live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
As global leaders gather in Davos this week to discuss the future of international cooperation, security and economic power, Georgia is once again absent from the table.
The country will not be represented at the World Economic Forum in 2026, marking its second consecutive absence at a time of significant geopolitical change. The situation has drawn attention to growing questions over the gap between the Georgian government’s stated foreign policy goals and its diplomatic reality.
Georgia last took part in Davos in 2024.
In 2025, officials said participation in the forum was not a priority. That explanation now contrasts with repeated statements about the need to renew engagement with the United States and deepen ties with Western partners.
The timing of Georgia’s absence is notable. Speaking last week at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said integration with the European Union remained the country’s top priority.
However, Georgia’s continued absence from key Western political platforms, including Davos, has raised questions about consistency between rhetoric and diplomatic action.
Davos 2026 is seeing record levels of government participation, particularly from Europe and North America. The forum also serves as a hub for informal diplomacy, strategic messaging and alliance-building, opportunities Georgia will miss.
Political analysts often argue that isolation is not always formally declared but can be inferred through absence. At a time when Russia and Iran are strengthening cooperation and global power balances are being reassessed, Georgia’s limited presence at major Western forums may weaken its visibility and ability to communicate its strategic intentions directly.
The World Economic Forum promotes dialogue, inclusion and multilateral engagement. Georgia’s repeated absence from such platforms risks reinforcing perceptions of growing political distance from the West, regardless of official assurances.
While the Georgian government insists its foreign policy direction remains unchanged, Davos offers a different signal.
As world leaders debate the future of security, sovereignty and cooperation in Switzerland, Georgia remains outside the conversation, a silence that may carry more weight than official statements.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
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The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
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