Author: Aris Ekmekjian

Terrorist group widening inroads among Caucasus extremists. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP) has emerged as the most globally ambitious and active branch in both its operations and propaganda of all radical Islamic groups. ISKP is presently implementing a regionalization and internationalization strategy that has increasingly focused on extending its reach into Central Asia, as well as appealing to associated diaspora elements elsewhere, especially in Russia. The movement’s Central Asian contingent has accounted for a notable share of ISKP-linked activity outside of Afghanistan, but a rising number of instances of terrorist activity are more recently involving Russian nationals, Chechens, and others from its Caucasus region. Jihadism expert Aaron Zelin’s dataset found ISKP to be linked to 12 plots in 2023…

Developing Asia will likely end the year on a brighter note, the Asian Development Bank said on Wednesday, with growth in the region expected to be stronger than previously thought due mainly to a recovery in China’s economy. The ADB raised its 2023 growth forecast for developing Asia to 4.9% from 4.7% projected in September, but kept its growth outlook for the region at 4.8% next year. The ADB also revised upwards its growth projection for China to 5.2% from 4.9% previously, but maintained its growth forecast for the world’s second-largest economy at 4.5% next year. China’s economy grew at…

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the second review under the Stand-By Arrangement with Armenia. This provides the country with access to about US$24.4 million (SDR 18.4 million), bringing the total access to about US$73.3 million (SDR 55.2 million). The Armenian authorities continue to treat the SBA as precautionary. Armenia’s strong growth momentum continued through 2023. Supported by robust private consumption and investment, the economy is projected to grow by 7 percent in 2023 before moderating to 5 percent in 2024. Over the medium-term, growth is projected to reach its potential of around 4.5 percent, while steadfast implementation…

Children are generally expected to be the main source of support and care for parents in many rapidly ageing Asian societies. But a form of gender bias still persists in this cultural phenomenon — one where sons are preferred over daughters, researchers from Monash University Malaysia’s Business School say. They warn that this could worsen gender inequality in Asian societies. But on the other side of the coin, the researchers found that living with daughters is more positively associated with older people’s happiness. Feng Yuying from Beijing agrees. Ms Feng is in her 60s and lives with her daughter, son-in-law…

Armenia and Azerbaijan on Wednesday swapped prisoners of war, a first step towards normalising relations since Baku retook control of the long-disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in a one-day autumn offensive. It is the first time the neighbours have exchanged prisoners since the lightening September offensive. Azerbaijan’s military operation ended almost three decades of Armenian separatist control of Karabakh, forcing tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians to flee. Peace talks — mediated separately by the European Union, the United States and Russia — have since stalled, despite both countries saying an agreement could be signed by the end of this year. Baku on Wednesday announced it had freed more than two…

‘It took Armenia almost two and a half months to respond to Azerbaijan’s proposals on draft peace agreement, which has seriously delayed process,’ says Foreign Ministry Azerbaijan on Tuesday called on Armenia to avoid any “unnecessary delays” in peace talks between the two countries.
 “It took Armenia almost two and a half months to respond to Azerbaijan’s proposals on the draft peace agreement, which has seriously delayed the process,” said an Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry statement. “This stagnation in the peace negotiations does not contribute to stability and prosperity in the region,” it added. The statement reiterated Azerbaijan’s readiness to hold…

Physical gold dealers in India offered discounts for a fourth consecutive week as consumers shied away from making purchases due to higher domestic prices, while top consumer China also saw muted demand. In India, this week, dealers offered a discount of up to $9 an ounce over official domestic prices — inclusive of the 15% import and 3% sales levies, up from last week’s discount of $5. “The market was cruising along pretty nicely in the first half of October, but then the price hike came along and threw a wrench in the works. Now, we’re seeing demand lower than…

Armenia wants and tries to establish good-neighborly and friendly relations with all countries, PM Pashinyan has said. The Prime Minister was asked at an online press conference by a member of the public on the possibilities of establishing relations with Pakistan. “It is our logic, and we also have a constitutional regulation, that the Republic of Armenia will attempt to, and wants to, establish friendly relations with all countries in the world. I assume that certain diplomatic work is being made in that direction too, not on the high level, and will continue to be done. And the processes of…

Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the region after Azeri forces seized the territory after a lightning offensive. Judges at the top UN court have said that Azerbaijan must allow ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh during an Azerbaijani military takeover to return to their homes. In a decision on Friday, the International Court of Justice said that previous ethnic Armenian residents must be allowed back and that those who remained there must be kept safe. “Azerbaijan must … ensure that persons who have left Nagorno-Karabakh after September 19, 2023, and who wish to return to Nagorno-Karabakh are able to do so in a…

Indonesia and India devoted significant efforts to boost innovation and entrepreneurship throughout their Group of 20 (G20) presidencies in 2022 and 2023, respectively. For both countries and other developing economies, innovation is key to boosting productivity and transitioning to higher-income knowledge-based economies. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization Global Innovation Index 2023, India has moved up in its ranking from 48th to 40th position since 2020, with Indonesia moving from 85th to 61st position in the same timeframe. Both countries are recognised for their vibrant entrepreneurship culture and funding availability for start-ups and scaleups. But their weaknesses include a limited circulation of talent and —…