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

● Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has proposed holding a public display of the country’s weapons. He announced this during a meeting with voters in Kapan near the border with Azerbaijan. “I have already invited people and organized such demonstrations for those who were interested. But there are many people who want to see what we have achieved in this area, so we will present a report to the public. It will probably take place in May. We will show only the weapons purchased during our time in office, mostly after 2022. At the same time, we are doing this with an emphasis on peace and in the context of peace. We have no tensions with our neighbors and hope they will not see this as a sign of aggression,” Pashinyan said.

● The opposition criticized Pashinyan’s statement that Armenian Declaration of Independence (1990) is essentially a declaration of conflict. The document refers to a Soviet-era joint resolution of the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR and the National Council of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Azerbaijan titled “On the reunification of the Armenian SSR and Nagorno-Karabakh.” In Baku this is seen as a direct territorial claim against Azerbaijan. Pashinyan says this reference should be removed from the Constitution, arguing that “there is no scenario in which repeating these phrases at some point will not lead to conflict.”

“Essentially, the leader of Armenia is testifying against the country’s statehood, claiming that it was his country that provoked the conflict,” said political analyst Edmon Marukyan. Former president Robert Kocharyan stated that Pashinyan “is doing everything to ensure that peace is not guaranteed but instead depends on the mood of Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan.” Most of Armenia’s opposition is known for its pro-Russian orientation.

● Levon Kocharyan, a member of the opposition parliamentary faction “Armenia,” said that today the bloc will announce the format of its participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, as well as the party’s candidate for prime minister.

● House arrest has been extended for another month for Russian dollar billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who is accused of calling for the overthrow of state power in Armenia. Karapetyan has been named the prime ministerial candidate of his party “Strong Armenia” in case it wins the June parliamentary elections. His lawyer argues that “extending the arrest is a direct interference in the electoral process and violates the conditions of fair political competition.”

● Residents of Kentron District, Yerevan held a protest demanding repairs on Verin Antarain Street. One participant told journalists that three years ago residents paved the street themselves at their own expense, but it has now fallen into poor condition again.

● A scandal has erupted around the Armenian music award Khazer Music Awards. Several nominated artists publicly refused to participate without explaining their reasons. Singer Brunette said her name appeared on the nominees’ list without her permission. Singer Iveta Mukuchyan stated that she had informed the organizers last year that she did not intend to take part and had forbidden the use of her name in any campaigns.

● The court proceedings in the MeydanTV case continue, in which 12 journalists have been arrested. At the latest hearing, editor-in-chief Aynur Elgunesh again said the charges of money laundering, illegal entrepreneurship, smuggling, and tax evasion are absurd. She stressed that all the arrested journalists are being punished for critical reporting about the authorities.

One of the defendants, Ulvi Tahirov, deputy director of the Baku School of Journalism, protested against journalists being described as an “organized group.” He said the school under his leadership worked to improve journalists’ professional qualifications.

The defendants submitted several motions. Journalist Nurlan Libre said he has been on a hunger strike for 56 days, has developed health problems, and asked to be transferred to a medical unit. The court partially granted the request, deciding to send a letter to the detention facility to conduct a medical examination and, if necessary, transfer him to a penitentiary medical institution.

Shamshad Agha, editor-in-chief of the website argument.az, requested that his testimony be broadcast live on Public Television of Azerbaijan during questioning. He said he wanted to respond to what he described as a smear campaign against him. The court rejected the motion.

The next hearing in the MeydanTV case is scheduled for April 3.

● The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan posted a statement on X (Twitter) marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia on March 15. “Discrimination and hatred against people because of their faith undermine the fundamental principles of human dignity. Such prejudice has no place in our societies. […] Islam is based on the values of peace, compassion, justice, and solidarity. Distorting the image of Islam or stigmatizing it is unacceptable,” the statement said.

● The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia discussed the security situation in the Middle East in a phone call. They emphasized the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region and the inadmissibility of strikes against neighboring states.

● Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestler Elmin Aliyev (82 kg) won a gold medal at the European U-23 Wrestling Championships in Zrenjanin, Serbia. In the final he defeated Tornike Mikeladze of Georgia 3:2. It is the third gold medal for the Azerbaijani team. Earlier titles were won by Ali Tsokaev (92 kg) and Gunay Gurbanova (59 kg).

● The opposition party Lelo – Strong Georgia has called on the government and the opposition to begin negotiations. One of the party’s leaders, Irakli Kupradze, said the current political crisis should be resolved through responsible political talks and an agreement on new, free and fair parliamentary elections.

● Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the main condition for dialogue with the opposition is recognition of the legitimacy of the Georgian Dream government and its jurisdiction across the country. “They have not recognized the authorities elected by the people since 2020; this is a systemic problem,” Kobakhidze said. He added that he sees no possibility of dialogue with the new alliance of nine opposition parties because “their founding manifesto explicitly spoke about overthrowing the allegedly illegitimate regime.”

Most of the Georgian opposition and many people in society do not recognize the results of the 2024 parliamentary elections, calling them falsified. Accordingly, they refuse to recognize as legitimate the institutions and decisions of the victorious Georgian Dream. After its recent visit to Georgia, a delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly said the lack of political dialogue is one of the main obstacles to resolving the country’s problems. The president of the Assembly urged the authorities and the opposition to engage in “direct communication and constructive interaction.”

● The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) has presented a detailed analysis of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism report on the critical state of human rights in Georgia. The document covers the period from spring 2024 to the present and describes systemic violations: violence, damage to freedom of assembly and expression, a crisis in civil society, problems with judicial independence, and threats to political pluralism. The report also widely references international legal tools typically considered only in the most serious cases — from universal jurisdiction to the Hague court. Read more here.

● Foreign Minister of Georgia Maka Bochorishvili said on the pro-government channel Imedi TV — which is under United Kingdom sanctions — that the report prepared under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism had been written in advance. According to Bochorishvili, the Polish expert who authored the report ignored the government’s arguments, even though he was received at the highest level and held all the meetings he had requested with representatives of the Georgian government. “He prepared a 90-page report in just two days, which itself raises doubts — whether it is physically possible to process such a large amount of material in that time. Of course, this created suspicions that the report had been prepared in advance,” Bochorishvili said.

● The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association announced it is switching to a crisis mode of operation amid the severe human rights situation and recent legislative changes. The organization will temporarily continue working only on strategic litigation and will have to limit several programs, including free legal aid.

● The release of arrested participants of pro-European protests has become the main slogan of the ongoing protest movement. During another large march on Saturday, many participants held portraits of more than 50 arrested and convicted activists.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 9-13 March, 2026