this culture. Previously, such objects were not widespread. The discovery of these artifacts in large quantities is exceptional, and their function has long been a subject of discussion among archaeologists. Methods and Materials: A recent study of finds from the Early Bronze Age settlement of Harich, stored in the History Museum of Armenia since 2020, revealed a collection of 330 animal figurines, 9 wheeled vehicle models, and 133 wheel models. These objects were restored, re-measured, and analyzed in comparison with similar Kura-Araxes artifacts from other South Caucasian sites. Analysis: Since one complete wheeled vehicle model was also found during excavations at Harich, it is essential to examine the interrelationships among these objects and their emergence in the South Caucasus as the earliest examples of wheeled vehicles. Results: This study presents the earliest known wheeled vehicle models in the region and discusses their forms and possible functions.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most popular wheat species in the world today. However, studies on the domestication of wheat have rarely focused on the evolution of this specific species of Triticum. The discussions that have emerged have focused on the evolution of bread wheat, revealing it to have emerged from the hybridization of an already domesticated free-threshing wheat and the wild goatgrass known as Aegilops tauschii Coss. These studies, however, have focused on the previous genetic evidence, with data suggesting a date of circa 7,000 to 6,500 BC, and given the distribution of the parent grains, a locus of the South Caucasus and Southwest Caspian regions for its emergence. This paper discusses the archaeological data, including archaeobotanical and chronometric data from the excavations at Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora, Georgia of the South Caucasus, which provides physical evidence for the emergence of bread wheat and A. tauschii, supporting the aforementioned studies.

The Jradzor locality (Armenia, South Caucasus) provides a stratigraphically constrained Pliocene carnivoran record spanning 4.16–3.98 Ma and 3.3 ± 0.03 Ma. Here we report new material of five taxa: Nyctereutes urartuensis , Chasmaporthetes lunensis and Pliocrocuta perrieri from the horizon JZ–7, Baranogale helbingi , and a lynx-sized felid from three older layers (JZ–3s, JZ–13 and JZ–15). Dental and mandibular morphology, together with morphometric analyses, indicate a guild combining an omnivorous raccoon dog, an archaic ictonychid mustelid and two large hyaenids representing distinct feeding strategies (cursorial hunting vs. bone cracking). The Jradzor assemblage documents carnivoran diversity and ecological structure at the biogeographic junction between Europe and Asia especially along the southern margin of the Eastern Paratethys and contributes to understanding dispersal and community dynamics during the Pliocene.

Background and Aim. Obesity has become one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century, affecting individuals’ physical, psychological, and social wellbeing and often continuing into adulthood. Global trends show that increasing body weight is closely associated with several lifestyle and environmental factors, such as reduced physical activity, high-calorie diets, urbanisation, increased screen time, and socio-economic inequalities. While this issue has been widely examined in high-income countries, there is still a lack of region-specific studies in the South Caucasus. This research aims to address that gap by analysing the prevalence and progression of obesity in Azerbaijan through a data-driven approach that combines public health, sport science, and data analytics perspectives. Methods. The study employed a quantitative research design based on Body Mass Index (BMI) data obtained from the State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan. Data from individuals aged 15 to 65+ were analysed, and BMI values were categorised into standard weight groups. Data processing and visualisation were conducted using Python and analytical tools to compare trends between 2019 and 2024. Results. The analysis revealed a consistent increase in average BMI and overweight prevalence across most age groups between 2019 and 2024. The most notable rise was observed among individuals aged 45–64 and 65+, with overweight rates increasing from 13.5% to 16.3% and from 14.8% to 18.8%, respectively. While younger age groups remained largely within a healthy range, a slight upward trend was also detected. Conclusions. Although obesity in Azerbaijan has not yet reached critical levels seen in some other countries, the rising BMI trends indicate a growing public health concern, particularly among middle-aged and older populations. The findings highlight the importance of early preventive strategies, increased physical activity, and strengthened school-based health programmes to promote healthier lifestyles. Keywords: Obesity; Body Mass Index (BMI); public health; physical activity; Azerbaijan

The Kura-Araxes culture emerged in the South Caucasus in the mid-4th millennium BCE as an expression of small-scale, household-based communities. It subsequently expanded across the highlands, becoming the most widespread cultural tradition of the early to mid-3rd millennium BCE Bronze Age Southwest Asia, clearly distinct from the contemporaneous urban trajectories of early state societies in Mesopotamia. Ceramics were among the most distinctive expressions of the Kura-Araxes tradition and key markers of its expansion. They played an important role in the dynamics of social integration as well as in the material and cultural reproduction of the Kura-Araxes communities over space and through time. By adopting an integrated methodological approach combining technological, morphological, use-wear, and biomolecular analyses of pottery from the settlement of Qaraçinar (Azerbaijan), this study sheds light on the functions of ceramics within the framework of Kura-Araxes foodways. The results reveal a diverse diet supported by a mixed subsistence economy, and emphasize the cultural importance of grape-derived beverages, alongside the central role of dairy products and ruminant carcass fats in Kura-Araxes cuisine. Novel markers of culinary practices are identified, including thermal processing of carcass fats and dairy, as well as preliminary evidence of food transformation and preservation techniques that may have involved the use of fruits and conifer-derived plant products. A functional distinction is also observed between the versatile Monochrome Ware and Red-Black Burnished Ware, the latter likely dedicated to fruit- or grape-based and dairy beverages, suggesting the existence of codified cultural behaviors related to food preparation and consumption.

Toponymic research serves broader purposes than merely identifying the origins of geographical names; it is also a fundamental tool for revealing the historical and cultural nature of a nation as well as the stages of its linguistic development. Azerbaijani toponyms have been shaped over centuries through the interaction of civilizations intersecting in the South Caucasus region – namely Turkic, Iranian, and Caucasian-speaking peoples. The main objective of this article is to analyze Azerbaijani toponyms not simply as geographical markers, but as multilayered historical and linguistic units. Using the historical-comparative method, the study examines the phonetic and semantic evolution of local toponyms, as well as the integration of foreign linguistic elements (Persian and Arabic) into the native Turkic layer. The results demonstrate that the toponymic system is a living organism that reflects the ethnic memory of the people, migration processes, and their socio-economic history. Keywords: toponyms, historical language layers, Turkic toponyms, Persian influence, Caucasian languages, language contact, etymology, place names

Since mid-1990s Russia had been Armenia’s ‘strategic ally’, although Yerevan was inclined to a foreign policy coined as ‘complementarity’. Meanwhile, Armenia backtracked from the Association Agreement (AA)/Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with the EU in September 2013 in favour of joining the Customs Union (CU)/Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU); such a shift was justified by membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and entailed switching to a policy of ‘supplementarity’. Forging the relations with the EU through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2021, Yerevan’s relations with Moscow deteriorated after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war stopped through the Russian mediation. After Azerbaijan’s subsequent attack on Armenia proper in 2021 followed by the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population in 2023 the Armenian government resorted to cumbersome tactical ‘hedging’. Whereas the concept of ‘hedging’ has been widely applied to small and middle powers, ontologically, this article will undertake the task of explaining the puzzle of Armenia’s foreign policy ‘twists’ focusing on the empirical developments as of 2018. Epistemologically, it will be inductive. Methodologically, it will employ process-tracing relying on primary (official discourse, visits, data, figures) and secondary sources to demonstrate the transition from the strategy of ‘bandwagoning’ to cumbersome tactical ‘hedging’. It is inferred that the latter is fraught with risks for Armenia given the persistent great-power competition between the US and Russia, the stakes of middle powers Turkey and Iran in the South Caucasus and the Middle East, which have inflated the previously manageable in-betweenness/ entre-deux into unwieldy in-amongness/ entre-plusieurs.

Economic growth across the post-Soviet space in 2025 remained uneven and fragmented, largely due to the slowdown of the Russian economy and ongoing geopolitical turbulence. The past year consolidated the key trajectories of the region’s economic development. Foreign trade (parallel imports included), cross-border remittances, government financing, and logistics development remain as the main sources of economic growth in the region. The decline in their impact is due to adaptation to new conditions and the stabilization of trade flows. Stabilization in external sector indicates that the transformation of trade and logistics flows has reached completion, and the effects of their reorientation have largely run their course. Tight monetary policy constrained domestic demand and expanded import substitution strategies within the Russian segment. Geopolitical shifts in the South Caucasus reshaped the geography of foreign trade, reflecting a reorientation toward new markets and fluctuations in global energy prices. Meanwhile, deepening regional integration and a stronger collective identity in Central Asia generated new opportunities for its evolution as Eurasia’s trade and logistics hub, alongside intensified competition among external actors seeking dominance through investment and trade policy engagement. Risk factors for the region’s further development include a possible increase in sanctions pressure, continued high-tech imports restrictions, exchange rate volatility, and domestic political instability in several countries. At the same time, economic cooperation formats represented by the EAEU and the CIS and the adaptability of the region’s states economies contribute to moderately positive development trends in the medium term.

This article analyzes how Russia’s declining power, accelerated by its military overextension in Ukraine, triggered a historic rupture in Russia–Azerbaijan relations, culminating in the 2025 Yekaterinburg incident. It argues that the deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens in Russian custody—and the retaliatory actions taken by Baku—did not cause the diplomatic collapse, but rather crystallized a long-term realignment rooted in Azerbaijan’s post-conflict assertiveness and Russia’s unraveling regional leverage. Drawing on the 2024 downing of an Azerbaijani airliner by a Russian missile, the premature withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Karabakh, and Azerbaijan’s evolving alliance with Türkiye, the article positions this realignment within a broader pattern of post-Soviet states recalibrating their security doctrines. Azerbaijan’s shift away from dependency on Russian guarantees and toward partnerships with NATO-aligned actors reflects a new era of regional autonomy and deterrence posture that challenges old models of collective security. This case study reveals key implications for NATO and allied nations: namely, that the erosion of Russian hegemony is not limited to Ukraine but is actively reshaping regional alignments and security calculations across the South Caucasus. The article concludes with reflections on how NATO and Western actors should interpret and engage with these developments.

The present paper tackles the basic geopolitical determinants of Armenia’s location and its impact on formulating the “Russian Strategy Concerning the South Caucasus” through adopting a critical geopolitics and its strategic merits. This research starts with the thesis that Russia treats Armenia as a "security asset" and a "geopolitical knot" within its "state-civilization" project and the doctrine of "near-neighborhood," viewing it as a tool for Russian hegemony. The research wields a compound methodology, combining systems of analysis to deconstruct and reconstruct the inputs and outputs of Russian foreign policy. It utilizes tools of "critical geopolitics" to analyze Russia’s discourse on the "Russian world" and Armenia, and uses a "future studies" methodology to anticipate potential scenarios for Russia’s role in "corridor wars," particularly in the Zangezur Corridor and the "Middle Corridor ." The research treated the actual and potential results of the decline of Russia’s uniqueness in influencing “the security of the Caucasus” with the rise of roles for Turkey and the European Union, in addition to the shift of Russia’s priority to “pragmatic and geoeconomic calculations” to “dominate the corridors and trade flows” to “keep Armenia in a state of “structural dependence” on Russia’s Eurasian sphere.

This study examines historical events and decisions related to the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict in the period from 1989 to 1992, which were reflected in the regional South Ossetian periodical, the official state media of South Ossetia, published in Ossetian and Russian by Soveton Iryston (Soviet Ossetia). The publications of the newspaper “Admonykhas”, published by the socio-political movement of the same name, which advocated the secession of the South Ossetian Autonomous Region from the GSSR, were used as auxiliary materials. Based on the materials of the South Ossetian press, the initial period of the conflict, its active phase and the events of the peaceful settlement stage are considered. The array of publications contains important and key decisions, resolutions, appeals and statements of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of South Ossetia, the leadership of the Republic of South Ossetia; summaries of military operations, numerous interviews with government officials, eyewitnesses of events, participants in the defense of South Ossetia represent a rich source of historical information about the military-political armed confrontation with Georgia. To a certain extent, the information policy of the state and private media of Georgia, which have chosen anti-Ossetian rhetoric for their editorial activities, is affected. Regional media are considered as a source of official documents testifying to decisions to end the armed conflict and humanitarian blockade, the results of negotiations between the parties, resolutions, facts of war crimes and mass violations of human rights by the Georgian side. The periodical press of the period of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict of 1989-1992 is a source of relevant information in the study of the causes, beginning and end of the ethnopolitical conflicts in the South Caucasus using the example of Georgia’s military actions against South Ossetia. Currently, in a period of acute geopolitical tension, the importance of an objective analysis of the socio-political processes taking place in the post-Soviet space, in particular in the South Caucasus, is becoming increasingly important, especially in the context of the defrosting of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in 2020-2023 and the transformation of risks and threats, the information space in the region.

Abstract Burial mounds, or kurgans , are a widespread archaeological feature in ancient Eurasia. In the South Caucasus, the Kura-Araxes (KA) culture adopted these funerary structures to express horizontal social ideology through collective inhumations. KA communities also constantly re-engaged with the dead through the regular reopening of burials, contributing to a rich organic archive that relates to episodes of funerary manipulation. This article reports on the results of a radiocarbon wiggle-match obtained from a semi-burnt branch of Juniperus sp. associated with Kurgan 8 at Uzun Rama (Ganja, Azerbaijan). This structure yielded evidence of burial activity during the KA I phase (ca. 3500–3000/2900 BCE) and the post-KA, the “Early Kurgan” period (ca. 2500–2000 BCE), and the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1500–1150 BCE). The sample came from a wooden structure constructed and then burnt in the ritual closure of the kurgan by fire, marking the final stage of its KA use. The results of the wiggle-match allowed us to produce a close estimate for the felling of the branch, thus providing a refined Terminus Post Quem (TPQ) for the construction of the wooden structure itself and its use within 3204–3174 BCE. These results shed light on finer temporal resolution of burial history not just pertaining to funerary sequences, but also in terms of social engagement with visible landmarks and long-term cultural or generational memory. The results correlate with broader trends observed in other KA kurgans and settlements excavated along the Kura basin, pointing at large-scale landscape (or even historical) reconfigurations across the Kura-Araxes world.

The United Nations recognized creative economy as one of the fastest growing sectors. The sector not only employs 30 million people worldwide, but also provides more jobs for young people than any other area of employment. The study was conducted within the 5-year “Creative Spark” program funded by the British Council and implemented in the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), South Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) and Ukraine. The program aimed at strengthening partnerships between universities and creative institutions in the UK and participating countries, developing entrepreneurial skills among young people and increasing their English level proficiency. Kazakhstan places a special importance on development of creative industries and approved the “Concept for the Development of Creative Industries for 2021–2025” [1]. In order to keep pace with the government’s initiatives and international trends, higher education institutions in Kazakhstan need to provide educational programmes to prepare future leaders for creative industries. The first step in this process is to identify current situation and demand for educational programmes in creative economy. This is the aim of the study. The methods employed in the study are in-depth interviews with experts and surveying applicants to Kazakh American Free University located in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Eastern Kazakhstan. The results of the study show that the demand for creative industries is not completely formed and strong promotion is needed in order to popularize this sector. Some recommendations for higher education institutions in Kazakhstan include the development of double degree programs with the US and the UK universities in web design, brand management and advertising.

ABSTRACT From the 5th through 14th century, fortress‐cities dominated the landscape along the South Caucasus, including the Republic of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northern Iran and eastern Turkey. Drawing upon an airborne LiDAR survey of Samshvildé, Republic of Georgia, this study offers new insights into the organization, construction and long‐term development of medieval fortress‐cities in the South Caucasus. Results from the LiDAR survey reveal a series of previously undocumented architectural and hydrological features—including an extensive lower fortress, multiple defensive towers and a complex system of open and subterranean water channels—that challenge earlier interpretations of Samshvildé as a settlement defined primarily by its Citadel. Methodologically, the research underscores both the strengths and limitations of LiDAR in heavily vegetated, multi‐period landscapes, demonstrating the technology's exceptional capacity to identify microtopographic features otherwise inaccessible to traditional field mapping, while also highlighting the necessity of detailed ground truthing and architectural analysis to accurately interpret multi‐phase construction sequences.

The scientific landscape in the South Caucasus: a comparative analysis of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia (2012–2024)