Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of March 24-30

Geneva Debates on Security and Stability in Transcaucasia; skirmishes in Karabakh conflict zone and meeting of Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Hague; announcement of court verdict in resonant case on scuffle near "Harsnaqar" Restaurant, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of March 24-30, 2014, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Negotiators on security and stability in Transcaucasia fail on main issues

On March 25-26, Geneva hosted the 27th round of debates on security and stability in the Caucasus, run by delegations of South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Russia, Georgia, USA, UN, OSCE and the EU since the warfare in South Ossetia in August 2008. This round also failed to resolve the fundamental differences; in particular, on signing the non-use-of-force agreement, on which South Ossetia, the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Russia diverge. However, some humanitarian issues were settled, like crossing border by schoolchildren, and getting emergency medical aid in the territory of Georgia by residents of South Ossetia, said Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, the Georgia's Deputy Minister for Reintegration.

Shootings in Karabakh conflict zone and meeting of Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan

Last week, in the Karabakh conflict zone, in the shelling of Azerbaijani positions by Armenian Armed Forces two people were killed, and another one was wounded. On March 27, the press service of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Nagorno-Karabakh reported that a soldier of the Army of Nagorno-Karabakh died from a gunshot wound in the combat position in the contact line with Azerbaijani troops near the city of Martuni, on the frontline with troops in, died from a gunshot wound. Another Karabakh soldier was killed on March 24.

The Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliev held a meeting within the framework of the Nuclear Security Summit, held on March 24-25 in the Netherlands. The details of their conversation are unknown, but prior to this meeting, they also met the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on Karabakh from Russia, USA and France, namely, Igor Popov, James Warlick and Jacques Faure.

Stavropol Territory: case against Deputy Kalugin, who knocked down a pedestrian, resumed; and he was removed from his post of head of committee of Territorial Legislative Assembly

On March 27, investigating authorities of the Stavropol Territory reported about reopening the criminal case against Valery Kalugin, an MP of Territorial Duma, who in 2012 killed a pedestrian. The case was reopened after the Prosecutor's Office found the investigators' decision to stop the case for absence of crime attributes in his actions illegitimate. On the same day, Kalugin was removed from the post of the Chairman of the Committee on Legislation, State Construction and Local Self-Government of the Territorial Duma.

Astrakhan major fire destroys eight low-rise houses

A major fire occurred in Astrakhan on March 25, resulting in destruction of several low-rise houses. The total area of the fire, according to the local Ministry for Emergencies (MfE), exceeded 2500 square meters. In total, 10 houses were damaged, eight of them burned down completely, leaving 14 families, or 43 people, homeless.

Rostov Region: unidentified persons beat Sergey Morgachov, head of local GIBDD

On March 25, two attackers beat Sergey Morgachov, the head of the Rostov GIBDD (traffic police) with sticks. At the hospital, he was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. Andrei Larionov, the head of the Rostov police, associated the attack with Morgachov's with his official duties. A criminal case was opened on the fact of the attack.

Armenia announces verdict on resonant case about fight at "Harsnaqar" Restaurant

On March 24, a court in Armenia passed a verdict on the fight that burst out on June 17, 2012, in the car park of the Yerevan "Harsnaqar" Restaurant, after which a military doctor Vage Avetyan died in hospital. The incident in the restaurant, which was owned by Ruben Airapetyan, an MP of the National Assembly of Armenia, who shortly thereafter stopped his parliamentary powers, caused a great resonance. There were six defendants – five securities of the restaurant and a waiter. Initially, they all denied their guilt, but later three of them claimed responsibility. The court ruled to send all six to a colony for 12 years.