Read more: Georgians clash over…

The finals for the Eurovision Song Contest will take place this Saturday in Malmö, Sweden. The rules of Eurovision state that the country which won the preceding year’s contest must host the event 12 months later, last year Sweden won with singer Loreen and her song, Euphoria. This year, more than 130 million people across the [...]

The planned rally against homophobia and transphobia in Tbilisi spilled out of control as clergymen and the members of congregation clashed with gay rights activists. Police struggled to take things under control as demonstrators were hunting gay people and their supporters all over downtown Tbilisi.

Aşıq Nargile, an ethnic Azeri Ashiq, performs ”Borçalı Poem”: Learn more about the The Sayat Nova Project & the traditional music of the Caucasus. Photo gallery by Onnik Krikorian

14 June 2013 is the deadline for sending applications to the Contest for best projects of cross-border cooperation, organised within the Eastern Europe Initiatives Congress under the project “Lublin and Rzeszów – cooperation and using the development chances” co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland 2007-2013.

Social media have become one of the few places where young people from Armenia and Azerbaijan can meet. Yet, not without risks. While it might be nearly 19 years since a May 1994 ceasefire put the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh on hold, analysts are increasingly viewing the situation [...]

On May 8-9, millions of people around the world celebrate the Victory Day, commemorating the day Nazi Germany surrendered in 1945, ending WWII. The holiday is celebrated on May 8 in most parts of the world, and May 9 in the former Soviet states, due to time differences.  This year marks the 68th anniversary of [...]

As always, the love for sport connects nations & countries. And is a perfect platform for some political manifestations:

“…even Russian, though still widely spoken in political and academic life, is coming under assault” - Natalia Ghilascu writes about the “linguistic crossfire” in Moldova.

“During Soviet times, taking part in Easter festivities was not encouraged; as a result, Russian Easter traditions are still layered with Soviet aspects today” – more: “Orthodox ritual meets Soviet custom on Easter celebrations” (Russia Beyond The Headlines).

Since gaining the independence, Georgia’s “cultural intelligentsia” did its best as a group to interfere in politics. Directors, actors and writers have turned themselves into a group within the society, who present ready- made “recipes” for the internal and foreign policy. Yet we must remember that for the last 22 years the Georgian intelligentsia has been [...]

With the anniversary of the forced migration of Armenians in 1915 from Anatolia to other parts of the Ottoman Empire approaching on 24 April, experts are weighing in on the potential of the moment for Armenia in determining its future direction. The policy of forced migration was instituted by the Ottoman Empire during what is [...]

Eastern Europe, the Caucasus… for some there’s no difference. But this time one thing must be clarified (via @PhilUnionKevinK): … and a bonus (warning: some explicit language).

“Solidarity with Belarus” concert, Warsaw, Poland, 21 April | photo gallery on Charter’97

Shaking hands with Putin, Kadyrov, Aliyev, Karimov… Now it’s time for a well-deserved feast! Business & pleasure: Gerard Depardieu tasting the Azerbaijani cuisine (and getting paid for this). The story behind it: EurasiaNet & RFERL.

I’m for East! 2. Festival is an event which is devoted to the idea of the Eastern Partnership. It was created to show how fascinating the Eastern Europe is as well as to become more open to the idea of regional cooperation. The 2nd edition is going to be an unique three-day experience allowing its [...]

The Caucasus Research Resource Centers | Social Science in the Caucasus: Nostalgia for Stalin in Georgia: Between Respected and Unjustifiable “Overall, the CB data reveals that Georgians have more positive views towards Stalin than Armenians and Azerbaijanis. However, only a very small proportion in each country admires Stalin.”

Eastern Partnership: Teaming up, Making a difference – ‘The Musical Contest’ from EU Neighbourhood Info Centre on Vimeo.

In a colloborative medical study published in British health journal, The Lancet, a composite of Professors and Doctors examined  challenges to health and health systems in the CIS region. The study, entitled ‘Health and health systems in the Commonwealth of Independent States’ takes a look at the life expectancy rates in the Post-Sovietcountries, and the [...]

Earth Hour is a worldwide event organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and held annually on the last Saturday of March. The event is aimed at encouraging households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, in order to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate [...]

Sometimes a casual fellow traveller may tell you more about the country than a two-month stay. In the midst of the Chinese New Year, I took a trip to Shanghai from the very south of the country. Train tickets were sold out, so I had to stand during the whole trip. I spent more than a [...]

Common Europe Foundation (Poland) in cooperation with Eastbook.eu and partners from 34mag.net (Belarus), National Youth Council in Moldova (Moldova), Slovak Foreign Policy Association (Slovakia), Transitions (Czech Republic) and Center for Independent Journalism (Hungary) announces the open call for a two-day workshop on citizen journalism in Warsaw, 6-8 August 2013. Workshop will be held in English and will be [...]

The Steering Committee of the EaP Civil Society Forum is inviting all interested parties to submit expressions of interest to participate in the fifth meeting of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. The submission of expressions of interest is a necessary step in the selection process to participate in the EaP CSF meeting in Chisinau [...]

Eastbook.eu presents an interview with Aleksander Smolar, chairman of Stefan Batory Foundation, political anlytist and writer. Jegor Stadny asks the expert about the state and development of non-governmental organizations in Poland as well as the role of the Foundation in Polish-Ukrainian relations. What, in your opinion, is a successful model of cooperation in the triangle “authorities [...]

With the release of the Human Development Index report for 2013, on 15 March, we take a moment to analyse where the former Soviet Republics of the Baltics, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus stand. The Human Development Index (HDI) is ‘a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income, measured in order to rank countries [...]

This Sunday, on March 31, Roman Catholics. as well as many members of Eastern Catholic Churches, Protestants and some Orthodox. The Orthodox Easter is celebrated this year on May 5. The day of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ has a special meaning – it is a commemoration of the victory over sin and death. We [...]

Georgian movie industry, which has had little to offer so far, finally shows some signs of life. Director Rusudan Chkonia delivers the everyday dramas of Georgian women in a touching new picture “Keep Smiling”.

The charm of Sukhumi singers performing classic pop songs of Abkhazia in the pictures taken by Rob Hornstra (@thesochiproject) allowed him to win the first place in World Press Photo Arts and Entertainment—Stories category. Giorgio Comai presents the original songs on Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso - watch, listen, enjoy!

Spring in the shadow of Mount Ararat: photos by Karen Minasyan on RFERL.

“Regarding the European integration process, Ukraine is used to taking two steps forward and one back. On the threshold of the Eastern Partnership summit in November 2013, we expect from Ukraine concrete projects on modernization. Poland continues to be the main ambassador of Kiev in the EU, so it is extremely important to resolve all [...]