LIVE: Key morning headlines from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia

● The ruling Civil Contract party of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan won 64 of 105 seats in the new parliament elected on June 7. This gives the party a 3/5 constitutional majority, allowing it to form the government on its own. However, it does not hold a 2/3 qualified majority, which imposes certain limitations.

● According to the final results announced by the Central Election Commission, the distribution of seats among other parties is as follows:

• The pro-Russian opposition bloc “Strong Armenia” (linked to Russian-Armenian oligarch Samvel Karapetyan, who is currently under arrest in Armenia over calls to overthrow the government) – 29 seats.

• The pro-Russian opposition bloc “Armenia” (led by former President Robert Kocharyan) – 12 seats.

• The pro-Russian “Prosperous Armenia” party (led by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan) failed to pass the 4% threshold and did not enter parliament.

● Six opposition parties declared the elections invalid, according to a joint statement published on Facebook by Samvel Karapetyan. The statement claims the elections were held under conditions of abuse of administrative resources, political pressure on the opposition, manipulation in the information space, and alleged irregularities in vote counting.

● Prosperous Armenia held a protest outside the Central Election Commission, expressing distrust in the process of certifying the 2026 parliamentary election results. The party continues to demand a review of results in several precincts, saying: “This is not a fight for one party’s interests, it is a fight for justice.”

● MP candidate from the “Strong Armenia” bloc Aram Vardevanyan spoke outside the CEC, saying the election results should be annulled. He stated that evidence of large-scale violations had been submitted to the commission.

● Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan and Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev discussed the peace agenda in Dilijan. The Azerbaijani delegation entered Armenia via a delimited and demarcated section of the land border after completing the necessary procedures. The meeting emphasized the importance of continuing bilateral dialogue to strengthen long-term peace and stability in the region, including confidence-building measures between civil societies. Footage of Grigoryan and Hajiyev walking together in Dilijan circulated on social media. It was agreed that their next meeting will take place in Azerbaijan.

● Former President Robert Kocharyan was prevented from leaving the country. According to his office, he was stopped at border control at Yerevan airport without explanation while attempting to travel to Moscow for a three-day private visit. His office dismissed claims that he was trying to flee, saying: “If it occurs to anyone in the Azerbaijani president’s entourage that Robert Kocharyan could flee the country, they are gravely mistaken.”

● By agreement between the Prime Minister’s office and the Foreign Ministry with the Turkish side, four Armenian trucks crossed the Margara border checkpoint on June 12, delivering humanitarian aid to Lebanon via Turkey. The cargo totaled 80 tons, including 38 tons of medicine and hygiene supplies and 42 tons of food.

● DW reports that the United States has deported citizens of Armenia, Georgia, and Turkey to the Central African Republic.

● Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on his 80th birthday, writing on X: “We look forward to concluding even more historic deals with your administration.”

● A court has restricted the rights of political analyst Alen Gevondyan, who is accused of calling for the violent overthrow of the government. He was detained on Friday, but the court took into account his request for release under conditions. He is prohibited from making publications, attending public gatherings, and using social media.

● Today, June 15, Azerbaijan marks National Salvation Day. The date is linked to events that took place 33 years ago, when on June 15, 1993, Heydar Aliyev (the father of the current president) was elected Speaker of the Milli Majlis and outlined a strategy for the future development of Azerbaijani statehood. According to official accounts, two years after independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country was facing the threat of civil war and disintegration amid a large-scale rebellion led by Colonel Suret Huseynov in Ganja. Azerbaijan was ultimately saved from that crisis.

● A working meeting between Presidential Assistant Hikmet Hajiyev and Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan took place in Dilijan, Armenia, on Sunday. The sides discussed efforts to advance lasting peace and stability, maintain bilateral dialogue, and promote confidence-building measures between the civil societies of both countries. Hajiyev and Grigoryan confirmed that their next meeting will be held in Azerbaijan.

● Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with Ben Black, head of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The discussions focused on prospects for Azerbaijani-American cooperation in energy, transport and transit, high technology, and investment. The parties also discussed details of the TRIPP transit project, known as the “Trump Route,” which would provide a transport link through Armenia between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave.

● A visit by senior Vatican officials to Azerbaijan is beginning at the invitation of Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the Caucasus Muslim Board. Arriving in Baku today are Cardinal John Jacob Kuvakad, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and Father Laurent Basanese, head of its Islamic Affairs Office. The announcement was made by Archbishop Marek Solczynski, the Vatican’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. He said relations between Azerbaijan and the Vatican serve as an example for the world and expressed confidence that the visit would create new opportunities for cooperation. “Azerbaijan helps restore many works of art and historical buildings in the Vatican. Our relations are at a very high level. We also have new plans and projects,” Solczynski said. The visit will last until June 19 and includes visits to the Catholic church in Baku, Albanian churches in Gabala and Sheki, the House of Tolerance in Icherisheher, the Heydar Mosque in Baku, as well as meetings with members of the public and deputies of the Milli Majlis.

●  President Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to U.S. President Donald Trump on the occasion of his 80th birthday. The letter states that the signing of the Strategic Partnership Charter between Azerbaijan and the United States elevated bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level. Aliyev expressed confidence that joint efforts to deepen friendship and reliable partnership between the two countries, as well as to expand effective cooperation in all areas, would continue successfully.

●  In the same letter, Ilham Aliyev also thanked Trump “for his determination in advancing the peace agenda in the South Caucasus.” “The trilateral joint declaration signed by us in Washington in your presence, as well as the initialed Agreement on Peace and the Establishment of Interstate Relations with Armenia, are the result of your consistent peacebuilding efforts,” Aliyev wrote.

● The Azerbaijani government has repatriated 23 citizens from Syria — 7 women and 16 children. They have been placed in a social services facility and, after completing rehabilitation programs, will be returned to their places of residence. The agency noted that more than 600 Azerbaijani citizens have been brought back from Syria with government assistance over the past several years.

● The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and Transparency International Georgia have alleged systemic violence against citizens by law enforcement agencies, commenting on a report aired by TV Pirveli. The footage reportedly shows several police officers beating a detainee inside a police station. Read and watch more here

● Fifth President Salome Zurabishvili said: “The regime is coming to an end, guarantees of safety for law enforcement and corrupt officials are disappearing, and the time has come for national unity and a united front.”

●  Ruling party MP Nikoloz Samkharadze said Georgian Dream is seeking to elevate relations with the United States to a new, unprecedented level and to develop a new mutually beneficial agreement instead of restoring the old strategic partnership.

● Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will pay an official visit to Georgia this week.

● Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze spoke at the presentation of a documentary on para-athletes, noting that participation in the sector has grown from 3 to 300 athletes, and thanked the ruling party’s founder, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, and his Cartu Foundation for supporting its development.

● A teenager was swept away by a whirlpool while swimming in a lake in the village of Chachkhiala. His father tried to save him but drowned in the attempt. The teenager survived and is not in life-threatening condition.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 9-12 June, 2026