Media monitoring in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, 27 November-1 December, 2023

● Following a meeting at the border between the heads of the Armenian and Azerbaijani border delimitation commissions, an agreement was reached to intensify the process. This marks the fifth meeting on this topic between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as reported by the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

● “The entire territory of Armenia became a target for Azerbaijan after Nagorno-Karabakh,” stated Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.

● The president emphasized the need for the diversification of Armenia’s security system, highlighting that “it should not solely depend on any one international player.”

● OSCE Chairman and North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani expressed that the OSCE provides a platform for “constructive dialogue” with the aim of reaching a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan.

● “The Armenian authorities aim to shield local companies from secondary sanctions amid the backdrop of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict,” stated the Minister of Economy. Vahan Kerobyan emphasized, “While we did not impose anti-Russian sanctions, it is crucial for Armenia that our companies and, consequently, our economy do not incur losses due to secondary sanctions.”

● Armenia is set to establish the region’s first supercomputer center for artificial intelligence, with an estimated cost of $8.5 million, according to Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hakob Arshakyan.

● A video circulating on social networks depicts an unknown individual using humiliating language to compel a foreigner to remove his military jacket. The man insists that the foreigner cannot wear the uniform of the Armenian army if he did not serve. According to reports on social networks, the individual is said to be of Indian nationality, employed as a delivery driver, and likely unable to afford warm clothing. The incident is under investigation by the Ministry of Human Rights.

● Abzas Media correspondent, Nargiz Absalamova, has been detained following an interrogation. Pro-government publications report charges against her under the article of “smuggling in conspiracy with a group of persons.” The director, assistant director, and chief editor of Abzas Media have already been subjected to preliminary arrest, and lawyer Shahla Gumbatova has expressed difficulty in determining Absalamova’s whereabouts.

● President Ilham Aliyev, is currently on a visit to Dubai. In a recent meeting, he engaged with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Azerbaijani leader is anticipated to participate in the World Climate Summit.

● The Azerbaijani-Armenian delimitation commission held a meeting, announcing an agreement to commence work on approving the draft Regulations on the joint activities of the State Commission on Border Delimitation. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expressed a commitment to intensify further meetings of the commissions.

● Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov emphasized the need to seize the opportunity for peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia during his speech at the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting.

● “Azerbaijani women sappers are actively involved in field operations to clear mines from territories previously mined by Armenia, aiming to save lives and ensure the safety of these lands,” as shared by assistant to the president Hikmet Hajiyev.

● In Baku, the court hearing for the Armenian serviceman Gagik Voskanyan, accused of war crimes during the first Karabakh war, was postponed until December 4. Voskanyan was not brought to court.

● A Baku court sentenced Aidyn Zakiev, accused of treason, to 17.5 years in prison. Zakiev, detained in 2021, was charged with providing assistance to Armenian intelligence services to the detriment of Azerbaijan’s interests.

● Azerbaijan’s oil production quota under the OPEC+ deal for 2024 remains at 551 thousand barrels per day, according to the Ministry of Energy.

● Approximately 1.7 million tourists visited Azerbaijan from January to October 2023, marking a one-third increase compared to the same period last year.

● In Azerbaijan, a primary school student in the suburbs of Baku died of measles. This is the second recent death among children infected with the infection in the country.

● An international scientific conference on the topic “Prospects for cultural tourism of the Turkic world” is scheduled to take place today in Shusha in Karabakh. Representatives from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan will participate.

● During the OSCE Council of Ministers plenary meeting, Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili expressed concern over “Russian occupation forces kidnapping Georgian citizens.” He cited the recent murder of Tamaz Ginturi by Russian troops in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone on November 6 as “another act of violence on the Russian side.” The presence of the Russian Foreign Ministry head at the forum prompted a boycott by Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine.

● The National Bank has appointed new vice-presidents, namely Ekaterina Mikabadze and Ekaterina Galdava. Their candidacies were endorsed by the parliament in 2021 for a 7-year term as members of the National Bank’s board. The previous vice-presidents resigned in September in protest after the National Bank unblocked the accounts of former ex-Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, subjected to US sanctions for corruption and collaboration with the Russian FSB. Read more here

● Members of the ruling party and the United National Movement engaged in a physical altercation within the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Acharа. The conflict ensued following a demand by opposition deputy Elguja Bagrationi to reassess the proposed state budget put forth by the Georgian Dream, drawing comparisons to “the times of Shevardnadze.”

● Nika Gvaramia, the former director of the prominent opposition TV channel “Mtavari Arkhi,” expressed that his sole request to the president would be the release of Mikheil Saakashvili from prison. While Gvaramia himself received amnesty from the president in June, he asserts that he did not seek amnesty and prohibited his family members from doing so. Read more here

● Members of the ruling party endorsed the proposal for direct communication between Georgians and Abkhazians. This proposition was deliberated in an impromptu video conversation on YouTube featuring Sergei Shamba, the head of the Security Council of Abkhazia, and Vakhtang Kolbaya, the chairman of the Abkhazian government in exile.

● The meeting of the commission on border delimitation between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be held today, as confirmed by both sides.

● The trial for the criminal case involving Armenian serviceman Gagik Voskanyan, who was earlier detained in the Kelbajar district, commences in Baku today. He faces charges of terrorism, arms smuggling, illegal border crossing, and other offenses.

● Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of new administrative buildings of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan. Their construction started in March 2021 and was completed in August 2023.

● Foreign minister Ceyhun Bayramov has traveled to Northern Macedonia to take part in the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting.

● Command-staff exercises of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have been held in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

● An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 was recorded yesterday at 19:49 in the territory of Mingachevir. Shocks of 3 to 4 magnitude were also felt in Ganja, Yevlakh and Geranboy. Earthquakes were also felt in Georgia and Armenia. There are no casualties or damage.

● In vitro fertilization (IVF) should be included in the package of services covered by regular medical insurance in Azerbaijan. Adil Veliyev, the head of the Social Legislation Department of the Parliamentary Apparatus, has come up with the proposal, citing infertility as a factor contributing to divorces in the country.

● The EU will explore the option of providing support to the Armenian Armed Forces through the European Peace Facility, as indicated in the statement released by the EU delegation after the recent visit to Yerevan.

● Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Skopje. They discussed stability and security issues in the South Caucasus.

● The Defense Ministries of Armenia and Great Britain signed a cooperation plan for 2023-2024 in London.

●  Turkish hackers breached the QR codes of the Armenian language textbook designed for fifth graders. For approximately a day, the screens displayed the Turkish flag instead of educational content. The compromised QR code has been deactivated, and specialists are working to restore access to the educational resource.

● The tariff for drinking water in Armenia will remain unchanged in 2024, according to a decision by the Public Services Regulatory Commission. Citizens will continue to pay 200.47 drams (approximately 50 cents) per cubic meter, while socially vulnerable groups will retain their benefits, paying 180 drams (45 cents).

●  The Yerevan Municipality is considering an increase in parking fees in the city center. Currently set at an annual cost of $30 regardless of the lot, there is a proposal to raise prices to $400 specifically for parking in the city center.

● “Anti-Occupation Movement” published drone footage of Russian military moving about in Georgia’s Shida Kartli region, near the dividing line.

“The occupiers appeared today in [the village of] Khurvaleti and it was a very unusual appearance,” leader of the movement David Katsarava said on Wednesday. “They seemed to be having an orientation os sorts… As soon as they saw the drone, they hid their faces and hurried to dismantle the checkpoint… This is a scare operation. Russia continues to terrorize our citizens.”

●  Ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili wrote on Facebook that the wife of Kirill Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s main intelligence directorate, Marianna, was poisoned with the same heavy metals as him.

● The party founded by the former president, the United National Movement, has a renewed political council. The new members – 20 people – were introduced on Wednesday by party chairman Levan Khabeishvili. He once again addressed members of the previous political council of the party, saying that they could be reinstalled as such provided they signed the manifesto on the new future of the UNM proposed by Saakashvili. Read about the manifesto and the split in the country’s main opposition party here: https://rebrand.ly/zrzty44

● “The opposition should step aside and let us – the people who have intelligence, ability to analyze and think – do the work”: ruling party MP Beka Odisharia – on the implementation of the recommendations set by the European Commission for Georgia.

● Moscow once again praised Georgia’s policy on international sanctions imposed against Russia. “Whatever the difficulties in relations between Moscow and Tbilisi, the current Georgian authorities have found the courage not to succumb to anti-Russian hysteria and to be guided primarily by a position focused on national interests and the well-being of their own citizens,” the Russian State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee said in a statement. Read more about this here: https://rebrand.ly/zwb418q

● Sabail District Court of Baku has sentenced Aziz Orujov, director of independent Internet TV Kanal 13, to 3 months of preliminary arrest. He is charged under Article 188.2 (unauthorized construction or installation works on a land plot without the legally established right of ownership, use or lease) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. This article provides for a punishment of imprisonment for a term of 1 to 3 years, or restriction of freedom for a term of 1 to 3 years.

● Journalist Hafiz Babaly and economist Togrul Veliyev were questioned as witnesses at the Baku Police Headquarters in the criminal case related to AbzasMedia. AbzasMedia, an independent media outlet, has been under attack from the authorities in the past few days, with three members of its management detained on charges of receiving unlawful grants from the US and Europe.

●  “The embassies of the USA, Germany, and France are are involved in the illicit financial activities conducted by AbzasMedia” – the accusations were presented to the Chargés d’Affaires of the USA and Germany, as well as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France during their summons to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

● The German embassy in Baku issued a public statement denying allegations that it illegally sponsors AbzasMedia. It said it had allocated 1500USD to the outlet’s assistant director Muhammad Kekalov, now in detention, to support a project helping disabled persons. The embassy expressed concern over Kekalov’s arrest and called for a fair trial for him.

● Seventeen families (63 people) of IDPs returned to Lachin city this morning for permanent residence. Thus, 363 families (1,389 people) have settled in the city to date.

● ICRC representatives visited Armenian citizens detained by the Azerbaijani side. Conditions were created for the detainees to establish contacts with their families.The organization’s staff also met with convicted Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia, ICRC Baku office representative Ilaha Huseynova said.

●  Ilham Aliyev signed an order on establishment of Karabakh University in Khankendi.

●  Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan discussed joint development of Dostlug carbon field. The field’s reserves are estimated at 50 million tons of oil. Lukoil has been chosen as the investor of the project. Resources, according to the future agreement, will be distributed in the ratio of 30% (Azerbaijan) and 70% (Turkmenistan).

●  284 cases of measles infection have been registered in Azerbaijan since April this year, according to the health ministry. The infection is predominantly spread among children. Only 12% (35 people) of confirmed cases are among adults and the elderly.

●  “A peace treaty with Baku can be concluded within a matter of 15 days if Baku is willing. We can say that we have reached agreement on almost all principal issues. I don’t want to disclose details so as not to harm the process,” parliament speaker Alen Simonyan said.

●  Armenia plans to increase gas imports from Iran: head of the ministry of territorial management.

●  Russia’s veterinary and phytosanitary supervision agency is “concerned about increasing violations” in the supply of plant products from Armenia. It says more than 70 cases of pests detected in flower and fruit and vegetable products from Armenia have been recorded in 2023.

● An exhibition called “Armenian historical and cultural trace in Baku” opened in the Armenian Parliament.

● Pashinyan and South Korean leader Yoon Seok Yeol discussed the mutual opening of diplomatic missions and development of bilateral relations.

Photo: Harut Hovakimyan

● About 4,000 thousand Georgian students can resume their education, after their debts on tuition fees, previously the reason of their expulsion from their universities, have been written off thanks to a government initiative, said education minister Giorgi Amilakhvari.

● A stele of Mother of God of Iveria was installed in the Vatican. Georgian foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili and the country’s ambassador to the Vatican Ketevan Bagration-Mukhranbatoni attended the ceremony.

● Georgian citizen Vasiko Kenkadze, illegally detained by the Russian military near the village of Balaani in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, has been released and is on the territory controlled by the Georgian authorities, the country’s security service reports.

● Members of the opposition party United National Movement demand the resignation of party chairman Levan Khabeishvili. First, a statement demanding Khabeishvili’s resignation was issued by the chairman and members of the UNM faction of the Zugdidi City Council. Other members, including in the city councils of Kutaisi, Kaspi, Mtskheta, Poti and others, followed suit shortly.

● The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office accused an employee of the Special Penitentiary Service of domestic violence.

● POLITICO published its yearly rating of Europe’s most influential people. Apart from the most influential person, the list includes three categories of people – “doers”, “dreamers” and “disrupters”. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgia’s ruling party and the country’s informal leader, is cited among the latter. “An “oligarch” whose goal is to “push Tbilisi out of the EU’s waiting room and into the Kremlin’s clutches” is how POLITICO describes him.

● Following a search of his apartment and office, Aziz Orujov, director of independent Internet television Kanal13, has been detained. No charges have been filed against him yet. Read more here

● The Baku Court of Appeal upheld the court decision on the preliminary arrest of Sevinj Vagifkyza and Ulvi Hasanli, editor-in-chief and director of the independent publication Abzas Media. The lawyer for the arrested assistant director of the publication, Muhammad Kekalov, did not appeal the court decision. Read more here

● Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a phone call. The head of the State Department welcomed the desire of the President of Azerbaijan to conclude a lasting and worthy peace agreement with Yerevan. He discussed Washington’s strong relationship with Baku, noted recent problems in the relationship, and also spoke about opportunities to strengthen cooperation.

● “Washington sees a genuine opportunity for Baku and Yerevan to achieve peace. It is encouraging that the parties are negotiating with each other both directly and through intermediaries,” said US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien. “For example, if trade could flow from Central Asia through Azerbaijan and Armenia to Turkey, then this would be a significant incentive for all countries located on this trade route,” he noted.

● The next meeting of the defense ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia will take place next year in Georgia. The heads of the defense departments of the three countries agreed on this yesterday at a trilateral meeting in Baku.

● Car production has increased in Azerbaijan. In January-October, 2,376 passenger cars were produced, which is 45.4% more than a year earlier, the State Statistics Committee reported.

● Three people were injured in Baku due to strong winds.

● Measles has spread among students of Azerbaijan Technical University in Baku. Eight people were hospitalized.

● Secretary of State Blinken discussed the potential for a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia with Pashinyan and Aliyev.

● A delegation from the EU External Relations Service and the European Commission arrived in Armenia to strengthen EU-Armenia relations.

● “The United States has created thousands of non-governmental organizations, with hundreds operating in the post-Soviet space, particularly in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. They are actively trying to introduce them into other Central Asian countries,” – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated.

● A court in Yerevan has seized the property of General Manvel Grigoryan and his widow. Grigoryan, convicted of stealing army weapons and supplies, faces the recovery of $4.5 million and 8 cars from his family. Additionally, the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union is slated to receive a significant quantity of food products labeled “For the Soldier,” and the Defense Ministry is to receive several thousand units of ammunition. The movable and immovable property of the general’s widow will remain under arrest until the verdict is executed. Read more here

● “Thief in law” Vitya Tbilissky (Vitaly Avdiani) was arrested in Armenia. Found with bags of methamphetamine, a Makarov pistol, and 16 rounds during the arrest.

● A memorial plaque honoring the great Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian (1903 – 1978) was installed on Uznadze Street in Tbilisi, where Khachaturian lived from 1905 to 1922.

● “Russia does not and has never had any plans to conquer neighboring countries,” stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

● Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili announced the approval of an action plan for de-oligarchization, covering seven priority areas. Read more here

● The Prime Minister pledges a nationwide celebration if Georgia attains EU candidate status, with a decision expected on December 14-15.

● Parliament rejected the opposition party Lelo’s proposal to limit Russian influence, which included strict restrictions for Russian citizens in Georgia, such as business bans and license prohibitions.

● The Prime Minister announced a record level of employment, with 1,366,000 people currently working in the country.

● Restrictions have been lifted for Georgian doctors who worked abroad and chose to continue their careers in Georgia.

● The prosecutor’s office is appealing the city court’s decision to release actor and singer Kakha Abuashvili, known as Kabu, on bail of 10,000 lari ($4,000). He was arrested on November 26 on charges of assaulting a woman, and a narcotic substance was found on him.

● A group of former Ukrainian prisoners, who completed their sentences in Russia, has been living at the Verkhniy Lars border checkpoint on the Russian-Georgian border for over two weeks, awaiting permission to enter Georgia.

● The US Embassy in Azerbaijan canceled an event for graduates of American universities, labeled as a “meeting with an intelligence network” by pro-government media. The widely circulated report claimed that “individuals educated in America were secretly collaborating with the country. Prompt action by Azerbaijani authorities and the public’s decisive reaction thwarted Washington’s alleged subversive activities against Baku.”

● Early this morning, 25 families (106 people) of internally displaced persons returned to their permanent place of residence in the city of Fizuli (pictured). As a result, permanent residence has been provided for 308 families (1,106 people) in Fuzuli.

● Yashar Gular, the Head of the Turkish Ministry of Defense, arrived in Baku to participate in the meeting of defense ministers from Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia.

● Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, expressed support for lasting peace in the region without external interference during a meeting with Iranian ambassadors to Azerbaijan and Armenia. He highlighted the importance of the South Caucasus in Iran’s foreign policy and emphasized efforts to strengthen relations with Baku and Yerevan under the Good Neighbor Policy.

● Construction of four small hydroelectric power stations is ongoing in the Kelbajar region. The stations, named “Ashagy Veng,” “Yukhary Veng,” “Nadirkhanly,” and “Zar,” are scheduled to be operational next year. Currently, six hydroelectric power stations have been reconstructed and put into operation in various locations, as reported by Azerenergy.

● “The Kremlin expresses hope for Armenia’s return to expanded participation in the work of the CSTO,” stated Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to President Putin.

●  Former President Serzh Sargsyan advises, “You need to work with allies using your mind, not your tongue,” in reference to relations with Russia and the CSTO.

● Armenia and Saudi Arabia have established diplomatic relations.

● Armenia has surpassed Spain as the largest importer of whiskey to Russia, with imports increasing 2.5 times to $5.6 million in the first 9 months of this year. Russia’s total whiskey imports amounted to $262.5 million.

● Soldiers in wheelchairs undergoing rehabilitation at the “Soldier’s House” in Armenia gave a concert alongside professional dancers, performing to the renowned music from the film “Life and Struggle.”

● Armenia secured third place at Junior Eurovision 2023, with France claiming victory and Spain in the second position.

● German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that “Ukraine will strengthen the European Union in the near future,” emphasizing that “Georgia, Moldova, and the Western Balkan countries should have the prospect of joining the EU.”

● Following Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s declaration of “full and unconditional” support for Georgia’s territorial integrity, leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia leveled accusations against him. Alan Gagloev, in particular, accused the Armenian prime minister of betraying the Armenian people, stating, “We respect the Armenian people, but we are not interested in the opinion of the prime minister who betrayed Nagorno-Karabakh in a difficult situation when he expected help from Armenia.”

● The Minister of Education discussed the planned change in the grading system in schools, stating, “It is proposed to introduce defining, or ‘diagnostic,’ assessments in the 6th, 9th, and 12th grades. Once this system is tested and proven, it will become mandatory,” said Giorgi Amilakhvari on the Imedi TV channel.

● Junior Eurovision 2023 concluded with France emerging victorious. Spain secured the second position, and Armenia claimed the third spot, while Georgia landed in 14th place.

● Popular singer Kakha Abuashvili, known as Kabu, was reportedly arrested on charges of violence against a woman, though there has been no official confirmation yet.

● Human rights defenders and activists staged a performance in front of the parliament in Tbilisi to protest against the issue of early marriages and engagements of girls (pictured). Participants demanded stricter legislation and active prevention of such crimes.

Media monitoring in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, 20-24 November, 2023