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

● Former head of the Adjara region, Tornike Rizhvadze (pictured), who attempted suicide, has moved to Germany together with his parents, wife, and children, according to the local outlet Ajara Times. Rizhvadze had previously been an active supporter of the ruling Georgian Dream party. The reasons behind his unexpected suicide attempt in July remain unclear. It was reported that he shot himself with a pistol belonging to Alexi Akhvlediani, the now-former director of Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency, who faced trial for negligent firearm storage. Rizhvadze was taken in critical condition to a clinic in Turkey. Citing its sources, Ajara Times writes that Rizhvadze is still under medical supervision and has lost vision in one eye following the incident. More details on this story are available here.

● The European Union’s Erasmus+ program, which funds youth education, vocational training, and sports, will no longer include projects in Georgia starting in 2026. “In response to recent political developments in Georgia, the European Union has reviewed the financial assistance that directly benefited the country’s government. The direct financial support provided by the program to the Georgian government is no longer considered aligned with the EU’s interests,” the Erasmus+ statement says.

●  The opposition alliance Lelo – Strong Georgia has called on the government to disclose details of its contract with the UAE regarding the Eagle Hills project. “The entire contract is classified. Why are the authorities hiding from the people details concerning 9 million square meters of Georgia’s strategically important land, as well as issues of demography, ecology, and the future of our cities and country? There is also a second important question: has the Emirati company’s $1.2 billion share been deposited in Georgian banks?” said party representative Grigol Gegelia.

The Eagle Hills project is an investment agreement with the Abu Dhabi–based company Eagle Hills Properties to build large-scale multifunctional complexes in Tbilisi and in Gonio on the Black Sea coast, including residential and commercial facilities. The project is estimated to be worth over $6.5 billion. As far as known, Georgia is a partner and co-owner of a 33% stake in the project, which launched in October this year.

● Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the Georgian Dream party responded to the allegations. “This single investment project has an enormous impact on the country’s development, so it is no surprise that Georgia’s ill-wishers among foreign agents are actively opposing it,” Kobakhidze said. He added that “the government bears full responsibility for implementing the project in complete accordance with Georgia’s national interests.”

● Olympic judo champion and former Georgian Dream MP Zurab Zviadauri has signed a plea agreement. He will be released from prison in four months in exchange for a fine of 5,000 lari (about $1,800). Zviadauri was arrested in Tbilisi in September for the illegal purchase, possession, and carrying of firearms and ammunition. He had already been arrested in August 2021, when he was charged with premeditated murder. The Interior Ministry reported that Zviadauri fatally shot a man who had earlier killed his brother. On 4 December of the same year, Zviadauri was released on 50,000 lari bail (about $18,000).

● The Special Penitentiary Service called claims circulating in the media and on social networks that prisoners are underfed “yet another lie.” Following reforms implemented in the penitentiary system in 2019, every detainee or convicted person is provided with three meals a day according to a menu designed with their health needs in mind, the service stated.

● The prosecutor’s office has charged a woman who worked in Tbilisi as a nanny with violence against minors, and she has been detained. The investigation established that on November 11 she used physical violence against a one-year-old and a six-month-old child. The charges carry a sentence of up to two years in prison.

● Azerbaijan marks National Revival Day today. Local media report that the holiday commemorates the start of the national liberation movement in 1988, a reaction to the Soviet leadership’s anti-Azerbaijani policies around the Karabakh issue. On 17 November 1988, mass rallies began on Baku’s Azadlıq Square (then Lenin Square), later violently dispersed by Soviet internal troops.

● President Ilham Aliyev visited Uzbekistan over the weekend, taking part in the Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State. At the meeting, Azerbaijan was announced as a full participant in the format. “We will build a strong bridge between Central Asia and the South Caucasus and pave the way for a unified cooperation space,” said Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Aliyev emphasized that “Azerbaijan and Central Asia are already a link between East and West, North and South.” A greeting letter from UN Secretary-General António Guterres was also read.

● Aliyev highlighted the strategic importance of the Middle Corridor, presenting new data on Azerbaijan’s progress in the project.

• Cargo transit through Azerbaijan along the Middle Corridor has grown by 90% over the past three years.
• Transit times have been significantly reduced.
• The Baku Port’s capacity will reach 25 million tons per year in the coming years.
• The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway, nine international airports, and the region’s largest cargo airline continue to expand.

Agreements reached in Washington in August on connecting mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic will further increase transit potential. The new railway, with an initial capacity of 15 million tons, will become a key segment of the Middle Corridor.

The Digital Silk Road project — a fiber-optic cable along the Caspian seabed — will also open major opportunities for joint electricity exports.

● Exiled historian Altay Goyushov, now living in Paris, has been summoned for questioning by the Prosecutor General’s Office. He is accused of repeated calls for treason and has been under a remote arrest order since February. Goyushov, known for his criticism of the authorities, has not commented. He previously worked at Baku State University and the Institute of Political Studies, and was involved with the Musavat Party and the REAL movement, but later left both.

● Baku hosted an international academic conference titled “The Right of Return in the Context of International Peace and Cooperation.” The event was organized by the Western Azerbaijan Community. The main focus was the right of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia in the early 1990s to return with dignity, discussed through the lens of human rights, international law, and regional security.

● President Aliyev congratulated Palestine on its national holiday and affirmed that Azerbaijan will continue providing humanitarian assistance.

● A local resident was injured by a landmine in the village of Sirkhavend in the Agdere district, liberated during the Second Karabakh War. His left leg was partially amputated. The Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry, Prosecutor General’s Office, and ANAMA issued a joint statement urging citizens to follow safety rules, heed mine-warning signs, and avoid unfamiliar areas.

● Azerbaijan’s national football team lost its final 2026 World Cup qualifying match to France.

● World-renowned opera star Plácido Domingo performed at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, joined by his son Plácido Domingo Jr., Azerbaijani singers Yusif Eyvazov and Afag Abbasova, and Swiss opera singer Daria Ryback. At the end of the evening, Domingo performed the Azerbaijani folk song Küçələrə su səpmişəm.

● Nikol Pashinyan’s party has won the elections in the Vagharshapat community and will be able to form the local administration on its own. According to preliminary data from the Central Electoral Commission, the ruling Civil Contract party is leading in all 47 precincts with 48.5%. In second place is the opposition bloc “Victory” (which includes the Forward party and Dashnaktsutyun) with 31.9%, and in third place is “Mother Armenia” with 5.4%. The Armenian opposition is widely viewed as pro-Russian.

These elections were particularly important for the authorities. Echmiadzin is the spiritual capital of Armenia, and the victory there, as many media note, is significant for the government in the context of its conflict with leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

● The Independent Observer mission reported violations during the elections. According to program coordinator Daniel Ioannisyan, there was one instance of unauthorized presence at a polling station, one threat, one case of inaction by the head of an electoral commission, and four cases of significant violations in filling out the voter registry. There were also breaches of the ban on campaigning, including paid ads on Facebook that continued even on the day when campaigning is prohibited. Ioannisyan also noted that voter turnout was exactly twice as high as in the comparable elections of 2021, and in three localities turnout was five times higher. According to the CEC, 45.12% of eligible voters in the Vagharshapat community took part in the vote.

● A delegation headed by Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has departed for a working visit to the United Arab Emirates.

● Pro-government MPs have raised the issue of the property belonging to the Journalists’ Union. “It must be returned to the ownership of the country,” wrote Sisak Gabrielyan, an MP from the ruling faction, on Facebook. “A lawsuit has already been filed, and a criminal case has been opened. The plot is located in the center of Yerevan, covers about 2,400 square meters, and its market value is around $3–5 million,” Gabrielyan said.

● The President of the Journalists’ Union is Satiq Seyranyan, editor of the newspaper and website “168 Hours.” She is known as a journalist critical of the authorities. “For seven years, I have heard threats addressed to me, to the Journalists’ Union of Armenia, and to the media outlet I lead. Everything is documented, including personal threats and fake videos created with artificial intelligence,” Seyranyan said.

A few days ago, “168 Hours” published an article, citing Turkish media, claiming that ten mosques are being built in Armenia at the request of Turkey’s president. Seyranyan shared this material on her Facebook page. A ruling party MP, Arusyak Julhakyan, responded: “Armenian journalism died the day Satiq Seyranyan was elected president of the Journalists’ Union. They simply didn’t tell us, so our mood wouldn’t worsen.”

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 10-14 November, 2025