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

●  An investigation has been launched against one of the leaders of the “Coalition for Change,” Elene Khoshtaria (pictured below), over an inscription she wrote on an election banner of Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, who is running for the same position as the candidate of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party in the October 4 municipal elections. Khoshtaria wrote on the banner: “Russian Dream.” On social media, she posted: “Solidarity with Megi.”

A few days earlier, 23-year-old activist Megi Diasamidze was arrested for making the same inscription. She was released from the courtroom during the investigation on bail of 2,000 lari (about $700).

●  One of the leaders of the opposition party “United National Movement,” Levan Khabeishvili, has been kept under arrest as a preventive measure. The prosecutor’s office accuses him of publicly offering a bribe to officials for committing an unlawful act and of calling for the overthrow of state power. He faces a sentence of 4 to 7 years in prison.

●  Another party leader, Murtaz Zodelava, who was arrested along with him on September 11, was granted bail of 25,000 lari (about $8,000). He is accused of obstructing police officers who tried to seize Khabeishvili’s mobile phone during his arrest.

●  Prime Minister from the “Georgian Dream” party, Irakli Kobakhidze, commenting to journalists on Khabeishvili’s detention, called him a “decoded agent.”

●  Tbilisi Mayor and secretary-general of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party, Kakha Kaladze, warned of possible new arrests of opposition figures. “If anyone thinks that unlawful actions will go unanswered, they are very wrong. None of these crimes will remain without a response,” Kaladze told journalists.

Currently, six prominent figures of the Georgian opposition remain behind bars. They were sentenced to 7–8 months in prison for refusing to testify before a parliamentary commission investigating alleged crimes of the previous authorities, as they consider it and any other bodies created by the ruling “Georgian Dream” illegitimate. Initially, there were eight of them, but two leaders of “Lelo,” Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, were recently pardoned by a president from the party of Mikheil Kavelashvili. Those still in prison are Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Irakli Okruashvili, Zurab Japaridze, Nika Melia, and Givi Targamadze. Analytical review: “Boycott, protests, and hopes: municipal elections approach in Georgia”

●  Deputy speaker of parliament from the Georgian Dream party Gia Volsky accused the EU ambassador of “promoting the activity of extremist groups in Georgia.” He made this comment in response to meetings with young people that ambassador Paweł Herczyński held in the Guria region. “Herczyński received a specific task from the European bureaucracy to promote the activity of extremist groups – that is why he is meeting with people directly involved in extremist activities. The EU is providing financial and political support to those groups that portray the use of Molotov cocktails as heroism. What Herczyński is doing in Georgia does not correspond to any standard of bilateral relations or European standards,” Volsky said.

● President Ilham Aliyev spent the weekend in Karabakh and surrounding districts, meeting with local residents—formerly displaced persons—who have been able to return to their homes after the liberation of territories during the Second Karabakh War in 2020. “The scale of construction in Karabakh and Zangezur is unprecedented in the world. In five years, we have built cities, villages, bridges, tunnels, reservoirs, and power plants. All conditions have been created here for you: houses built and renovated, water, gas, electricity, heating, schools, medical centers, roads. The history of the past five years is a history of victory,” he said at a meeting in the Khojavend district.

It is reported that a total of about 20,000 Azerbaijanis—former internally displaced persons—have permanently returned to Karabakh and the East Zangezur region. Together with temporary workers, students, and faculty of Karabakh University, more than 50,000 people currently live in these two regions.

●  In the Fuzuli district, the president laid the foundation of the village of Garakhanbeyli. According to the press release, residents of Garakhanbeyli and Merdinli—villages destroyed during decades of Armenian occupation—will settle there. The project will be implemented in two stages. The first, to be completed next year, foresees the construction of 404 houses. The second stage, planned for 2027–2030, will cover 230 hectares with housing and modern infrastructure.

●  In the settlement of Hadrut, Khojavend district, Ilham Aliyev took part in the opening of a new mosque. In the city of Khankendi, he attended the inauguration of a new clinic at Karabakh University and a new academic building for the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

● At the same time as the president was in Khankendi, reports emerged that an armed provocation had been prevented there. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that a local resident, Karen Avanesyan, armed with an assault rifle and five grenades, “attempted to approach the site of an event.” When detained, he resisted, throwing three grenades and opening fire at police officers. He was wounded and detained by return fire. One police officer was injured in the operation, the ministry said. Whether this constituted an assassination attempt on President Aliyev has not been officially confirmed.

● Today, Azerbaijan marks the 107th anniversary of the arrival of the Caucasian Islamic Army under the command of Nuri Pasha in Baku and the city’s liberation from Bolshevik occupation. Turkish Chief of the General Staff Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu is expected to arrive in Azerbaijan to attend the memorial ceremonies.

●  In the city of Shusha, Karabakh, the first Assembly of the Union of Turkic World Insurers took place over the weekend. An inaugural declaration was adopted. The Union was founded in 2022 in Istanbul and includes insurance associations of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. Later, associations from Hungary, Turkmenistan, and Northern Cyprus joined as observers. The main goals are to systematically build connections and achieve sustainable and stable development in the insurance markets of brotherly countries.

● The Azerbaijan women’s national basketball team took second place in the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series.

● The 2026 U-17 World Wrestling Championships will be held in Baku. The decision was made at a meeting of the UWW (United World Wrestling) Executive Committee.

A grape and wine festival was held over the weekend in the village of Meysari, Shamakhi district. Photo AZERTAC

● The Armenian authorities will remove the image of Mount Ararat from visa stamps placed in passports upon entry to and exit from the country. The new stamp design was approved in a government decision adopted last Thursday. The rules will come into effect on November 1, 2025. Minister of labor and social affairs Arsen Torosyan explained: “The reasoning behind this decision is very simple: the stamps have been aligned with modern border-crossing requirements as well as with the ideology of Real Armenia. The new stamps will not contain any information or images beyond border-crossing data, as is the case with stamps worldwide. The stamp size has also been reduced so that passports can last longer for many travelers.”

On social media, people are asking whether this is a gesture toward Turkey. “Perhaps it was the price for Kılıç’s visit. Or maybe Erdoğan called in the morning and decided to inject another dose of humiliation just for fun,” opposition politician Artur Khachatryan said.

●  A delegation led by Armenian defense minister Suren Papikyan departed for China on a working visit.

● An 18-year-old Armenian gymnast has invented a new element and made history in world sports. Hamlet Manukyan performed a unique routine on the pommel horse, which received the official name “Manukyan,” during the World Challenge Cup gymnastics tournament in Paris (video). With this, the athlete joined the list of outstanding Armenian gymnasts who also became famous for creating new elements — Grant Shahinyan, Albert Azaryan, Artur Akopyan, Vaagn Stepanyan, Vaagn Davtyan, Houry Gebeshian, and Artur Davtyan.

● The Armenian journalists’ national team won the European media football championship in Lithuania. The Armenian team defeated Ukraine 2:0 and claimed the tournament’s main trophy.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 8-12 September, 2025