Latest news in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, summary. Live

● Municipal elections are being held in Azerbaijan today. A total of 8,071 deputies will be elected in 685 municipalities across 118 districts.

● “We have not forgotten Zangezur and never will. Once again, we have no territorial claims against Armenia. However, Armenia must fulfill its obligations and ensure unrestricted passage from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan,” said President Ilham Aliyev. He referred to a route that would connect mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave via Armenian territory. Aliyev insisted on “comfortable and free passage without any inspections or obstacles,” while Armenia insists on maintaining full control over the section passing through its territory.

● Russia’s ambassador to Baku, Mikhail Yevdokimov, was summoned to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry over two issues. The first concerns the crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane, reportedly struck by Russian air defenses. “Our expectations regarding the crash have been clearly communicated to the Russian side,” the ministry stated.

The second issue relates to Moscow’s protest over negative Azerbaijani media coverage of the “Russian House” in Baku, which was labeled a “spy organization.” The ministry clarified that these reports do not reflect Azerbaijan’s official position, emphasizing that such institutions operate based on reciprocity and must comply with national laws. More on the “Russian House” controversy here: link.

● Fake reports about the plane crash circulated on social media, falsely attributed to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada. The messages claimed preliminary investigations confirmed a bird strike as the cause and that Azerbaijan had apologized to Russia for misinformation. Hajizada issued an official statement refuting these claims as false.

● Azerbaijan’s State Oil Fund reported that as of December 31, 2024, its assets had increased by 7.1% since the beginning of the year, reaching $60.031 billion.

● “External support for Armenia’s authorities is one of the main reasons the opposition has failed to overthrow them,” said former deputy defense minister and opposition Republican Party member Artak Zakaryan.

● “Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is unrealistic,” said Seiran Ohanyan, head of the opposition parliamentary faction “Armenia.” He argued that while everyone desires peace, the current peace agenda deceives the Armenian people, as the conflict has deepened, Nagorno-Karabakh has been depopulated, and its Armenian population has suffered genocide. According to him, Azerbaijan’s leadership seeks pressure, not peace.

● A military parade took place at the defense ministry’s square for Army Day, featuring various armed forces units accompanied by a military orchestra (pictured).

● Yerevan’s city hall has reversed its decision on public transport fares. Starting February 1, the fare will be 150 drams (about 40 cents) instead of the previously announced 300 drams. Mayor Tigran Avinyan made the announcement despite insisting just a day earlier that a 150-dram fare was “impossible.”

● The 62nd day of large-scale, ongoing pro-European protests in Georgia has begun. Daily marches are held in Tbilisi and other cities, with thousands gathering in front of the parliament. The main demands are to hold new parliamentary elections to lawfully change the government and to release arrested protest participants.

● Over 300 journalists, editors, and media managers issued a joint statement demanding the immediate release of Mzia Amaglobeli, co-founder and director of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, who has been on a hunger strike for 16 days in detention, consuming only water. The prominent Georgian journalist is in pre-trial detention, charged with slapping Batumi police chief Irakli Dgebuadze after he insulted her during a protest. She faces 4 to 7 years in prison.

● “Mzia Amaglobeli’s life is in danger. Immediate action is needed,” stated the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA).

● Steve Cohen, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Political Prisoners: “I’m closely following the case of Mzia Amaghlobeli in the Republic of Georgia. Mzia is a journalist who the de facto Georgian Dream government has arrested on trumped-up charges. She is not doing well in prison, the government needs to release her NOW.”

● The Council of Europe has suspended the visa-free regime for Georgian diplomats and officials, requiring them to apply for visas to travel to EU member states.

● The European People’s Party has called on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to suspend the Georgian delegation’s credentials. “Georgia’s parliament is one-party, with the opposition refusing to work there, and it consists solely of Georgian Dream, which represents [oligarch] Ivanishvili’s regime and is destroying democracy in the country,” stated Boriana Åberg of the European People’s Party. PACE is preparing a draft resolution on this matter, expected to be voted on tomorrow, January 29. Previously, four opposition parties in Georgia, which won seats in the October 26 elections but declared them rigged, sent a joint letter to PACE calling for Georgian Dream’s mandates not to be recognized.

● Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met in Budapest with Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and later posted on X: “Brussels bureaucrats and Soros networks must stop attacking the Georgian government. I expressed my support to Papuashvili in their fight for Georgia’s sovereignty.” In response, U.S. Senator Joe Wilson, Chair of the Helsinki Commission, posted on X a photo of Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili with George Soros and commented: “Sadly, Prime Minister Orbán is misguided here. CCP & Iranian regime crony Bidzina Ivanishvili is actually intimately acquainted with Soros.”

● Students from the University of Georgia issued a solidarity statement for activist Luka Djabua, a fellow student arrested alongside dozens of other activists. “We demand the immediate release of prisoners of conscience and declare disobedience to Ivanishvili’s regime until the main demands of society are met. This is our country, and it is part of Europe,” their statement reads.

● Students of the Georgian National University continue a round-the-clock protest, demanding the release of Irakli Miminashvili, a fellow student also arrested during the pro-European protests. They are camping outside the university building (pictured) and attempted to set up tents yesterday, but police arrived and prevented them.

● Armenia celebrates Army Day today. On the 33rd anniversary of the Armed Forces, the Yerablur military pantheon has been cordoned off by police since early morning as the country’s leadership, led by the Prime Minister, arrived to pay their respects.

● The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border remains relatively calm, according to Chief of the General Staff Edward Asryan.

● A court in Baku denied the request to place the military-political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh under house arrest, Azerbaijani media report.

● Armenia is ready to assist Syria in humanitarian efforts and implementing various reforms, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan said during a meeting with Syrian Minister Assad Al-Shaibani in Damascus.

● Fitch has lowered Armenia’s GDP growth forecast for 2025 to 4.8% from 5.5%. Other Fitch projections:

• Economic growth is expected to slow to 4.5% in 2026.
• Inflation is projected to remain at 3.3% over the next two years.
• Public debt is forecasted to rise to 55% of GDP (up from the current 49.7%).

Photo by David Akopyan. Army Day is being commemorated at the Yerablur military pantheon:

● Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia, Rakhman Mustafayev, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where officials expressed “concern over a series of recent anti-Russian publications in Azerbaijani media, as well as a disinformation campaign against the Russian House in Baku. The accusations were deemed completely baseless.” Recently, Azerbaijani channel BakuTV aired a report calling the Russian House in Baku a “Russian intelligence house.” More details on JAMnews today.

● A Baku court rejected the requests of several detained former Armenian leaders of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to be placed under house arrest and partially dismiss certain charges. A new document submitted by former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan has been added to the case, but its content remains undisclosed. The next hearing is scheduled for February 6. Read more here

● A separate hearing took place in Baku regarding former state minister of the Karabakh separatist regime, Ruben Vardanyan (pictured). His lawyer requested an additional 30 days to review case materials, but the court denied the motion. The next hearing is also set for February 6. At the first session on January 17, the court granted a 10-day extension for case review at the defense’s request.

● Former Russian judge Elena Khakhaleva was detained in Baku while attempting to fly to Dubai. She is wanted in Russia on charges of fraud and forgery. Authorities in Baku are now awaiting documents from Moscow to decide on her extradition. Khakhaleva, a former judge from Krasnodar, gained notoriety for organizing a $2 million wedding for her daughter and was previously accused of lacking a law degree. However, Tbilisi State University later confirmed the authenticity of her diploma.

● The first shipment of oil from Kazakhstan’s Kashagan oil field has been sent to Baku. A Kazakh tanker departed from the port of Aktau, and the oil will be transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline to the Mediterranean Sea.

● Today marks the third month of daily large-scale pro-European protests in Georgia. This phase began after the Georgian government announced a suspension of EU accession talks until 2028. Thousands of people march daily in Tbilisi and other cities, gathering in the evenings outside parliament to demand new, fair parliamentary elections to legally change the government. Another constant demand is the release of detained protesters.

● “Three months against stolen elections” was the slogan of Sunday evening’s march organized by those who monitored the October 26 parliamentary elections. Due to numerous violations and fraud, the results have been rejected by the opposition, the 5th president, Salome Zourabichvili, and a significant part of civil society.

● Journalists and activists in Kutaisi held a protest outside the home of Appeals Court Judge Malkhaz Okropiridze, demanding the immediate release of Mzia Amaglobeli, director of the popular outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti. Okropiridze rejected the motion to release the journalist on bail pending trial. Amaglobeli is accused of slapping the Batumi police chief after he repeatedly insulted her during a protest. She has been on a hunger strike for 16 days.

● Today, the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels will discuss recent developments in Georgia. Experts suggest that ministers may address the suspension of visa privileges for Georgian diplomatic passports. Representatives of Georgian opposition and civil society will participate, presenting evidence exposing unprecedented human rights violations by the “Georgian Dream” regime.

● The Georgian Dream parliamentary speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, is on an official visit to Hungary.

● The Georgian Dream prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, is on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates.

●  “Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili [honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream] is aware of most officials’ involvement in corruption schemes but turns a blind eye,” said businessman Giorgi Bachiashvili, formerly part of Ivanishvili’s inner circle and head of his Co-Investment Fund. “Ivanishvili only uses these cases against them when it suits him or when certain individuals plan to ‘exit the game.’ Cases are even fabricated against those not involved in corruption when necessary,” Bachiashvili stated. He himself faces charges of embezzling cryptocurrency worth $39.2 million. Bachiashvili claims he is “just as much a victim of the regime’s arbitrariness” as dozens of arrested participants in pro-European protests.

● Activists and opposition members accuse Public Defender Levan Ioseliani of revealing the confidential location of a crisis center during a January 26 Public Television interview, endangering victims of human trafficking and violence seeking refuge there. Read more here

● Activist Vaho Pitskhelauri, a regular participant in pro-European protests, was robbed and brutally beaten. His wife told Formula TV that he was heading to a store when unknown individuals dragged him into a van, assaulted him, and stole his wallet and mobile phone.

Photo David Pipia / JAMnews

● The trial of Ruben Vardanyan, the state minister of the former separatist regime in Karabakh, will resume today in Baku. Vardanyan was detained in September 2023 in the Lachin region near the Armenian border. Reports confirm that Vardanyan has his chosen defense lawyer and a Russian-language translator present. The hearing was postponed for 10 days at Vardanyan’s request to allow more time to review case materials. More details about the trial here

● Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry called Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s claim that “banned psychotropic substances are being administered to detained former Karabakh leaders in Baku to extract testimonies against Armenia” “absurd and baseless.” The ministry stated that the rights and responsibilities of the accused are fully ensured, and the judicial process is recorded. “Claims of mistreatment of detainees in Azerbaijan have been independently investigated, including by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and deemed false,” the ministry added.

● The foreign ministry also responded to remarks by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who accused Azerbaijan of interfering in the affairs of France’s overseas territories. “This is an open attempt to conceal France’s inaction in the face of demands from the indigenous people of New Caledonia. France has always meddled in regional issues and sought to disrupt the peace and stability process advanced by Azerbaijan,” the ministry stated.

● EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas is set to visit Azerbaijan as part of her regional trip.

● The ministry of defense denied reports of a drone appearing in the sky over the Armenian border.

● “”I am accused of supporting Azerbaijan [during the second Karabakh war]. But I have always supported common sense, I have always advocated for us not to fight each other […] Putin and I were shocked when Nikol Pashinyan announced the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. I called Putin and said, ‘Did you hear that? Did you push him to do it?’ Putin replied, ‘No, I didn’t interfere at all,'” said Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

● On the occasion of Army Day, a national prayer service was held today in Etchmiadzin by His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians (pictured).

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 20-24 January, 2025