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

● At Tbilisi airport, well-known businessman Giorgi Ramishvili, owner of Silknet – one of the largest telecommunications companies—was detained. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the arrest was made as part of an investigation into illegal possession and carrying of firearms. Ramishvili is the founder of the Silk Road group. He also serves as chairman of the supervisory board of Silknet, the founder of the TV company Euronews Georgia. Giorgi Ramishvili’s name is linked to various business projects of the previous government, the most notable being the construction of Trump Tower and the development of 16 hotels on the Black Sea coast. More details here.

● The fifth president of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, issued a statement regarding this arrest. “After activists, journalists, and political leaders, arrests are now targeting big business. Giorgi Ramishvili is the owner of one of the main internet networks, founder of Euronews Georgia, and a former business partner of Donald Trump,” Zourabichvili wrote on X.

● U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan told the Georgian edition of Radio Liberty details about the relationship between Georgia’s current authorities and Donald Trump’s administration. “The leadership of Georgian Dream handed me a letter for the U.S. presidential administration. It was not a public letter, but full of threats, insults, and reckless statements. It was very poorly received in Washington,” the ambassador said. She also noted that “the U.S. demands that would restore relations with Georgia to a normal path are very simple. One of them is to stop the anti-American rhetoric. There are many things that Georgian Dream says about the U.S. that are not true. The claim that we tried to open a second front in Georgia is false; that my predecessor tried to provoke a revolution here is false; that our strategic partnership is only on paper is false; that my government recalled me from my ambassador post—also false. And that is only part of the list of lies,” Robin Dunnigan said.

● Georgia will be discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting scheduled for July 15, 2025, in Brussels. However, according to the official agenda, the discussion will only take place in the format of an exchange of views. This means that at this stage no specific decisions or special measures regarding Georgia are planned. On the list of discussion topics, Georgia is listed third, after points on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

●  Unexpectedly, Mirza Kezevadze, deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Tasks Department, resigned. He is under sanctions by the United Kingdom. The United States also included him, along with former Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, on the Magnitsky list. In addition, Mirza Kezevadze is sanctioned by Germany, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. This is not the first high-profile resignation in the security forces. On June 10, Zviad Kharazishvili, the head of special forces with a notorious negative reputation, who is also under multiple international sanctions, was dismissed.

● A deep split has emerged within the opposition after the coalition “Lelo – Strong Georgia” announced it would participate in the municipal elections in October. “We will fight the de facto government on its de facto playing field,” said coalition leader Irakli Kupradze. Earlier, eight opposition parties declared a boycott of these elections, believing that Georgian Dream has already seized all the levers of power and that participation in the elections would not bring victory but only legitimize the current authorities. Now, the opposition has sharply criticized the “Lelo – Strong Georgia” coalition, even calling them traitors. More details here.

●  Student movements involved in the ongoing pro-European protests lasting more than seven months strongly condemned the decision of the “Lelo – Strong Georgia” coalition and promised to “begin exposing” its leaders.

Photo by David Pipia, JAMnews. At the pro-European protest in Tbilisi. The poster calls for the “resignation of the Russian government in Georgia” and features the words “Glory to Georgia!”

● The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published the communiqué adopted at the 17th summit of the Organization of Economic Cooperation of Central Asia and the Middle East (ECO), held in Khankendi, Karabakh. Key messages:

• • At the initiative of president Ilham Aliyev, several forums were held before the summit in Karabakh and nearby regions: the ECO Youth Forum in Aghdam, the ECO Women’s Forum in Lachin, and the 6th Business Forum in Shusha.
• • The large-scale reconstruction efforts in the Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur regions, liberated from Armenian occupation, were praised.
• • The right of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia to return to their native lands was reaffirmed.
• • Economic resilience and climate change adaptation were defined as key future priorities for ECO.
• • The “Zero Emissions” environmental initiative by Azerbaijan’s vice president Mehriban Aliyeva and Turkish First Lady Emine Erdoğan was highlighted.
• • The launch of the ECO Clean Energy Center and the expansion of the ECO Research Center were praised.
• • Support was expressed for strengthening the ECO Investment initiative, the Chamber of Commerce Council, the ECO Trade and Development Bank, and the creation of a shared information space.
• • The significance of the 2026 World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku was emphasized.

●  “The text of the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been finalized. After 30 years of conflict, a historic opportunity has emerged for lasting peace in the South Caucasus,” said Elchin Amirbekov, special representative of the president of Azerbaijan, in an interview with Mundo Internacional during a visit to Mexico. He noted remaining obstacles, including Armenia’s constitution containing territorial claims and the need to abolish the OSCE Minsk Group, which he said has outlived its relevance.

● Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is on an official visit to Azerbaijan.

● Russian rhetoric toward Azerbaijan is shifting — from sharp criticism to positive assessments. LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky said: “They tried to drive a wedge between us and Azerbaijan during the Karabakh conflict. But Azerbaijan is now a strategic partner that has never let us down. President Ilham Aliyev is one of our most reliable partners.”

● Pro-government outlet Report published dispatches from its correspondent in Berezyna, a village in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region near the Belarusian border that was hit by explosions. Five people were reportedly killed and 30 injured. Report notes that two affected gas stations and adjacent stores belonged to SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state oil company. It is assumed the attack may have been carried out by Russian sabotage groups.

● Azerbaijani media are quoting a statement from Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, which says that “the Kremlin has accelerated the build-up of its military base in Gyumri, Armenia, with the goal of exerting military-political pressure on the South Caucasus countries.” “The personnel at the base is increasing, with recruits coming from Russian servicemen in the Rostov and Volgograd regions, as well as from occupied Crimea. In addition, Russia is actively recruiting volunteers in North Ossetia and Adygea,” the HUR statement says. “The deployment of Russian troops in Armenia is part of the Kremlin’s broader strategy aimed at destabilizing global security. Moscow is expanding its military presence in the Caucasus. The deterioration in relations between Azerbaijan and Russia was likely being prepared in advance,” said the agency’ representative Andriy Yusov.

● The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan expressed condolences to the United States over the deaths of more than 50 people in the flooding in Texas.

● One of Azerbaijan’s opposition leaders, Tofig Yagublu, who has been sentenced to nine years in prison, sent a letter from jail criticizing the government’s decision to keep the country’s land borders closed for over five years. “Now, sycophantic MPs and experts cite the war between Israel and Iran to portray the border closures as a far-sighted policy by Ilham Aliyev. But this decision has poisoned the lives of millions of our citizens, as well as our compatriots in neighboring countries,” Yagublu wrote. He says that similar propaganda was used after Russia launched its military aggression against Ukraine: “These same people claimed that, had the land borders been open, an army of Ukrainian refugees would have flooded into Azerbaijan, causing serious problems. These claims are absurd—because that would mean Ilham Aliyev knew long in advance that Russia would invade Ukraine and Israel would attack Iran.” Yagublu pointed to the examples of Georgia and Kazakhstan, arguing that “tens of thousands of wealthy Russians who fled there ended up helping to strengthen those countries’ economies.”

● The Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA), operating under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has invested \$34,000 in a project to establish a Youth Leadership and Innovation Center in Kenya, according to the state agency APA.

●  In Khankendi, Karabakh, 250 people are now employed at a textile factory built through Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan cooperation. The number of employees is expected to reach 500.

● “Around 6,000 people will be resettled in the village of Khydyrly in Aghdam district, liberated from Armenian occupation after the Second Karabakh War. Construction of 1,498 individual houses and infrastructure is underway,” said Leila Syarabi, press secretary for the Aghdam-Fizuli-Khojavend administrative service, in a comment to Report.

● A five-level railway and bus terminal is being constructed in Khankendi on the right bank of the Karkar River (pictured below). According to local media, the 6.4-hectare complex will include riverfront promenades, bridges, an underpass, parking, EV charging stations, and a bike path. The terminals are expected to serve 800–1,200 passengers per day.

● Azerbaijan’s freestyle wrestling team won second place at the U20 European Championships with 133 points. Georgia placed first (164 points), and Ukraine third (81 points).

● Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sharply criticized a statement by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Main Intelligence Directorate, which claimed that Russia is allegedly expanding its military presence in Armenia, specifically “accelerating the reinforcement of its Gyumri military base to exert military-political pressure on the South Caucasus countries.” MFA spokesperson Ani Badalyan responded: “In response to some fabricated news in the press, we reaffirm our principled position: Armenia’s territory cannot be used by third countries to conduct military actions against any neighboring state.”

● “Armenia needs a new constitution approved by a public referendum so that the people can truly feel it’s theirs,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated at an event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the constitution. “Serious experts drafted the constitution, but what should have happened through the freely expressed will of the people didn’t actually happen. That’s why people don’t feel part of the process,” he said.

● The MFA criticized Turkish President Erdoğan’s claim that “Armenia, which was initially opposed to the Zangezur Corridor, is now showing a more flexible approach to economic integration.” While Baku insists that the corridor should be fully extraterritorial, Armenia rejects any idea of losing control over its territory. Ani Badalyan emphasized: “Armenia remains interested in expanding regional connectivity and economic development. That is why Armenia launched the ‘Crossroads of Peace’ initiative and other constructive proposals. Armenia’s vision for opening regional transport infrastructure is based on the fundamental principles of sovereignty and national jurisdiction, without any alternative logic.”

● In Yerevan over the weekend, a march took place in support of Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who was arrested on charges of publicly calling for the seizure of power (pictured below). More than 7,000 people participated in the event. However, before it started, media reported that people were being forcibly brought in by buses from the regions, and recordings circulated showing how participants were being “recruited.” While encouraging passersby to join the march, the organizers also distributed t-shirts and caps with the hashtag #merdzevov, which translates as “in our own way.” This refers to words from Karapetyan’s statement supporting the church, for which he was arrested: “If Armenia’s political forces fail to deal with this situation, we will have to intervene in the campaign against the church in our own way.” Among those who took part in the march supporting Karapetyan was the brother of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the head of the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese, Ezras Nersisyan.

● After two weeks in detention, dollar-billionaire Samvel Karapetyan released a statement through his lawyers, effectively repeating the remarks that led to his arrest: “Nikol Pashinyan and his government have nothing to do with Armenia and should have nothing to do with Armenia’s future.” He added that “it’s time to unite around a fundamentally new force and become a unified fist.” Ruling party “Civil Contract” members accused him of following a foreign agenda, presumably Russia. MP Vaagn Aleksanyan said: “I don’t know how many more times Russian stars like Philipp Kirkorov or Margarita Simonyan will speak up before it becomes clear: these are instructions coming from abroad.”

● Armenian media are discussing what “fundamentally new force” Karapetyan might be referring to, whether he plans to form a party for the next year’s parliamentary elections, and how he plans to bring about a change of power. Karapetyan himself is ineligible to run for prime minister because he also holds Russian citizenship.

● Two archbishops under arrest – Mikayel Ajapahyan (for publicly calling for a power grab) and Bagrat Galstanyan (accused of plotting terrorist acts and takeover of power) – declared a one-day hunger strike on Constitution Day. Ajapahyan says this is a protest against his “illegal and unconstitutional arrest.” Arthur Poghosyan, head of the Investigative Committee, earlier stated: “The prevention of an attempted coup in Armenia and the opening of criminal cases against two high-ranking clergymen should not be viewed separately – they are links in the same chain.” Read more here

● Prime Minister Pashinyan continued his social media posts on the participation of high-ranking clergy in Armenian politics. His latest comment: “I was asked what relationship clergy personal life has with the current operational situation in the country. Let’s set aside the fact that celibate clergymen cannot have personal lives. I will give just one example showing the link between personal life and the operational situation. In recent years, over two dozen cases have been revealed where foreign intelligence services recruited Armenian citizens by exploiting vulnerabilities in their personal and intimate lives. Many of these cases have criminal proceedings; some are in court, others already have convictions. There’s your link between ‘personal life’ and operational context.”

● Razmik Ovagimyan, CEO of Firebird AI and founder of several tech companies, received Armenian citizenship. In June, the government announced the establishment of an AI factory in Armenia in partnership with Firebird AI and NVIDIA. The project is valued at \$500 million. Read more here

● “The Ministry of High-Tech Industry of Armenia and French AI leader Mistral AI are joining forces to advance AI in Armenia,” wrote Minister Mkhitar Ayrapetyan on Facebook. He said the collaboration will strengthen Armenia’s AI ecosystem, enabling local researchers and startups to develop competitive tech solutions. “We are proud that Armenia is part of this global movement,” the minister stated.

● “The public multiplex should not serve foreign political agendas,” said members of the Armenian TV and Radio Commission.  This response comes after increasing broadcasts containing offensive content – against the Armenian people and national values, as well as authorities – with participants interfering in Armenia’s domestic political life. In an extraordinary meeting, they issued a statement: “We have received numerous complaints from residents urging us not to allow Armenia’s information space to become an environment of impunity, where insults, disinformation, vulgar language, justification of violence, and violations of fundamental human rights become the norm.”

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 30 June-4 July, 2025