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

●  Another large-scale pro-European rally took place in Tbilisi on Sunday evening under the slogan “Georgia, rise up!” In their call to the public, organizers warned: “They are trying to turn our free country into one big prison. Behind bars now are political leaders of pro-Western parties, journalists, activists, doctors, actors, poets, teachers. If this continues, repression will affect everyone — we’ll all be in prison: some as inmates, others as guards, but all imprisoned.” Mass pro-European protests have continued in Georgia for over seven months. Protesters are demanding new, fair parliamentary elections to legally change the government, and the release of detained demonstrators.

●  Georgia’s 5th president, Salome Zourabichvili, spoke at the Sunday protest, once again stressing that “the main way to end the Georgian Dream regime is unity.” She stated that “the collapse of Georgian Dream has already begun, and the opposition must not allow internal conflicts to hide this fact.” “Victory over this regime will not come through elections or hunger strikes. The only path is unity among all pro-Western forces,” Zourabichvili said.

●  Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the opposition “Coalition for Change,” continues her hunger strike, calling it a form of political struggle. She urged the opposition to develop a clear strategy and said she is ready to end her strike if opposition parties collectively agree not to participate in the upcoming municipal elections in October.

●  Tina Bokuchava, chair of the “United National Movement,” expressed support for Elene Khoshtaria and also called for a boycott of the October municipal elections, describing them as “a special operation disguised as local elections.”

●  Amnesty International: “The investigative commission in Georgia’s parliament has become a tool of political repression and is being used to target political opponents, including former officials, for their principled opposition, isolating them ahead of local elections. \[…] Georgian authorities must end their ongoing attacks on dissent, the persecution of protesters and political activists peacefully exercising their rights, and release opposition figures jailed in recent weeks.”

The ruling Georgian Dream party formed the commission to investigate the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili (2003–2012). The commission’s mandate was later expanded to examine the actions of opposition politicians up to the present day. Georgian Dream says it intends to use the commission’s report to declare the United National Movement unconstitutional and to ban “any political force whose ideology aligns with unconstitutional parties.” Most opposition leaders have refused to testify, citing the illegitimacy of the current parliament, formed after the disputed October elections. As a result, criminal cases were opened against them.

Opposition leaders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze (Lelo), Nika Melia (Akhalia), Zurab Japaridze (Girchi – More Freedom), Giorgi Vashadze (Strategy Aghmashenebeli), and former MP Givi Targamadze have each already received prison sentences of 7–8 months. Nika Gvaramia (Akhalia) and former defense minister Irakli Okruashvili are awaiting sentencing.

“Georgia, rise up!” – thousands have gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi under this main slogan. In the organizers’ call to the public, they say: “The enemy of Georgia is trying to turn our free country into one big prison. Political leaders of pro-Western parties,… pic.twitter.com/ATGxTarePO

— JAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus) June 29, 2025

● Tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia have sharply escalated after Russian special forces raided the “Caspian” café in Yekaterinburg, owned by the ethnic Azerbaijani Safarov family. The operation involved violent searches in their homes. Two men, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, were killed during the raid. Azerbaijani media report they were brothers of well-known journalist Seyfaddin Huseynli. Several others were injured, and 9 people were arrested. Russian authorities claim the operation was related to crimes committed in the early 2000s and 2010s.

● Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry issued a strong protest to Moscow, demanding a full investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the violence.

● The pro-government Azerbaijani outlet Report published an interview with the lawyer of Akhliman Ganjaliyev, arrested in Yekaterinburg. According to the lawyer, he was tortured for several hours by investigators, despite a lack of evidence connecting him to the alleged crime.

● Azerbaijan’s embassy in Russia and its consulate in Yekaterinburg are working on repatriating the bodies of the Safarov brothers to Baku.

●  In response, Azerbaijan canceled the planned visit of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk to Baku and a scheduled bilateral parliamentary commission meeting in Moscow.

● Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture canceled all cultural events in or related to Russia and offered refunds for tickets.

● Harsh criticism of Russia is spreading across Azerbaijani media and social platforms. On a state AzTV news broadcast, Russia was called a “prison of nations” and Putin was directly accused of resenting Azerbaijan’s regional strength, regained territories, and President Aliyev’s international standing. The broadcast accused Russia of historically viewing non-Russian nations as inferior.

● Another AzTV anchor stated: “This is systemic policy driven by Vladimir Putin. Look at how Russia treats fellow believers in Ukraine—destroying cities, committing genocide in Bucha, bombing homes. The same applies to its treatment of non-Russian peoples, shaped over decades and now taking monstrous forms.”

● Jasarat Huseynzade, head of the public organization “Support for Information and Social Initiatives,” stated: “These events once again clearly show the imperialist and nationalist nature of Russia.”

● In Russia, there have also been strong anti-Azerbaijani reactions from officials and media:

• Konstantin Zatulin, Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, called Azerbaijan’s cancellation of cultural events an exaggerated and fabricated response. He accused Baku of distancing itself from Moscow under the guise of partnership, citing past actions like supporting Ukraine and cooperating with Israel against Iran. He referenced the December 2024 crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane en route to Grozny, believed by Baku to have been shot down by Russian air defenses. Read more here

• His deputy, Viktor Vodolatsky, dismissed Azerbaijan’s actions as a “momentary lapse” and called it part of an Anglo-Saxon strategy to destabilize the post-Soviet space.

• State Duma MP Mikhail Matveyev said: “We must continue to crack down on ethnic criminal business groups and diasporas across Russia—silently and without statements.”

● The State Committee on Work with the Diaspora condemned a provocative article from a fake Telegram channel titled “Azerbaijani Diaspora,” claiming it had no connection to the real diaspora in Russia and was aimed at discrediting Azerbaijan and its people. Media were urged to act responsibly in this sensitive time.

● The same committee announced that the second US-Azerbaijani Youth Forum is currently taking place in Virginia and will become an annual event.

● Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov declared that Azerbaijan’s army is the strongest in the region and plays a key role in maintaining peace and stability.

● “The false statements by Iran’s ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, regarding the Western Azerbaijan Community contradict Iran’s official position and are a provocation aimed at undermining Azerbaijani-Iranian relations,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizade. His comments were in response to Sobhani’s remarks at a press conference in Yerevan, where the ambassador criticized a recent resolution by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) affirming the right of Azerbaijanis to return to their native lands in Armenia from which they were expelled in the early 1990s. Sobhani claimed the resolution contained clear territorial claims by Azerbaijan against Armenia. He also stated that Iran’s position on Armenia remains unchanged: full support for its territorial integrity. “We advise self-proclaimed groups like the Western Azerbaijan Community not to interfere in the peace process in the region,” Sobhani said. Hajizade urged the ambassador to read the OIC resolution carefully. “The document calls for the restoration of the fundamental rights of Azerbaijani refugees. It contains no territorial claims. The ambassador’s remarks, aimed at defending Armenia’s interests, contradict Iran’s official stance, which supported the resolution at the ministerial level along with 57 other OIC member states in Istanbul,” Hajizade said. Read more about the resolution here

● The family of Haji Valiyev, the detained head of the “Young Veterans” organization, alleges he was tortured in custody and suffered a head injury. He was arrested in April on weapons-related hooliganism charges, which he denies. The group suspended its work following his arrest.

●  In Aghdam District (near Karabakh, reclaimed by Azerbaijan in the 2020 war), a local police officer was seriously injured after stepping on an anti-personnel mine. His right leg was partially amputated, according to the interior ministry.

Tensions between #Azerbaijan and #Russia have sharply escalated again after a Russian special forces unit stormed the “Caspian” café in Yekaterinburg, owned by the Safarov family – ethnic Azerbaijanis – and carried out violent raids in their homes.

Two members of the family,… pic.twitter.com/C7ivxdjm7Y

— JAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus) June 29, 2025

●  French President Emmanuel Macron published a post in Armenian about his phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. One part drew particular attention in Armenia, where Macron expressed “France’s solidarity in response to attempts to destabilize democracy in Armenia.” In response, the opposition accused France of supporting the emergence of an authoritarian system in the country. “In Armenia, political forces are fighting for their identity, the rights of the people, and real democracy. There is no need to harm Armenian–French friendship by using democracy as a pretext to legitimize dictatorship,” said Ishkhan Saghatelyan, an MP from the opposition “Armenia” parliamentary faction.

●  EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas is visiting Yerevan. During a meeting with the Armenian president, she stated: “We consider close EU–Armenia cooperation important and are interested in establishing lasting peace in your region.” She also visited the EU Mission’s headquarters in Yeghegnadzor.

●  Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will not attend the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting taking place today in Kyrgyzstan, according to an official ministry statement.

●  Armenians living in Brussels held a protest outside the Armenian Embassy in Belgium. “Freedom of speech and justice have died in Armenia,” said the demonstrators, who support the church in its standoff with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian authorities have launched searches and criminal cases against several clergy members, claiming to have prevented a coup attempt and citing a “Russian link” in the church’s actions. Read more here

●  Former Russian MP Franz Klintsevich was denied entry into Armenia. Upon arriving on a private visit, he was stopped at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport and told after a document check that he had to return to Russia.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 23-27 June, 2025