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

● Today, Georgia welcomes its national football team returning from the European Championship.

At Tbilisi Airport, fans gathered since dawn, singing as they waited for their heroes (video).

At 10:00 PM, a rally in support of the Georgian national team is scheduled to take place at Freedom Square in Tbilisi. The players will arrive at the event on an open-top bus, traveling through the city’s central avenues from the Meskhi Stadium.

●  “It’s important that also we continue to engage with appropriate officials [in Georgia]. It is a country we continue to have a range of issues that we want to prioritize in the context of that bilateral relationship with them”, said Vedant Patel, Deputy Press Secretary of the White House, commenting on reports that Georgian officials continue to visit Washington despite U.S. visa restrictions imposed in response to the Georgian government’s passage of the controversial “foreign agents” law.

●  Former Georgian Prime Minister and leader of the opposition party “Gakharia for Georgia,” Giorgi Gakharia, earlier reported a secret visit to Washington by a high-ranking Georgian official. According to him, the founder of the ruling party and oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili sent an envoy to the U.S. to “find out something.”

Gakharia did not name the “personal courier” but mentioned that this person was a high-ranking security official.

● “Ivanishvili will try to mend relations [with the U.S.], but I think he has already crossed all the red lines,” said Giorgi Vashadze, leader of the opposition party “Strategy Agmashenebeli.”

According to the MP, the only thing that can save Bidzina Ivanishvili is “a peaceful exit from power.”

● ODIHR/OSCE has negatively assessed the abolition of gender quotas in Georgia, considering it inconsistent with international human rights standards.

According to the previous version of the Electoral Code, every fourth candidate on party lists had to be a woman.

President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed this amendment, but the parliament overruled her veto. More details here: https://jam-news.net/abolition-of-gender-quotas-in-georgia/

 

 

 

●  “Baku and Yerevan could finalize the text of the peace treaty, at least the main principles, within a few months,” said President Ilham Aliyev.

“The parties could initially agree on the main principles, initial them, and then continue working on the text of the peace treaty,” he said while receiving the credentials of the new Canadian Ambassador to Baku, Kevin Hamilton.

Aliyev emphasized that a peace treaty is “possible only after the Armenian constitution, which contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan, is amended.”

He also added that “the issue of the rights of Armenians to return to Karabakh should be mutually ensured and extend to representatives of the Western Azerbaijani community.”

●  “Azerbaijan and Armenia are finalizing the draft Regulations on the joint activities of the State Commission for the Delimitation of the State Border. Negotiations are progressing constructively, and the process is expected to be completed soon,” reported the office of Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev.

●  The U.S. Secretary of State spoke about the opportunity for Baku and Yerevan to reach peaceful agreements.

“This will create enormous economic opportunities and connections in the region, linking countries east and west, north and south. Azerbaijan must play a crucial role in this,” Blinken stated.

● The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Israel discussed the prospects for cooperation. Jeyhun Bayramov and Israel Katz talked about the situation around Gaza, as well as international and regional issues. The Azerbaijani minister emphasized the importance of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, preventing civilian casualties on both sides, and resolving the conflict peacefully.

● An informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States with the participation of leaders from Turkic countries will be held in Shusha on July 5-6.

Presidents from Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan will participate, along with leaders from observer countries and the organization’s secretary general.

● Bulgaria will participate in the development of the “green” energy corridor Azerbaijan – Georgia – Black Sea – EU. Bulgarian Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov announced this at the sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in Baku.

●  The U.S. Secretary of State has announced a “unique opportunity” to achieve peaceful agreements between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Antony Blinken stated that normalization would create significant opportunities in the region in terms of economic connections and growth, highlighting Azerbaijan’s “critical role” in this process.

●  The opening of transport links in the South Caucasus will promote peace and stability, said the Armenian Foreign Minister at a meeting with the BSEC Secretary General in Yerevan.

●  Ukraine is considering sanctions against Armenian and Georgian winemakers, according to Ukrainian media Економiчна правда.

It reports that the corporation “Ukrvinprom,” which unites Ukrainian wine producers, has submitted a request to the Security Service of Ukraine to impose sanctions on 17 enterprises, including the producers of the well-known brandies Ararat and Sarajishvili. The reason cited is that their products are sold in both Ukrainian and Russian markets. The proposal includes a 10-year ban on trade operations, license revocation, and asset freezing.

●  At the European U16 Boxing Championship in Sarajevo, the Armenian national team ranked second in the overall standings, winning 3 gold, 6 silver, and 1 bronze medal.

● In Azerbaijan, the prices of diesel fuel (by 25%) and 92-octane gasoline (by 10%) have increased. Now, 1 liter of diesel costs 1 manat (about $0.59), and 92-octane gasoline costs 1 manat 10 qapiks (about $0.65). Following this, the cost of public transportation has also risen. A single trip on the Baku metro and buses now costs 50 qapiks (about $0.29), a 25% increase. Additionally, prices for household waste collection services have increased for both residents and businesses.

● For the first time in its history, Azerbaijan’s state airline AZAL is launching regular flights to Karabakh. Starting July 13, flights will operate from Baku to Fuzuli and back on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

● Russian warships have left the Baku port. The small artillery ship “Volgodonsk” and the combat hydrographic ship “Anatoly Guivin” were in Azerbaijan on a friendly visit.

● Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov is visiting Italy. Today, a congress and exhibition on the green energy transition begins there.

● Azerbaijan and Russia have discussed the joint operation of the Samur hydropower plant. The discussions took place at the 26th meeting of the Joint Commission on the division of water resources of the transboundary Samur River.

● During All Saints’ Week, Bishop Alexy of Baku and Azerbaijan performed the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

📹 Indian filmmakers are shooting a Bollywood-style film in the center of Baku.

● Samvel Siramarkyan became the European champion at the U16 Youth Boxing Championship in Sarajevo, defeating Russia’s Arseny Stolnikov.

● Leader of the opposition movement “Tavush for the Motherland,” Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, met with Goris Mayor Arush Arushanyan during a visit to Syunik. Arushanyan was arrested in 2021 for abuse of power, fraud, and other charges. While in custody, he was re-elected as the mayor of the community and was released in 2022.

● The security factor in the border areas of Syunik remains dominant, wrote Tigran Abrahamyan, secretary of the “I Have Honor” faction, on social media.

● In Yerevan, the “Hoha” center has been revived to support children of fallen soldiers. Originally established in the former unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the center now employs mothers of those who were killed or wounded in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflicts as counselors.

● Strong winds damaged roofs and uprooted trees in several districts of Yerevan, as well as in the cities of Vagharshapat and Vanadzor.

● Many in Armenia are displeased with the decision to invite American actor Kevin Spacey as an honorary guest at the “Golden Apricot” international film festival in Yerevan. The controversy stems from accusations of harassment against the actor. Although he was not found guilty in court, many believe that inviting him prioritizes his talent over empathy for the victims of violence.

● The Georgian national football team has concluded its participation in the European Championship. On June 30, the Round of 16 match against Spain at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany, ended with a 4-1 victory for their opponents.

● Giorgi Kochorashvili, midfielder (pictured): “What a tournament we played in! We got this far thanks to hard work, dedication, and talent. We must continue to progress and strengthen; the kids are watching us. We will definitely keep moving forward.”

● President Salome Zourabichvili: “Sometimes a defeat is a victory! Thank you to our guys!”

● Thirty-six countries have jointly called on the Georgian government to repeal the “foreign agents” law and cease the campaign of intimidation against opponents. The statement was made public at a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

● The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has adopted a resolution recognizing Russia’s aggression in Ukraine as genocide, according to the official channel of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

● The Georgian Super Cup final will take place on July 3, featuring a match between Dinamo Tbilisi and Torpedo Kutaisi.

Top stories in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia from June 24-28, 2024