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

●  The ruling Georgian Dream party issued a sharp condemnation of the joint statement by 17 European foreign ministers and the EU High Representative. The statement had criticized the arrests of opposition politicians, the detentions and sentencing of protest participants, and the adoption of “new repressive laws that suppress freedom of speech and dismantle civil society and independent media.” Georgian Dream called the criticism “another blatant and unfair attack on the Georgian people and Georgian democracy.”

“The organized assault has only one reason – the Georgian people refused to let the deep state’s agents, the collective ‘National Movement’, return to power. This effort was openly supported by the EU ambassador to Georgia and certain European and former American officials. Europe is experiencing democratic backsliding and a severe values crisis. Most European states are acting under deep state influence. Uncontrolled migration, pseudo-liberal propaganda, and the decline of state and religious institutions are leading to the erosion of Europe’s identity. Today, it has become the norm in Europe to reject electoral victories of unwanted parties, cancel elections, persecute political opponents, and impose sweeping media restrictions. Against this backdrop, absurd resolutions from the European Parliament, disinformation from 18 EU officials, and their sanctions and attacks on the Georgian people are no surprise,” the statement reads.

The party concludes by expressing “readiness to cooperate with any country that seeks fair partnership with Georgia,” adding: “It is important to understand that just as Georgia needs Europe, the European Union also needs Georgia.”

●  American consultant and former OSCE and US embassy representative in Georgia, Megi Ozdoba Katz, was denied entry into the country. In a Facebook post, she wrote that no explanation was given. According to local media, Katz worked with startups, civil society organizations, and activists to promote positive social change. She had lived and worked in Georgia for more than 25 years. “My heart is broken,” she wrote.

●  Jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili called on the opposition and protest participants “not to repeat the mistakes of the Belarusian opposition and not to limit themselves to passive protests and half-measures.” “Ivanishvili is very predictable. It’s strange why so many are surprised by every new move of the regime. Just look at Belarus to understand what the next steps of the Russian-backed regime here will be,” Saakashvili wrote on social media.

●  The investigation continues into a violent attack on a minor in Marneuli, Kvemo Kartli region. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a 19-year-old local man stabbed a 16-year-old teenager about 50 times during a dispute before fleeing the scene. The victim is in intensive care; the attacker has been detained.

●  A memorial is being built at the Shovi mountain resort in memory of the victims of the 2023 landslide (pictured). The project is funded by the local budget and is expected to be completed in August. The Ministry of Infrastructure announced that two bridges destroyed during the natural disaster will also be restored over the summer. A total of 33 people were killed in the landslide, and many of the bodies were searched for over several weeks. The body of one teenager still remains missing. The once-popular resort was almost completely destroyed. Here’s the full story of the tragedy

●   Since the beginning of the year, Georgia’s trade turnover with EU countries has reached its highest level in a decade, growing by 7.6% compared to the same period last year. Imports account for 85% of the total trade. The top five imports from the EU are: passenger cars, oil and oil products, medicines, trucks, and mobile phones/telephone equipment.

●  The transitional president of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa, paid an unannounced visit to Baku — his first visit to Azerbaijan. The pro-government outlet Report stated that “talks were held with President Ilham Aliyev in both narrow and extended formats.”

●  “The project for exporting Azerbaijani gas to Syria via Turkey will soon be implemented, which will help solve Syria’s serious energy problems,” said Ahmad al-Sharaa during the visit. It was also announced that Azerbaijan is ready to contribute to the restoration of Syria’s energy sector.

●  Syrian and Israeli officials met in Baku during the Syrian president’s visit, according to Al Arabiya, citing a diplomatic source in Damascus. The source said the talks focused on Israel’s military presence in Syria. Al-Sharaa himself did not participate in the meeting.

●  “The meeting between the president of Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia in Abu Dhabi created favorable ground for signing a peace agreement, opening regional communications, and reaching other agreements in the near future,” said Metin Mammadli, consultant at the state Center for Analysis of International Relations. He noted that the initiative to hold bilateral meetings came from the Azerbaijani side. “The involvement of third parties as mediators does not help the peace process. Mediators pursue their own interests and slow things down. Bilateral meetings contradict their interests. They want to maintain control over the region, but they must realize they’ve been sidelined. The negotiations will continue in a bilateral format. In this positive environment, opening the Zangezur corridor and signing a peace deal are entirely realistic in the near future. However, much depends on the position the Armenian authorities take,” the expert said.

●  Ukraine and Azerbaijan discussed gas supplies and signed an economic cooperation plan during a session of the Ukrainian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission in Baku. The Ukrainian delegation was led by Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. The talks focused on supplies of Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine and the possible use of Ukraine’s underground gas storage facilities. The delegation also thanked Azerbaijan for humanitarian aid, including transformers and equipment to help rebuild Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. “Kyiv places great importance on its strategic partnership with Azerbaijan. It was one of the first countries to support Ukraine with energy equipment. We are committed to strengthening our relations,” said Halushchenko, according to Report.

The next session will be held in Kyiv.

●  Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency (MEDİA) issued a warning about the spread of fake posts on social media allegedly from the defense and foreign ministers. The warning was prompted by AI-generated content claiming, for instance, that a Belarusian plane was shot down in Russia. “We urge the public to trust only official sources of information and remain vigilant amid the ongoing deepfake campaign,” the agency said.

●  President Ilham Aliyev, in a phone call, congratulated the president of Turkey on the reported self-dissolution and disarmament of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). “This is an important step toward achieving a ‘terrorism-free Turkey’ and a turning point for peace and stability in the region,” Aliyev said. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a statement, saying that “the voluntary disarmament of PKK militants is a historic event in the Turkish people’s 47-year fight against terrorism.”

●  “The Russian authorities constantly use TV channels, newspapers, and now digital and information platforms to stage various kinds of provocations. That’s why Azerbaijan previously shut down nearly all Russian TV channels. Now, for the same reason, the state agency Sputnik has been closed. What business do they even have on our territory?” said Milli Majlis MP and political analyst Rasim Musabekov. Earlier, the Press Council of Azerbaijan stated that “Sputnik Azerbaijan operated in the country as a branch of Russia’s Federal Security Service.”

●  “Turkic states will create a joint ski training center — an important step for the development of winter tourism in the region and the global promotion of resorts in Turkic-speaking countries,” said Rustam Najafov, head of the Union of Ski Resorts of Turkic States, at the union’s first summit held at the Shahdag resort in Azerbaijan.

●  Passenger car production in Azerbaijan increased by 4.9% compared to 2024. In the first half of the year, 2,132 vehicles were manufactured.

●  Azerbaijan ranks second among the countries importing the most chocolate from Russia. According to data from the first quarter of the year, Kazakhstan is first, Uzbekistan third. Also in the top ten are Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, China, and Germany.

●  A new US military attaché has been appointed in Armenia — Colonel Matthew Crow. He has already introduced himself to Defense Minister Suren Papikyan. US Ambassador Kristina Kvien also attended the meeting. “The United States remains ready to support Armenia’s defense reforms,” the defense ministry said after the meeting.

●  Siranush Sahakyan, legal representative of Armenian prisoners of war at the European Court of Human Rights, again accused Azerbaijan of gross violations of the rights of businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, former state minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, currently under arrest in Azerbaijan. Along with other former leaders of the unrecognized republic, he is charged with serious crimes: genocide, terrorism, and organizing the forcible displacement of civilians. In Armenia, this trial is described as a “judicial farce.” “Azerbaijani investigators and courts are conducting a one-sided, prearranged investigation, violating the guarantees of a fair trial,” said Sahakyan. She stated that the defendant was denied full access to case materials, and falsified records were included in the file. The case was also referred to a military tribunal, although Vardanyan is a civilian with no ties to military institutions. “He is denied basic rights and isolated from international support. This approach violates both Azerbaijani law and international standards of justice. It undermines the essence of the judicial process, showing it to be politically motivated and lacking any legitimacy,” said Sahakyan, calling on international organizations to demand that Azerbaijan fulfill its international obligations.

●  “Peace cannot be sustainable while 150,000 Armenians, displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, live in uncertainty,” said former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian during a visit to Washington. Along with Swiss parliamentarians, he presented a Swiss peace initiative on Nagorno-Karabakh to American partners. “Silence in response to their forced displacement and the dismantling of their self-governance system undermines international law and sets a dangerous precedent globally. The right of return is not a political concession but an obligation enshrined in UN conventions and human rights documents,” Oskanian said. The delegation held meetings with Vice President J.D. Vance’s team, members of the House and Senate, congressional staff, politicians, and civil society representatives.

●  Azerbaijani expert Tatevik Hayrapetyan suggests that during his meeting with Prime Minister Pashinyan in Abu Dhabi, Ilham Aliyev rejected the “American plan” for unblocking transport links in the South Caucasus. As reported earlier by the Carnegie Foundation, the US administration had proposed transferring control over those roads to be unblocked to a private American company. More details on the Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting here.

●  “France is ready to continue supporting Armenia,” said Gérard Larcher, President of the French Senate, during a meeting with Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonyan, who was on a working visit to Paris. Simonyan thanked France for supporting Armenia’s territorial integrity and assisting in economic matters. Democratic reforms in Armenia and the regional situation were also discussed.

●  In recent days, the price of liquefied gas in Armenia has risen by 20–25%, due to renewed issues at the Georgian border. Georgia is currently blocking trucks carrying liquefied gas imported by Armenia from crossing the border with Russia. Importers claim that all documentation is in order: “Trucks have been weighed, documents are in place, but for some unknown reason, the trucks are being denied entry into Armenia.” Previously, trucks carrying Armenian brandy exports were also delayed at the border. Armenian experts say the reasons for Georgia’s actions as a transit country may be political. More on this here.

●   A sit-in protest is taking place in Yerevan’s Freedom Square in support of Karabakh Armenians. In 2023, 150,000 people were relocated to Armenia after losing all their property in Nagorno-Karabakh. Protesters demand the government address the social challenges faced by displaced persons. The demands also include: the release of prisoners held in Baku, guarantees for collective and safe return to Nagorno-Karabakh, and protection of Armenian cultural and historical heritage. Police did not allow marchers or tents, but after long negotiations, protesters were permitted to use sleeping bags. Organizers say the protest will continue until their demands are met.

●  “The government’s anti-church campaign is a serious threat to statehood and national unity. It harms both the country’s and the church’s reputation,” said Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II during the annual gathering of clergy. He urged priests not to be drawn into confrontation, not to respond to government insults, but to explain the motives of this struggle against the church to their congregations. “The church cannot remain indifferent to attempts to rewrite history, the fate of Artsakh Armenians, and the Armenian captives in Baku,” he said.

Tensions between the church and the government began after the 2020 Karabakh war, when the church leadership demanded the government’s resignation. In recent months, the situation has worsened. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has publicly criticized the church on social media and even called for the Catholicos’s removal. Meanwhile, law enforcement claimed to have prevented a coup attempt allegedly involving high-ranking clergy. The standoff continues.

●  The Golden Apricot film festival has opened in Yerevan for the 22nd time. It began with the screening of “A Simple Event” by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, a film already honored with a Palme d’Or at Cannes. As in previous years, organizers replaced the traditional red carpet with handmade carpets crafted by local artisans (pictured below). This year’s festival carpet was designed by French artists Jean-François Dinckjian and Héloïse Chaffay. The festival runs through July 20 and features about 100 films from various countries. The international competition jury is chaired by César and Cannes award-winning director Abderrahmane Sissako.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 7-11 July, 2025