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

●  A new statement from the European Parliament was published on X: “Georgia cannot join the EU until its government changes its authoritarian course. The European Parliament stands with the Georgian people. Parliament does not recognise Georgia’s current government and says the country’s EU path is effectively suspended until fair elections take place.” On July 9, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Georgia, urging EU member states to consider additional restrictive measures beyond current sanctions, including cutting access to SWIFT and imposing sanctions aimed at “shutting down revenue sources of the Georgian Dream regime.”

●  EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski: “The Georgian authorities have time until the end of August to respond and take action. Ending repression, releasing those unjustly detained, repealing repressive laws, and ensuring open dialogue is the only way to resolve the current crisis and return Georgia to its EU path. There is a risk that the most tangible benefit of European integration – visa-free travel for all Georgian citizens – will soon be lost. Such a decision does not require unanimity among all EU member states; a qualified majority is enough (15 out of 27 member states representing at least 65% of the EU population).

March 28, 2017, was the first day Georgian citizens could travel to the Schengen Area without a visa. It was the Georgian Dream government that proudly celebrated this milestone. It was a truly historic day and recognition of the progress Georgia had made. Unfortunately, especially after Georgia officially became an EU candidate country in December 2023, the Georgian authorities have taken steps that reversed democratic progress despite repeated EU calls to change course.

As for Georgian Dream’s claims that the EU is “blackmailing” Georgia by offering a “choice between visa-free travel and peace and stability,” and the comparison of Brussels to Soviet-era Moscow, all I can say is that one of the reasons Georgia moved closer to the EU – including the visa-free regime – was precisely the recognition of that difference. I hope Georgian citizens can make their own judgments,” Herczynski said.

●  Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili condemned the EU for “still not apologising for its false statements regarding Mikheil Saakashvili,” the former Georgian president sentenced to 12 years in prison. “Brussels tried to secure his release by claiming he supposedly ‘suffers from dementia.’ These attacks went on for about two years – targeting Georgian courts, the Justice Ministry, and Parliament. Some NGOs funded from Brussels distributed fake medical reports, claiming ‘the government wants to kill Saakashvili on Russia’s orders.’ The Strasbourg court put an end to this issue. Saakashvili became the first person in the world to recover from dementia. But has anyone heard an apology from Brussels or its ambassador? No. In the end, these false accusations laid the foundation for the lies being spread today against Georgia’s leadership,” Papuashvili wrote on Facebook.

●  In the first half of the year, Georgian businessmen donated nearly 7 million lari (around \$2.5 million) to the ruling Georgian Dream party. Many of them are connected to the coastal Adjara region or do business there. This was reported by local media citing open sources.

●   TV Pirveli claims it has identified the prisoner who severely beat former adviser to Bidzina Ivanishvili (seen as Georgia’s shadow ruler), Giorgi Bachiashvili, in prison, leaving him in a wheelchair. The attacker is named as 28-year-old Kaha Metreveli. Journalists allege he is linked to criminal circles, had served almost his entire 10-year sentence, and was due for release in August, but is now in a prison hospital. Bachiashvili co-founded an investment fund with Ivanishvili but later became a harsh critic. He was accused of embezzling \$42.7 million in crypto investments belonging to Ivanishvili. He fled the country but was detained and forcibly brought back to Tbilisi. Bachiashvili claims he was beaten to force him to give access to his bank and crypto accounts. The Justice Ministry and penitentiary service have not commented. The official version calls it a routine prisoner conflict. Read more here

●  Tbilisi in global cost-of-living rankings: According to the international price analysis platform Numbeo, living in Tbilisi is more expensive than in Baku, Minsk, or Kyiv, but cheaper than in Yerevan, Istanbul, Belgrade, or Moscow. The portal estimates an individual in Tbilisi needs about \$630 per month to live, excluding rent if they already have housing.

●  The animal monitoring agency has denied reports circulating in the media and social networks about a rabies vaccine shortage in Tbilisi. It said citizens can still have their animals vaccinated at the municipal shelter.

Pro-European march in Tbilisi. For almost eight months, mass protests have continued with demands for new fair parliamentary elections and the release of all arrested protest participants:

●  The 3rd Global Media Forum is taking place in Karabakh. Its theme is “Digital Transitions: Strengthening Information and Media Resilience in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Around 140 foreign guests from 52 countries are attending, including representatives of over 30 news agencies.

●  Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke at the opening in Khankendi. The session was moderated by Euronews Middle East bureau chief Jane Witherspoon. Aliyev’s discussion with journalists lasted nearly three hours. Key points:

• Investment in transport and logistics: Billions of dollars have been invested; Azerbaijan built the largest international trade port on the Caspian Sea and a railway connecting it to Turkey via Georgia. There is also ongoing digitization and simplified customs processes—partly due to shifting regional geopolitics.
• Zangezur Corridor: This proposed land route would connect Azerbaijan to its exclave, Nakhchivan, via Armenian territory. This proposed land route would connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory. Yerevan insists on retaining control over its section, while Baku demands an extraterritorial corridor with no checks on the Armenian side. Aliyev said Azerbaijan will complete its railway segment by spring 2026 and expects 15 million tons of cargo at the initial stage.
• On the alleged plan to lease the Zangezur Corridor to an American company: “There will be no operator, no lease, no rental on our territory. We are doing everything ourselves. What Armenia wants to do – I don’t know. They invited so-called European observers, who are actually a group of well-trained spies. They spied on us and, by the way, recently also spied on Iran. What matters to us is having uninterrupted and secure access from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan. Our cargo and our citizens must not encounter Armenian border guards or anyone else. I remember during Soviet times, on this very stretch of Zangezur, Armenians would throw stones at the windows of trains carrying commercial goods from Baku to Nakhchivan — and that was under strict discipline and punitive mechanisms of the time. We cannot risk the lives and health of our people. So there must be no physical contact. This is a completely legitimate demand.”
• Criticism of Armenia: “On the Armenian side of the Zangezur corridor, no work has been done over the past five years. If they continue to block this process, I believe they will end up not only in the transport isolation they are already experiencing today, but also to some extent in political isolation.”
• China-Azerbaijan freight growth: A railway is being built from China through Central Asia to the Caspian, with Baku port as a key hub feeding into the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and further on to the Mediterranean.
• Green energy: Azerbaijan is involved in two major submarine cable projects to export green electricity—one via the Caspian Sea (with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan), and one under the Black Sea (with Georgia, Romania, and Hungary).
• Gas to Europe: “Europe now needs more gas from Azerbaijan, and we are increasing supplies. In 2021, it was 8 billion cubic meters; now it’s 13 billion. That’s half of our total gas exports. But to provide additional volumes, European institutions need to take a pragmatic approach. European banks no longer finance fossil fuel-related projects. They must change their policy so we can attract funds to expand our capacity. Let’s work as a team.”
• New U.S. ties: “The previous US administration practically destroyed US-Azerbaijan relations — all because we restored our sovereignty and territorial integrity. We see great potential for a strong partnership with the United States. We’ve received very positive signals from Washington. Signals from Azerbaijan have also been very positive. Donald Trump is actively involved in the process in the South Caucasus and is doing tremendous work to help Azerbaijan and Armenia find a solution to the long-standing conflict. I believe we’ll have more good news in the future.”
• Meeting with Armenian PM in Abu Dhabi: “During a long discussion, one of the topics we addressed was the very low level of trust between the sides. Prime Minister Pashinyan said (after the meeting) that they should have recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan earlier. They should have. I told them that — in 2018 and in 2019. I said it, I warned them it would get worse. Our position has never changed. Just as I said in 2003 that Karabakh is our land, I have repeated the same over these 22 years. But the Armenian position kept changing. And what guarantee is there that it won’t change again? Such a guarantee must come in the form of international legal documents that will, as I said in Abu Dhabi, slam shut the coffin lid on separatism. For that, the OSCE Minsk Group must be dissolved, as it was created for the Karabakh conflict, which is now over. And Armenia’s constitution must be amended to remove the declaration of independence that includes territorial claims against Azerbaijan. That’s basically all. The text of the peace agreement has been agreed.”
• Peace treaty with Armenia: Negotiations stalled for over two years due to Armenian attempts to include the Karabakh issue. Talks resumed in 2024, and a draft treaty was agreed upon. Aliyev said Armenia only accepted the terms after Trump’s victory. “I told Mr. Pashinyan: “You were probably hoping that Madam Harris would win, and you’d be back on your ‘white horse’ — but that didn’t happen.” Personally, I am absolutely convinced that if Trump hadn’t won, they wouldn’t have agreed, because they wanted to take more than they deserved and more than they could handle.”
• About the crash of the Azerbaijani passenger plane in December, when it came under fire from Russian air defense systems.  “We haven’t received any response from Russian officials, even though seven months have passed. We know what happened and can prove it – and we also know that Russian officials know what happened. The question is: why don’t they do what any neighbor would do? Our demands are entirely natural: to admit responsibility for the crash, to punish those who shot down our plane, and to pay compensation to the families of the victims, the injured, and to AZAL for the loss of the aircraft. We will not forget this. We have informed Russia that we are preparing a portfolio of documents to submit to the international legal system. We know this may take time. In the case of the Malaysian Boeing, it took more than 10 years, so we will wait 10 years. But justice must prevail. Unfortunately, this uncertain situation does not help bilateral relations between Russia and Azerbaijan.”
• Advice to Ukraine: “Never agree to occupation,” Aliyev stated, urging Ukraine to follow Azerbaijan’s example of creating new realities rather than accepting imposed ones.
• ●  Ukrainian journalist Olena Gurbanova presented President Aliyev with patches from Ukrainian armed forces. Azerbaijani MP Oleksiy Honcharenko shared the video. Aliyev thanked her and said, “Keep it up.” (Watch the video below)
• ●  Presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev accused major foreign media of disinformation against Azerbaijan, using deepfake technology and spreading false narratives about Karabakh and religion, often supported by Armenian diaspora groups.
• ●  Azerbaijan declined to attend the CIS Economic Council meeting in Moscow. Hajiyev cited scheduling issues, denying any link to current Azerbaijan–Russia relations.

●  “There are no signs that Armenia is planning to leave the CIS, just as Azerbaijan isn’t either. I completely rule out that scenario,” said CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev in an interview with TASS. The issue of Armenia leaving the CIS arose after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan mentioned a possible exit from another Russian-led integration structure—the CSTO military bloc. Azerbaijan’s possible departure came under discussion because its delegation did not attend the latest meeting of the CIS Economic Council. However, Lebedev stated that the absence of Azerbaijan’s representatives “is a temporary episode, and the situation will soon return to normal.”

●  Last week saw an increase in contact between Armenian and Iranian officials. They discussed the unblocking of regional communications. Reportedly, the activity is linked to a U.S. proposal recently presented to Yerevan and Baku. Washington suggests outsourcing the road that will connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan exclave to an American private company. This, reportedly, is causing concern in Iran.

●  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a phone call. They reportedly discussed bilateral, regional, and international issues. Pashinyan invited the Iranian president to Armenia for an official visit.

●  The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure filed a complaint with the Public Services Regulatory Commission regarding “public dissatisfaction” with the company managing Armenia’s power grid. The company is owned by Russian-Armenian dollar billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who has been under arrest since June 18 on charges of public calls to seize power. The commission found grounds to review the case and appointed a new interim manager—Romanos Petrosyan, a member of the ruling party and former head of the State Oversight Service. Previously, the parliament adopted legislative amendments allowing for the potential nationalization of this strategic enterprise. Read more here

●  The Public Services Regulatory Commission decided that the new manager of Electric Networks of Armenia will receive the same salary as the current CEO. The amount was not disclosed, but the company finds it inappropriate that it has to pay for the manager’s salary if the company may soon be transferred to state ownership. The company’s leadership has declared the situation entirely political. “If this isn’t political, then why was one of the ruling party’s most prominent figures—who has no professional experience or a single day working at the company—appointed as manager?” said acting CEO David Ghazinyan. He also stated that the current leadership does not intend to resign and “will continue to ensure normal operations, protect consumers’ interests, and uphold the rights of the owner.”

●  A court ordered the two-month detention of former MP and member of the “Dashnaktsutyun” party Ruben Akopyan. He is accused of publicly calling for the overthrow of the government. Specifically, Akopyan said: “We must drive the authorities out at any cost. ‘At any cost’ means an uprising, creating suicide squads, and driving them out.” The statement was made live from the National Assembly tribune during hearings organized by the parliamentary opposition.

●  Law enforcement in Armenia prevented Russian military personnel from kidnapping 25-year-old contract soldier Semyon Subbotin, who refused to fight in the war against Ukraine and relocated to Armenia in 2024 with the help of the “Go to the Woods” project.
Russia placed him on a wanted list for desertion. Subbotin learned that individuals had come to Armenia to capture him and contacted the police in Yerevan. He was detained for 72 hours, during which Armenian authorities notified Moscow to submit the necessary extradition documents. Since Russia failed to do so in time, he was released. Russian military personnel arrived at the detention facility to retrieve him, but Armenian police refused to hand him over. Local media report that Subbotin is safe and that no official extradition request has been received. According to human rights advocates, if Russia does not file a request within 40 days, the search will be annulled.

●  Armenia’s armed forces held a nationwide qualification competition called “Dyutsazn” (translated as “hero” or “strongman”). Servicemen from various units participated. Those who passed all the challenges earned the right to wear black berets. The aim of the contest is to identify the most prepared soldiers.

●  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan posted three Facebook updates related to an incident that occurred during a Coldplay concert.
The livestream captured the CEO of American tech company Astronomer with a female employee, leading to global media speculation about an extramarital affair. In all three posts, Pashinyan connected this story to the Catholicos of All Armenians, accusing him of breaking his vow of celibacy. Pashinyan claims Catholicos Karekin II has a child and demands he step down. “The CEO of Astronomer resigned because the company considers marital values fundamental. According to the Armenian Apostolic Church, a celibate monk is married to the Church and must not have other personal relationships. Ktrich Nersisyan [secular name of the Catholicos], who broke his vow, still refuses to vacate the Catholicosate, thus desecrating our holiest of holy sites – the Mother See. Therefore, Ktrich Nersisyan is calling on us, faithful followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to liberate the Catholicosate from him. We will do this together. Be ready,” wrote Pashinyan.

●  The international “Golden Apricot” film festival concluded in Yerevan (pictured below). The Grand Prize, known as the “Golden Apricot,” went to Igor Bezinović’s feature film Fiume or Death. The “Silver Apricot” was awarded to Holy Electricity by Tato Kotetishvili. A special prize went to Songs of a Slowly Burning Heart by Olga Zhurba.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 14-18 July, 2025