The South Caucasus on the Map of Rare Earth Diplomacy

At the military parade held in Yerevan on May 28—the first such parade in ten years—Armenia showcased military equipment from seven different countries. Most of the hardware was displayed publicly for the first time. Russian-made systems continued to account for the largest share of the equipment presented, including:

2050 — At seven o’clock in the morning, hundreds of autonomous cargo drones rise above the Caspian Sea. They move between offshore wind farms and Eurasia’s largest renewable energy terminal on Azerbaijan’s eastern coast. Artificial intelligence coordinates shipping routes, manages regional power grids, and distributes electricity from Baku to Berlin.

At the end of May, the capitals of the South Caucasus once again immerse themselves in rituals of remembrance. The President of Azerbaijan symbolically marks Independence Day in liberated Karabakh. In Yerevan, speeches are delivered about the survival of the nation and the price of independence. In Tbilisi, thousands of people gather on Rustaveli Avenue carrying Georgian flags, turning Independence Day into a political demonstration.

Russia’s agricultural watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, will introduce temporary restrictions from May 30 on the import of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, greens and strawberries from Armenia until a special mechanism ensuring the safety of exported products is developed.