Media monitoring in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, 28 August-1 September, 2023

● “Yerevan has driven lorries to the Azerbaijani border at the Lachin checkpoint without coordination with Baku, for populist purposes,” Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev claimed. “As part of this theatrical drama, the day before, some corrupt European politicians also arrived at the Azerbaijani border. Such steps do not make sense.”

● “If Armenians really needed humanitarian aid, they would not have demanded peacekeepers to block the road,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in response to Nikol Pashinyan, who have accused Baku of “genocide”. “We regard this statement as a manifestation of irresponsible manipulation on the part of Armenia. Now conditions are being created for local Armenians to pass through the Lachin checkpoint in both directions, and it is absurd to accuse the Azerbaijani side of pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing in the region,” the Ministry added.

● A group of people carrying Armenian flags attacked the Azerbaijani embassy in Beirut. Baku has sent a note of protest to Lebanon.

● “Baku is determined to reintegrate the Armenian residents of Karabakh within the framework of the country’s legislation,” Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayhan Hajizadeh said, commenting on the US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller’s statement.
“The constant refusal of Baku’s proposals regarding the meeting demonstrates once again that the situation is not humanitarian at all, but on the contrary political in nature,” Hajizadeh added.

● The suspension of Radio Sputnik broadcasting in Karabakh is related to Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan’s statement that he is ready to recognise Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity within the 1991 borders, Director General of the Rossiya Segodnya media group Dmitry Kiselyov said in response to a letter from State Duma deputy Zatulin. Kiselev added that broadcasting in Nagorno-Karabakh could be restored if Baku deems it necessary.

● French ambassador to Baku Anne Bouillon has been summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry; the Ministry day the reasons is sending “vehicles under the guise of ‘humanitarian cargo’ [to Lachin] accompanied by leaders of a number of French cities, including Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, and persons making provocative statements against Azerbaijan”. “These steps are not only a direct interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, but also an encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country protected by international law,” the Ministry said.

● Qarabağ qualified for the UEFA Europa League group stage with a 1-1 draw against Slovenia’s Olimpija Ljubljana. In the away match, the Azerbaijani football club won 2-0.

● The head of the unrecognised NKR resigned. Araik Harutyunyan said he will stay with his family in Karabakh. Read more here

● “Officials from Baku and representatives from Stepanakert should meet immediately to agree on ways to deliver vital supplies to the men, women, and children of Nagorno-Karabakh, including additional supply routes, and to resume discussions on all outstanding issues” – statement by US State Department Chief of Staff Matthew Miller.

● Armenia and the EU will consolidate the status of the EU observer mission with an agreement. 100 EU observers have been working in Armenia since February this year and monitor the situation on the border with Azerbaijan.

● The Armenian Foreign Ministry advised Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova “not to resort to tricks in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and not to complicate the situation.” The reference is to Zakharova’s statement that “the situation in Lachin is a consequence of Armenia’s recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.” “This statement causes disappointment and bewilderment,” Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ani Badalyan said and reminded that “the NK issue has never been a territorial dispute between Yerevan and Baku. It is a problem of rights and security of the people of NK.”

● Armenia and Greece will conclude an agreement on military-technical cooperation. The document, in particular, envisages stimulation of joint research, exchange of technologies for production of weapons and ammunition.

● The Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a case on the sale of the Youth Palace, known as “Kukuruznik”, to the ex-mayor of Yerevan. Yervand Zakharyan is accused of abuse of power, which caused grave consequences. Having violated a number of laws, he sold the territory of the legendary building and the plot around it for a price many times lower (almost 63 million drams) than its cadastral value (over 805 million drams).

● A new standard of school education will be gradually introduced in Armenia from 1 September. In particular, schools will be able to independently determine curricula, buildings will be equipped for children with special needs.

● Today, President Salome Zurabishvili will meet with European Council President Charles Michel to lobby for Georgia to be granted EU candidate country status. The Georgian government has banned her from holding meetings in Europe, accuses her of “acting against the interests of the country’s European integration” and has threatened impeachment. Read more here

● The chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream said that “the president is relying on the opposition to avoid impeachment” and that it had allegedly received some kind of “guarantees from the Global War Party” and was therefore “flagrantly violating the constitution”. Kobakhidze said 100 votes in parliament were needed to impeach the president, with the ruling party holding 84 seats.

● Parents looted sports equipment that the Jassport sports shop had brought to the stadium in Khashuri for a raffle between local children’s football teams. The event collapsed after the parents of the participating children simply snatched up the prizes brought from Tbilisi before it started: dozens of balls, football boots and original T-shirts by Hvichi Kvaratskhelia.

● A Middle Bronze Age tomb (pictured) was discovered in the village of Kvemo Nikozi in the Gori district. Archaeologist Gogi Mindiashvili says that this is a unique find, such a tomb of this scale has been discovered for the first time in the Shida Kartli region.

● Civil society sent a letter of thanks to US Ambassador Kelly Degnan: “Your strong support for our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity deserves our gratitude and is an example of friendship and true strategic partnership with Georgia.”

● The Georgian government said the president has been denied all visits it had requested, including to Ukraine. The statement was released when Salome Zurabishvili’s visit to Europe had already started.

● Germany has put Georgia and Moldova on the list of safe countries. The Interior Ministry said that since citizens of these countries do not usually face political persecution, granting the status allows Germany to expel Georgian and Moldovan illegal migrants from the country.

● “Victims and relatives of the dead and missing in the natural disaster in the mountain resort of Shovi will be provided with highly qualified psychological assistance free of charge” – Georgian government.

● On the initiative of the Minister of Education, 27 October will now be celebrated as the national Teacher’s Day. The date is the birthday of Georgian children’s writer and public figure Yakob Gogebashvili.

● One of the reasons for flooding of subways as a result of heavy rain in Tbilisi on 29 August is that merchants hide their inventory in the system created for water drainage, said majority MP Kote Zarnadze.

● “We have to trust the Ukrainians to plan their counterattack” – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN.

● Lorries carrying humanitarian aid from France, accompanied by the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, have arrived in Cornizor. Read more about French aid here

● At a meeting with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo Pashinyan claimed, “The blocking of the convoy with humanitarian aid for Nagorno-Karabakh is another confirmation of Azerbaijan’s policy to aggravate the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

● Rallies in Yerevan demanding that the Lachin corridor is opened have continued.

● Armenia has filed an application with the ECHR for interim measures against Azerbaijan to protect the rights of three Nagorno-Karabakh residents abducted in the Lachin corridor, according to the Office of the Representative for International Legal Affairs.

● A convoy with flour from Baku for Armenian residents of Karabakh has been standing on the Aghdam-Khankendi (Stepanakert) road for the second day. Employees of the Azerbaijani Red Crescent Society are waiting for the Russian peacekeepers’ response.

● “If the first humanitarian cargo sent from Baku to Khankendi is accepted, this process can be continued,” said chairman of the Azerbaijani Red Crescent Society Novruz Aslan.

● Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said the Lachin-Khankendi road could be opened in 24 hours after the Aghdam-Khankendi road. “In 24 hours the Lachin road will be opened as well. The more roads, the better for everyone,” BBC quoted him as saying. Touching upon the issue of Vagif Khachaturian’s detention, Hajiyev noted that the Azerbaijani side “never said that war criminals should not be brought to trial.”

● “The current situation in the Lachin corridor was a consequence of Armenia’s recognition of Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, commenting on the detention of Armenian football players at the Lachin checkpoint. She pointed out that the task of peacekeepers is to exert all possible influence on the ground to ensure the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians in the new conditions.

● The Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan appealed to citizens in connection with a new variant of the coronavirus strain “omicron” – “eris”. According to the ministry, this variant differs from the previous one by a higher level of infectiousness and is considered one of the stages of natural evolution of the virus.

● Two trucks with 40 tonnes of flour for Karabakh Armenians left Baku for Khankendi (Stepanakert). The trucks reached the Russian peacekeepers’ post on the Aghdam-Khankendi road. The Red Crescent Society staff are waiting for a response from the RMC command to continue their journey.

● French President Emmanuel Macron phoned Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. “After the opening of the Aghdam-Khankendi road, the Lachin-Khankendi road can be used in compliance with the rules of Azerbaijan’s customs and border regime,” Aliyev told his French counterpart.

● Azerbaijani Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva met with footballers detained at the border with Armenia. “Ensuring the rights of persons in accordance with international and national legislation was studied. An inspection of their detention cell and walking place was also carried out, and it was found that the detention conditions meet all standards. The athletes expressed their satisfaction with the conditions of detention, their treatment, food, as well as medical and psychological assistance,” the ombudsman’s office said in a statement. During the meeting, a telephone conversation between the detainees and their family members was ensured.

● “Pro-Armenian statements of the French Foreign Minister are unacceptable,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said. The ministry added that Baku is making efforts within the framework of national legislation to reintegrate Armenians living in Karabakh into the political, social and economic spheres of the country. “It is fundamentally wrong to hinder these efforts, to make accusations that a policy to expel Armenians from the region is allegedly being pursued,” the Foreign Ministry said.

● The governor of the Sverdlovsk region has apologised to the Azerbaijani ambassador to Russia over the scandal with the chairman of the Ekaterinburg City Duma. Yevgeny Kuivashev during a meeting with Polad Bulbuloglu also expressed hope for a resolution of the conflict, the Russian region’s information policy department said. The conflict arose after Igor Volodin attended an event dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the “Talysh-Mugan republic”. This illegal entity was declared in southern Azerbaijan by a group of separatists who were later arrested.

● Trucks carrying French humanitarian aid for Nagorno-Karabakh moved from the centre of Yerevan to Kornidzor this morning. They will join the Armenian humanitarian convoy, which has been idle at the entrance to Lachin for more than a month.

● Nikol Pashinyan and Emanuel Macron discussed the situation in the region and the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian PM and French President noted the need for consistent measures to strengthen stability and peace in the region.

● Paris will mobilise efforts to create conditions for a just and lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan: French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said at the annual conference of the republic’s ambassadors.

● Nagorno-Karabakh’s 120,000-strong population is under a real medieval siege, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at the Strategic Forum in Slovenia’s Bled.

● There was a rally in support of Nagorno-Karabakh and Karabakh residents detained by Azerbaijan.

● Armenian-American military cooperation and prospects for its development, regional security issues were discussed by Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikian with US Charge d’Affaires William (Chip) Leitinen and the Embassy’s new Defence Attaché Colonel Kevin Steele.

● No casualties have been reported due to flooding in Tbilisi, the emergency management service said. The heavy downpour in the capital has flooded streets and subways, several metro stations, fallen trees and damaged power lines. Video here

● “If anyone will be ready to join the European Union in 2030, it will be Georgia, based on our policy” – said the head of the ruling party Irakli Kobakhidze, commenting on the European Council President’s statement on EU enlargement. Read more here

● “I will not delve into the statements (of Russian politicians). The main thing for us is that Georgia has been successfully implementing the policy of international non-recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia all these years” – responded the head of the ruling Georgian Dream Irakli Kobakhidze to the statement of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin that Russia is doing everything for China, India and other countries to make a step towards recognising the independence of these territories.

● From September, the system of control over how political parties spend their finances is changing. Until now, their systematic audit was carried out. Now the control is entrusted to the anti-corruption bureau.

● A military officer involved in the rescue operation died of a heart attack in the disaster zone in Shovi.

● Two people died in Baghdati province when they tried to get chacha (vodka) from a kvevri, a special large underground vessel.

? Flooded Tbilisi. Photo: Interpressnews

● “Three students from Nagorno-Karabakh have been kidnapped in Lachin corridor,” said the Armenian Foreign Ministry. – “In this way Baku is trying to collectively punish the people of Nagorno-Karabakh for opposing Azerbaijani aggressions and defending the right to live peacefully in their homeland.” Read more here

● Rallies were held all night in Yerevan demanding the unblocking of the Lachin corridor and the release of Karabakh students held by Azerbaijani security forces.

● Emanuel Macron says he will talk to the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan this week and launch a new diplomatic initiative on the international stage. The French president said he would demand “full respect for the agreements in terms of the Lachin corridor”.

● The steel plant in Yeraskh intends to appeal to international authorities because of the ongoing Azerbaijani shelling. In two days, 60 times they fired on the territory of the plant, targeting also the homes of workers.

● About 700 heavy trucks are idling in the queue at the Russian-Georgian border at Upper Lars due to road works, North Ossetian Deputy Prime Minister Irbek Tomayev said.

● Yerevan Municipality announced an open competition to choose a monument to French chansonnier, National Hero of Armenia Charles Aznavour. It is planned to be erected on France Square in Yerevan by the 100th anniversary of the famous musician.

● Another group of IDPs from 13 families (52 people) travelled from Baku to Lachin city to resettle.

● Three Armenian football players who were detained at the Lachin checkpoint, while trying to cross the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, were sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest. A criminal case against them for committing insulting actions against the flag of Azerbaijan was started in 2021. “Taking into account the age of the accused and their sincere repentance, the criminal prosecution against them was terminated,” the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan said. After the court decision, they will be expelled from the country, the department added.

● “Yerevan’s allegations about Azerbaijan’s abduction of three Armenian citizens detained at the Lachin checkpoint demonstrates that the country does not honour its international obligations,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said. “Attempts of the Armenian side to cover up the committed crimes, indicates the true intentions of the country,” the ministry added.

● “The French President’s biased views, which create a false impression about the current situation in the region and protect Armenia, undermine the peace process,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in response to the French President’s statement.
Emmanuel Macron said he would contact the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia and demand “full compliance with the agreements on the Lachin humanitarian corridor”.

● Baku Serious Crimes Court judge commits suicide. Rahib Salmanov, 60, threw himself from the window of the hospital where he was undergoing treatment.

● The maximum allowable speed on the central streets of Baku is reduced from 60 km/h to 50 km/h.

● Search operations continue in the disaster zone in Shovi. According to Oni Mayor Sergo Hidesheli, two more missing minors are being searched. By now it is known that 31 people died in the disaster that happened on 3 August.

● “Georgia will probably be given candidate status for EU membership, but more conditions will be added. If you want to be a member of the European Union, you have to be harmonised 100% with your foreign policy, because it becomes your foreign policy. Before becoming a member of the European Union, Georgia has to comply with EU policy.”-Ricard Jozwiak, editor-in-chief of Radio Liberty’s Brussels bureau.

● “Georgia’s territories are of strategic importance for Russia, in this reality it is necessary to act with caution, not with any unambiguous statements” – deputy speaker of Parliament Gia Volsky.

● The Environmental Protection Agency recommended limiting the movement of visitors in the vicinity of the gorge on the territory of the Shiomgvime Monastery. The day before, a part of a rock collapsed there.

● Sad results of the state audit of budget spending by the Agency for servicing IDPs from Abkhazia. In 2022, 79.54% of the budget allocations were spent on maintaining the agency’s apparatus and paying the salaries of the programme’s support staff.

● Lachin Day was celebrated in Azerbaijan. On 26 August 2022, this city came under Azerbaijani control after 28 years of occupation. The city, which is already home to over 1,000 former IDPs, hosted celebrations attended by President Ilham Aliyev.

● Speaking in Lachin, Ilham Aliyev said, “Armenia and those behind it have been weaving intrigues against us within the framework of various international organisations. Nothing can make us turn from our path. “23 April means the full restoration of our territorial integrity. The establishment of the border checkpoint means full restoration of our territorial integrity and we have done it within the framework of international law, we are defending our territory, we are defending and will continue to defend our borders.”

● The Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow has sent a note of protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry over an event to mark the “30th anniversary of the formation of the Talysh-Mugan Autonomous Republic” in Yekaterinburg. “The Talysh-Mugan Autonomous Republic” was declared by a group of separatists in southern Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. The leaders of the criminal organisation were arrested and subsequently left the country.

● An Azerbaijani officer has died, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said. Major of Medical Service Rovshan Mammadov had been being treated in Turkey for cancer.

● Prospects of the development of military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey were discussed by the heads of the defence ministries of these countries at a meeting in Baku. Zakir Hasanov and Yashar Guler also touched upon regional security issues.

● The Armenian community of the USA held a rally in support of Nagorno-Karabakh outside Kim Kardashian’s house. They demanded the TV star to speak out about the situation in the unrecognised NKR.

● More than 300 citizens in cars with Georgian licence plates held a rally. The drivers say that the authorities want to pass a law, according to which when entering Armenia with Georgian number plates, Armenian citizens and those with dual citizenship must pay the full amount for customs clearance of the car, which is two to three times the cost of the car.

● Three minors died in the accident, driven by a 15-year-old teenager. The car, driven by the teenager, left the carriageway near a populated area and went off into a canal.

● Air Fest air show was held in Lori region. The programme included the flight of sports planes, drones, helicopters, paragliders and other flying machines. Teams from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia and Georgia participated.

● Two more missing people continue to be searched for in the landslide collapse zone in the mountain resort of Shovi. Thirty-one bodies have been found and the identities of two people are being determined at this time.

● “Ukraine’s victory will also restore the territorial integrity of Georgia and Moldova” – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

● Six Ukrainian citizens who had been staying in the buffer zone on the Georgian-Russian border since 17 August have been let into Georgia. They are former prisoners from the Kherson region, who were taken to Russia by the occupation authorities. Read more here

● Georgian Orthodox Church celebrates today one of the 12 major feasts – the Dormition of the Mother of God.

● A part of a rock near the Shiomgvime Monastery in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region collapsed. No one was injured, the National Environmental Protection Agency says the danger is minimal at this stage.

● In Marneuli, the driver of a passenger car failed to manage control, went off the road and hit two pedestrians, and then crashed into the Liberty Bank building. The lives of the victims are not in any danger.

● Mikheil Saakashvili: “The extremely difficult situation of people is felt most of all in Guria – here it is best to see how Ivanishvili does not care about the Georgian people”.

Media monitoring in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, 21-25 August, 2023