On the 12 of April the CNIS held conference on “How to end merger of political and economic power in the post-Soviet space: lessons of national and international experience” This was the third in the series of “Azerbaijan Democratic Republic ( ADDR)  round tables”, devoted to the most actual issues of transition in Azerbaijan. The first Azerbaijan People’s  Republic has been known  for its high standards of democratic governance and deeply rooted concept of “ conflict of interests”. A century later,  one of the characteristics of  post-Soviet states after 20 years...


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Johannesburg. 25 March 2013. Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS and the Azerbaijan-based Center for National and International Studies (CNIS) are concerned about the increasingly hostile climate for civic activists in Azerbaijan as the October 2013 presidential elections approach. Since Azerbaijan is due to undergo its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council on 30 April 2013, the two organisations urge democratic governments to focus attention on the continuing government crackdown on the freedoms of expression, association and assembly. The following are some recent...


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The CNIS held its next in the series of “Azerbaijan Democratic Republic ( 1918-1920)  Round Tables” conference on the 8th of February in Baku. The round table was devoted to the political parties and elections and their characteristics in the oil rich post-Soviet states. Development of the democratic institutions in the post-Soviet oil rich states of the Caspian region faces additional to the common soviet legacies structural obstacles. These characteristics include first of all ruling elite’s monopoly over oil and gas resources, which in the absence of the real mechanisms of the public...


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This was the topic of the conference held by Center for National and  International Studies on the 30 November in Baku- one of the 4 events planned this year in the series of  “ADR ( Azerbaijan Democratic Republic)  round tables”. The conference hosted well known scholars and experts from Georgia  Dr. Ghia Nodia and Russia’s macro sociologist  Dr.Nikolai Rozov,  Dr. Leila Alieva, Dr. Ali Abbasov and Dr. Rahman Badalov – from Azerbaijan. The problems of unresolved conflicts in the Caucasus region are very often explained in realist terms, geopolitics  or through the conspiracy...


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Civic Solidarity Platform membersregret thatduring her recent visit to Central Asia the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs did not publicly engage on human rights issues in a more substantive manner. This is particularly disappointing as the EU is about to receive the Nobel Peace Price for its ‘advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights’. Between 27 and 30 November 2012, Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, undertook her first official visit to four of the five Central Asian republics:...


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