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

● Prime Minister from “Georgian Dream” Irakli Kobakhidze said: “For years, we had to live under a forced cohabitation and coordination regime with others. To some extent, this regime still exists, but today Georgia is more independent and sovereign than ever before. This is one of the main achievements of our country since 2012 (when ‘Georgian Dream’ came to power – JAMnews). Before that, the country had completely lost its sovereignty. For nine years, Georgia was governed by foreign agents (referring to the period of Mikheil Saakashvili’s presidency – JAMnews).”

● “I do not think Bidzina Ivanishvili (oligarch, founder of ‘Georgian Dream,’ considered the shadow ruler of Georgia – JAMnews) has any desire to resign or completely step aside, as some experts suggest,” said Victor Kipiani, head of the Geocase analytical center and former close associate of Ivanishvili. Kipiani previously represented Ivanishvili’s interests in the lawsuit against Swiss bank Credit Suisse, which Ivanishvili eventually won. “In reality, the recent noise about the resignation of ‘Georgian Dream’ chairman Irakli Garibashvili (a close associate of Ivanishvili – JAMnews) probably doesn’t matter much. It seems ‘Georgian Dream’ is tired of playing the Western game; it has become uncomfortable for them,” Kipiani said.

● The senior hierarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Iakob of Bodbe, dedicated his Sunday sermon to criticizing the pro-European protests that have been ongoing in Georgia since November 28 of last year, when “Georgian Dream” announced it was suspending Georgia’s EU integration process. He called the protests “meaningless” and described the demonstrators as “passionate and foolish, speaking with the mouths of foreigners.” “If the demonstrators had truly been attacked during a peaceful rally, I would have intervened and defended them, but I have seen no such thing. They say nothing except two things: ‘new elections and the release of prisoners of conscience, political prisoners.’ But what led to their imprisonment? Would they be in jail if they had not started fights? We must think about preventing anything from happening inside Georgia. Foreigners will not be able to help you. We will intervene, we will not threaten you, but you will not be able to do whatever you want,” the archbishop said. He also referred to the “MEGOBARI Act” being discussed in the United States — which envisions tough sanctions against high-ranking “Georgian Dream” officials for obstructing democracy and using violence against pro-European protesters — as “an attack on Georgia’s freedom.”

● Former “Georgian Dream” MP Kakhaber Kakhishvili has called for filing international lawsuits to challenge the sanctions imposed by Western countries on high-ranking officials, including security service members. The sanctions were introduced for harming the development of democracy in Georgia, participating in the adoption of repressive laws, and using violence against participants of massive pro-European protests. “We must consolidate those who have been unjustly sanctioned. Prepare solid lawsuits with good lawyers. First, go through national courts, then definitely appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Otherwise, this will continue. They (Western countries, the EU) are trying to stir up unrest within the country. They want families of those under sanctions to start condemning them and urging them to leave the party. This must not be allowed.”

● TV host Nanuka Zhorzholiani has drawn attention to the fact that pro-European protest activists Omar Okribelashvili and Saba Meparishvili, who signed plea deals, were not included in the Easter pardon list, despite their cases.

Today marks five months of continuous pro-European protests in Georgia. Photo by the Georgian editorial team of Radio Free Europe from the protest in front of the parliament on April 27:

● “Iran and Azerbaijan are discussing the implementation of transport projects for the repair and restoration of land roads. Thanks to these projects, Azerbaijan could play a unifying role in cargo transportation between Iran and Russia,” said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in an interview with AzTV ahead of his visit to Azerbaijan, which begins today.

● Masoud Pezeshkian: “We have always defended the rights of Azerbaijan and defended Armenia within the framework of its rights. We strive for both countries to live in peace based on the principles of good neighborliness and to support each other. Today, our assistance includes taking the initiative to establish a land connection between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan autonomy. The project is moving very quickly.”

● Masoud Pezeshkian: “I am very pleased to be visiting Azerbaijan. We do not consider it a foreign country and do not feel like strangers there. I hope this will be reflected in my meeting with President Ilham Aliyev. In the past, we shared a common history, but today we are separated by a border. Yet we have always shared both sorrow and joy with each other, and this will continue.”

● The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President Ilham Aliyev sent letters of condolence to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian following the deaths of at least 40 people in a powerful explosion at the Shahid Rajaee Port in the city of Bandar Abbas. Over 600 people were reportedly injured.

● “The European Union provides and will continue to provide support for achieving a sustainable peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” said the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, at a press conference following her visit to Baku on April 25. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov noted that this was the first visit at the level of the EU High Representative to Azerbaijan in the past nine years and called it “an important opportunity to develop cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU.”

● The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which rejected a number of Armenia’s claims regarding the treatment of Ruben Vardanyan, the former state minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and 15 other ethnic Armenians held in Baku. “After reviewing Azerbaijan’s response and evidence regarding the application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Court decided not to request additional information or demand an independent investigation or expert opinion regarding the detainees’ conditions. This once again demonstrates that Armenia’s baseless claims aimed at disrupting judicial proceedings and diverting attention from the separatist regime’s criminal actions will not succeed,” the ministry said.

● On the 27th day of his hunger strike in prison, prominent opposition figure Tofig Yagublu, a member of the National Council and the Musavat Party, has been transferred to a hospital, according to his daughter Nigar Hazi. The family-appointed doctor, Adil Geybulla, reported that Yagublu continues to lose weight due to the hunger strike, suffers from general weakness and sleep disturbances, but remains conscious. Yagublu was sentenced to nine years in prison on fraud charges, which he claims are fabricated. He says he is a victim of political persecution and is on hunger strike in protest. Leading international human rights organizations have recognized him as a political prisoner and are demanding his release.

● The Norwegian Helsinki Committee has called on the Azerbaijani government to immediately release Tofig Yagublu, citing his serious health problems, age, and decades of peaceful activism. “Each day of hunger strike brings him closer to irreversible health damage — his life is in danger,” the committee said. German MP and Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe member Frank Schwabe also demanded Yagublu’s release.

● Journalist Avaz Zeynalli, who has been diagnosed with cancer, has been released from prison early. Zeynalli had been in prison since September 9, 2022, accused of accepting a large bribe and fraud. He denies the charges, stating that he is being persecuted for his critical publications about the authorities.

● Ali Zeynal, an employee of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives detained in the “Toplum TV case,” has been placed in solitary confinement, his relatives reported. They believe this punishment was imposed because he demanded the replacement of the prosecutor during a court hearing on April 24. Zeynal stated that prosecutor Rauf Malishov openly sides with the prosecution and mistreats journalists in the cases against Toplum TV and Abzas Media.

● Akif Gurbanov, head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives and speaker of the “Third Republic” platform, who is also detained in the “Toplum TV case,” has been deprived of his right to phone calls, his relatives reported. They believe the restriction was imposed after he and other defendants demanded at the April 24 hearing that President Ilham Aliyev be summoned as a witness. The “Toplum TV case” began with arrests on March 6, 2023, and a total of nine people are implicated. They have all been charged with smuggling and other serious crimes, which they categorically deny, stating that the arrests are politically motivated and intended to silence independent media.

Photo by JAMnews: Pedestrian-friendly infrastructure is actively developing in Baku. More areas of the city are receiving dedicated bus and bike lanes, with strict fines introduced for crossing these lines. Public spaces around metro stations are expanding, with cars and parking lots removed. In their place, new parks have been created:

● Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is on an official visit to Estonia. Meetings are scheduled with the president, the prime minister, and the speaker of parliament. Pashinyan has already met with representatives of the Armenian community in Estonia.

● From now on, all stores in Armenia must display dairy products with and without substitutes on shelves of different colors: natural products on green shelves, and products with substitutes on orange shelves. Stores that violate this rule will face fines.

● The Foreign Ministry expressed “its deepest condolences to Iran, the friendly people of Iran, and the families and loved ones of the victims” following the deadly explosion at the port of Bandar Abbas.

● Armenian gymnasts won gold medals in the final of the sixth stage of the World Cup in Cairo. Hamlet Manukyan delivered a brilliant performance on the pommel horse, scoring 14.800 points and winning three out of the six stages. Artur Avetisyan dominated the rings event.

● 1,000 dancers performed Armenian national dances on the Cascade to mark International Dance Day. While many praised the organizers and celebrated the event, some raised concerns on social media about safety — questioning whether synchronized movements by so many people in one place could cause cracks. No expert opinions have been provided on the matter.

National dances in the center of #Yerevan , #Armenia today, on International Dance Day pic.twitter.com/gHI5wDeWBI

— JAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus) April 27, 2025

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 21-25 April, 2025