Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, top stories this morning

●  The ruling Georgian Dream party held meetings of its Political Council and parliamentary majority, attended by the party’s founder and honorary chairman, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. According to the officially released information, Ivanishvili reviewed a series of corruption-related arrests within the party’s ranks and said the problems had been overcome. Parliamentary majority leader Irakli Kirtskhalia and head of the government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara Zurab Pataradze were added to the Political Council as new members. Speaking to journalists, Kirtskhalia dismissed rumours that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze would soon resign. Kobakhidze himself said that no personnel matters had been discussed at the meetings, including the possible release from prison of former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, who was convicted of corruption. Read more here.

●  Several people convicted in the “4 October case” of 2025, concerning an alleged attempt to seize the Presidential Administration, have been released from Gldani prison under plea agreements.

●  The body of Lasha Broladze, a Georgian citizen killed while fighting against Russian forces in Ukraine, has been brought to Tbilisi. He will be buried in the village of Natanebi, in the Ozurgeti district.

● The European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia said it would no longer fund the country’s government because of the deterioration of democratic processes, but would continue supporting the population and allocate €38 million for new projects in 2026. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said that, with this statement, the European Union had effectively abolished Georgia’s statehood and that “this disgrace must soon be washed away”. On 17 October, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze proposed that the European Union begin an open and public dialogue at the political level.

● A court denied bail and remanded criminal underworld figures Vato Kipiani, Avtandil Bilanishvili, also known as “Katsro”, and Shota Kipiani in custody. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, on 14 October they beat a 65-year-old man at a restaurant in Tbilisi’s Vake district. They are charged with group violence, an offence carrying a prison sentence of up to two years. Bilanishvili is frequently described in the media as a friend of Bera Ivanishvili, the son of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is widely regarded as the country’s shadow ruler. The alleged links of all three suspects to elite circles have long been widely discussed in Georgian media and on social media, and their arrests have caused a major stir.

●  Nana Keinishvili, a member of the National Bank of Georgia’s board, has left her post amid an investigation into her activities. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the case was opened following testimony from executives of BitExchange, who accused her of illegal business activity. Keinishvili strongly rejects the accusations and says she stepped down to protect the interests of the state and the reputation of the National Bank.

●  On 16 October, Swiss Foreign Minister and current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis visited Georgia. Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili said that Georgia had applied to chair the OSCE in 2027. Cassis said that a broad consensus was needed for next year’s chairmanship and that the aim was to find a solution by the end of November, although he could not guarantee the outcome. Gigi Tsereteli, chairman of the opposition European Georgia party, described the government’s initiative as a PR stunt.

●  Kobakhidze met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Yerevan on the sidelines of the UN COP17 biodiversity conference. According to the Georgian prime minister, they discussed bilateral relations and the current situation in the Middle East. US Republican Congressman Joe Wilson commented on news of the meeting, describing the Georgian government as an “America-hating regime” and Iran as a “terrorist state”.

● Applications for a cash compensation programme for internally displaced persons (IDPs) will open on 19 October. According to the Ministry of Health, an IDP family that has not yet received housing or compensation from the state can receive 10,000 lari (around $4,000) for each family member. Applications will be accepted at court buildings until 2 November. Georgia’s independent Social Justice Center said that the programme’s low compensation amount could put families at risk of homelessness.

● Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said that during a meeting in Rome, he had explained to the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that the Georgian delegation would not participate in the assembly’s work as long as PACE continued to violate Georgia’s sovereignty.

● Tbilisi hosted the 44th “Saturday March” as part of the continuous pro-European protest movement that has been ongoing for almost two years. The march’s main slogan was “No torture in prisons!”, with participants demanding an end to degrading treatment in prisons and by the police. Former President Salome Zourabichvili joined the march and delivered a speech criticising the authorities’ intention to ban five opposition parties. The Constitutional Court is reportedly due to hear the ruling party’s lawsuit on 21–23 October. Watch all the videos in the “Protests in Georgia” podcast here.

● A major scandal continues over the municipal shelter for stray animals in the city of Gori. Footage posted on social media showed hundreds of puppies kept in a single cramped, dirty enclosure, reportedly with very little food and water. Dozens of animal rights activists arrived at the shelter, sparking mass protests. Many people took puppies home, while private shelters took in several dozen. Many of the animals were already seriously ill, and some died on the way. A number of veterinary clinics joined the rescue effort, offering free treatment to the rescued animals. Hundreds of appeals demanding immediate action have been posted on social media and in the media, calling on local authorities and the country’s leadership to investigate the situation.

● Azerbaijan marked Restoration of Independence Day on Sunday. Congratulations were extended to the country by the European Union Delegation, the embassies of the United Kingdom, Belgium, Ukraine, Latvia and the Netherlands, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry and the Organisation of Turkic States.

● Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated Azerbaijan on Restoration of Independence Day, writing on X: “We are always united, in sorrow and in joy.”

● On Sunday, Azerbaijan marked the sixth anniversary of taking control of the 13th-century Khudafarin Bridge over the Araz River, near the Azerbaijan–Iran border in the Jabrayil district, during the Second Karabakh War in 2020. Local media recalled that on 18 October 2020, two other historic villages in the same district were also liberated from more than 30 years of Armenian occupation.

● The hacking group “313 Team” has claimed responsibility for DDoS attacks carried out between 13 and 15 October against the information resources of Azerbaijani government agencies, media outlets and foreign diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan. The incident was reported by the National Cybersecurity Agency.

● The ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party announced that it had expelled Ramiz Mehdiyev, the detained former head of the Presidential Administration, from its ranks. He is accused of treason, attempting to seize power by force and laundering criminal proceeds.

● The Prosecutor’s Office announced that the investigation into the cases of detained opposition figures Ali Karimli and Mammad Ibrahim, leaders of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, had been completed. Their case was initially linked to the investigation into Ramiz Mehdiyev, but the proceedings were later separated. Karimli and Ibrahim have also been charged with attempting to seize power by force, an offence punishable by up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment. Both deny the charges and consider their prosecution politically motivated.

●  Turkish commentator Celal Çiftçi, who has been placed on Azerbaijan’s international wanted list, has apologised to the Azerbaijani state and people for his publications. He is accused of calling for the violent seizure of power in Azerbaijan and disseminating material inciting religious hatred and enmity. Çiftçi had protested against restrictions on wearing hijabs in Azerbaijani schools and posted on social media a video generated using artificial intelligence, showing an armed man in military uniform knocking over a street sign bearing an image of President Ilham Aliyev. In a post on X, Çiftçi wrote that he had “gone beyond what hehe intended to say” and acknowledged that “decisions about the future of Azerbaijan fall within the competence of the Azerbaijani people and the country’s own constitutional institutions”.

● A book entitled “Factors Creating Serious Difficulties for Students in Azerbaijani-Language Schools in Georgia in Learning Their Native Language” was presented in Tbilisi. Its author is Aygul Isayeva, head of the public organisation Maarif. Among the main problems she identified were the reduction in the number of native-language lessons, the abolition of the graduation examination in the subject, errors in textbook translations and a shortage of qualified teachers. The study notes that the suspension of admissions to the Azerbaijani Language and Literature programme at Ilia State University in 2006 had a negative impact on the training of qualified specialists.

● Mass brawls broke out before and after the Qarabag–Neftchi football match in Baku, and 19 people were detained. The match ended in a high-scoring 3–3 draw. The Disciplinary Committee of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan imposed fines on both clubs and ruled that their next home matches must be played behind closed doors.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 12-16 October, 2026