Media monitoring in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, 7-11 August, 2023

● The OSCE Chairperson held telephone conversations with the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Bujar Osmani discussed the situation on the Lachin road with Ceyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan.

● Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev rejected a report by former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno Ocampo. Hajiyev told The Associated Press that Ocampo’s report contains unfounded allegations and accusations. “It is biased, distorts the real situation on the ground and contains serious factual, legal and substantive errors,” Hikmet Hajiyev said.

● Resident individuals outside Azerbaijan can cash out no more than $10,000 from bank cards within a month. The changes came into force on 9 August. Also, according to the new rules of the country’s central bank, individuals can send no more than $20,000 per month to accounts abroad.

● A lawyer has been hired for Azerbaijani citizen Farid Safarli, arrested in Iran, Dilara Askerova, Farid’s mother, said: “The lawyer has already familiarised himself with the case, met with Farid and the judge. “The lawyer noted that there are no grounds for Farid’s arrest”.

● Karabakh Football Club beat Finnish HIK 2-1 in a Europa League qualifying round match.

● Yerevan and Tehran have extended their gas-for-electricity agreement until 2030, agreeing on increased volumes.

● The OSCE Chairman-in-Office held a telephone conversation with the Armenian Foreign Minister. He expressed concern about the situation around the Lachin corridor and its impact on the civilian population, in particular vulnerable groups, including women and children.

● Armenian-Iranian cultural and culinary festival “Navasard” was held in Armenia.

● A concert by the band Little Big, scheduled to take place in Yerevan on August 12, has been cancelled. The organisers said they could not guarantee the observance of security measures after people started collecting signatures to cancel of the concert.

● Armenians in Glendale, California blocked 134 E motorway to draw attention to Nagorno-Karabakh.

● More than a thousand Armenian citizens signed an appeal to the Prosecutor General’s Office demanding criminal proceedings against founder of the band ‘Little Big,’ Ilya Prusikin. They also want his concert in Yerevan on August 12 to be cancelled. “He desecrated a Christian cross by using it as a skateboard, dressed up as a priest on Christmas Day, ridiculed Christian values and insulted the religious feelings of Christians. In one day, 1,257 people signed the statement,” lawyer Ara Zohrabyan wrote on social media.

● A group of Armenian-Americans has been protesting for the third day in California. They are demanding that Congressman Adam Schiff raises the issue of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh in the US Congress. They want the congressman to visit the Lachin corridor.

● Another truck with food supplies from France has joined the humanitarian convoy for Nagorno-Karabakh. Vardan Sargsyan, representative of the governmental working group on crisis management in Nagorno Karabakh, told Public TV that this is part of an initiative that a number of French cities and regions are taking part in to support the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

● Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Press of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexei Zaitsev claimed that Moscow is intensely assisting Armenia and Azerbaijan with the preparation of a peace treaty.

● The wife and son of Elmar Huseynov, the late journalist, spent two weeks in Baku and Shusha, before going back to Norway, where they have been living since leaving the country 17 years ago. Elmar Huseynov, a journalist known for his anti-government speeches, was shot dead at the door of his flat in 2005.

● Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov held a telephone conversation with Acting US Assistant Secretary of State Yuri Kim.
They discussed cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US, as well as issues arising from the process of normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. “Ceyhun Bayramov brought to Yuri Kim’s attention that Armenia is deliberately aggravating the situation in the region and hindering the peace process,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

● Baku urged the Lithuanian Foreign Minister “not to fall for Armenian propaganda”. “Mr Landsbergis, it would be good if you did not fall for fake Armenian propaganda. The Armenian side has been abusing the Lachin road for the last three years. Unfortunately, Lithuania has demonstrated silence all these years,” said Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayhan Hajizadeh.

● An earthquake with magnitude 4.0 occurred in Saatli district at 21:38 local time. The epicentre was at a depth of 52 km. There were no casualties and destruction.

● Rosselkhoznadzor did not let 36 tonnes of raspberries from Azerbaijan into Russia. The reason given was “inconsistency of labelling information with phytosanitary certificates”.

● The search continues for the missing in the mountain resort of Shovi, which was hit by a huge landslide on 3 August. More than 200 people have been evacuated, at least 21 people have died and 12 others cannot yet be found.

● Deputy Ministry of Environment and Agriculture Nino Tandilashvili, “The mudslide in Shovi was completely unexpected. Neither before nor after the disaster did the water level in the reservoirs in the valley change, this is shown by satellite data received from foreign partners. Suddenly, half a million cubic metres of earth collapsed, collided with the glacial mass, broke through it and in a very short time it all came to Shovi. “It is almost impossible to predict such a natural disaster.” Whether it’s true or not – read more here

● Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said, “Georgia should not be begging for EU candidate status.”
“There is a possibility of an unfair decision, but we hope that EU member states will overcome their party affiliation and make an objective, fair decision: to put Georgia on the same level as Ukraine and Moldova.” Read more of his arguments here

● Mikhail Saakashvili has published a rebuttal on in response to the ruling party’s accusations that he pursued irresponsible policies as president that led to war with Russia in August 2008. Saakashvili stated on his Facebook that he would have had to fulfil 7 impossible conditions and only then could that war have been avoided:

– The then leader Aslan Abashidze would have stayed in his place, the development of Batumi would have had to be abandoned.
– It was necessary to fulfil Putin’s demand and include Russian agents in the leadership of the security services.
– Stop the fight against corruption, as it was reducing Russian influence in the country.
– Stop reforms as “Russia considered them a dangerous precedent”.
– Stop moving towards the European Union and NATO.
– Continue to use Russian schemes in the energy sector, which would have made the then severe energy crisis permanent.
– Refuse to develop the army and military production.”

● American-French journalist Jonathan Littel criticised the actions of Western leaders during the August 2008 war in an interview with the Georgian edition of Radio Liberty:

– “Sarkozy, who was the French president and chief ‘negotiator’, played a disgraceful role then, the role of flatterer for the Russians.”
– “Merkel could not fail to realise what was going on. She has in her genetic level an understanding of who the Russians are, she grew up in communist Germany, under the Russian boot.”
– “Saakashvili is a player. Such politicians are usually feared and not trusted because they are dangerous.”
– “The current rule in Georgia is akin to Putin’s regime. It is a corrupt mafia clan that rules the state according to its interests.”

● The portal tkt.ge has temporarily lost its exclusive right to sell cinema tickets online until the investigation into the Antimonopoly Agency’s claim is concluded.

● The National Centre for Disease Control urges the public to avoid going outdoors due to extreme heat and distributes recommendations on how to avoid health risks.

– If you don’t have air conditioning, close windows, shutters and curtains to reduce solar heat penetration.
– Hang wet towels around the house. This will moisturise and cool the house.
– Drink plenty of fluids.
– When outdoors, wear loose, light-coloured natural clothing, a hat or umbrella, sunglasses, and apply sunscreen to your face and body.

● The Indian airline Indigo made its maiden flight to Tbilisi. Direct Delhi-Tbilisi-Delhi flights will be operated three times a week.

●   The opposition is demanding a parliamentary commission to investigate the tragedy in Shovi, where a landslide killed at least 19 people
Ana Dolidze, leader of the For the People party, said that it should be a question of both legal and political responsibility.

The first question to ask, she said, concerns who in recent years gave permits for the construction and development of the resort without taking into account the possible risks of natural disasters.

The question is why the country still has no monitoring and early warning system in case of natural disasters, and why the government has not taken any measures against the background of constant warnings about the consequences of climate change.
Read more here

●  To mark 15 years since Russia invaded Georgia, the President of Ukraine said: “The Russian occupation remains – this wound on the body of the Georgian state remains. Many words have already been said that if the world had been resolute then, in 2008, many things would have been different.
“When Ukraine wins this war, it will not only stop the expansion of Russian aggressive appetites, it will not only save other nations from what we are experiencing – Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. Our victory will bring normality back to everyone – remove the Russian occupation.” Read comments from other international partners here

●  A heat wave of 40 degrees is expected in Georgia in the coming days. The Emergency Management Service of the country’s Interior Ministry has issued warnings about forest fires.

Last summer the biggest fire was in the forests around Borjomi – it could not be extinguished for more than two weeks.

●  From the first of September, the Russian Federal Security Service will have round-the-clock access to the data of the Yandex service for ordering taxis – including trips outside Russia, Meduza reports.

Residents in countries where this service operates – including Georgia – are under threat. Russia will have access to data such as the full names of users, bank details, location, “likes” and phone contacts.

●   “We reiterate our demand to Azerbaijan to stop using hunger as a political tool against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to force them to accept its ‘conditions’. This is a crime against humanity,” Armenian Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan said.

●   A group of people travelled overnight to Kornidzor, where humanitarian aid to Karabakh is located. Among them were members of the Khachakir detachment. Since morning they were staging rallies outside the government building demanding steps to unblock the Lachin corridor.
They set a deadline of 18։00 for the trucks with humanitarian aid to reach Nagorno-Karabakh, claiming that otherwise they will resort to their own method to solve the issue.
The police detained over 10 protesters.

●   A delegation of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee visited the village of Kornidzor at the beginning of the Lachin corridor.

●   Armenia has responded to Azerbaijan’s demands for “immediate cessation of construction works” at Yeraskh metallurgical plant claiming that under the Espoo Convention these demands have no grounds.

●   Ex-mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan will nominate himself as a candidate in the municipal elections. Read more about Marutyan here.

●  Another 23 families (made up of 93 people) of Internally Displaced Persons have been resettled in Lachin city.

●  Economist Fazil Gasimov was detained in Turkey and handed over to Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies. He is accused of counterfeiting – the same charge that politician and economicst Gubad Ibadoglu was arrested for.
The court sentenced Gasymov to 3 months and 12 days of arrest in prison while the investigation is being carried out. Read more here: https://jam-news.net/scientist-remanded-to-azerbaijan-by…/

● Azerbaijan’s Ombudsman has condemned the UN’s statement on the Lachin road. “Such actions should be regarded as double standards and ignoring the norms and principles formulated by the UN,” Sabina Aliyeva stressed.

●  Iran’s Deputy Prosecutor General has arrived in Baku. At a meeting with Azerbaijani Prosecutor General Mehdi Amiri Isfahani expressed regret over the attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran.
Isfahani informed Kamran Aliyev in detail about the progress of the investigation and assured them that the guilty persons will receive deserved punishment.

● The State Agency for Water Resources has appealed to the general public not to waste water due to the heatwave.

● In Gori a ceremony was held to commemorate those who died during the August 2008 war between Georgia and Russia around South Ossetia. Today marks the 15th anniversary of the war. “We traditionally gather every year on this night for an action with candles and so honour the memory of our heroes who sacrificed themselves for the unity of our country,” Mayor Vladimir Khinchegashvili said.

● Prime Minister of Georgia: “Our government remains committed to the peaceful way of restoring the territorial integrity and reunification of the country.”

● President Salome Zourabichvili: “We have an enemy, they fight us either by war or by soft power. If we want the independence that [those who died during the August war] fought for, if we want to support our country, we must come to our senses and see where our common threat is.”

● The Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “The Russian side is strengthening control in the occupied regions, expanding the controlled zone through the construction of artificial barriers and restricting the movement of the population. “The process of creating a single space with the occupied territories is underway. The Russian occupation forces are obstructing the free access of international organisations and the deployment of international security mechanisms on the ground”.

● The Foreign Ministry emphasised that Georgia continues their policy of peaceful process to de-occupy the country.

● Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Georgia with words of “strong support” on the 15th anniversary of the August war: “Only full de-occupation of the territories of Ukraine and Georgia, punishment of the invaders and reparation of damages will bring peace and stability to Europe and the whole world.”

● The bodies of 18 people who died in a landslide on 3 August in the mountain resort of Shovi in the Racha region have been found.
Rescuers are reportedly searching for another 16 missing people. However, so far the Interior Ministry has not published an official list with the names of the dead and missing. Some are speculating that the number could be much higher.

● Georgian-born David Dadunashvili made a film “Witness” about the war in Ukraine in Russia. The Russian culture and defence ministries financed the film. The main character, a Belgian musician, finds himself drawn into the war in Ukraine, where he witnesses “the crimes committed by the Kiev regime against its own people”.

● US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller claims that a peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku is within reach despite any comments from countries that are not parties to the issue.

● According to the national statistics service, in the first six months of 2023, 8,872 boys and 8,067 girls were born in Armenia.
The top five most popular male names for newborns are Narek, Mark, Hayk and Tigran, while the most common female names are Arpi, Maria, Lucy and Marie.

● The Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia claims that the sale of Hayfilm film studio has caused $10 million damage to the state.

● The head of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan visited the Armenian-Chinese joint venture “Shansi-Nairit” during his visit to China.

● The Court of Appeal has dismissed a lawsuit to transfer economist and politician Gubad Ibadoglu to house arrest. Ibadoglu, leader of the Democracy and Welfare Movement of Azerbaijan, has been convicted on charges of counterfeiting. Human rights activists believe Ibadoglu’s arrest was politically motivated. Read more here.

● The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has responded to the statements of some independent experts from the UN Human Rights Council concerning the Lachin road. “Azerbaijan is making efforts to ensure sustainable peace and security in the region and to this end has put forward initiatives on peace agreement, delimitation, opening of communications. Presenting biased statements instead of supporting these efforts will not have a positive impact on the process,” the Ministry said.

● The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported the interception of an Armenian Armed Forces quadrocopter. “At around 13:30, a DJI Mavic 3 quadrocopter attempted to fly over Azerbaijani positions located opposite the Zod (Sotq) field and was intercepted,” the Ministry said in a statement.

● Employees of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman’s office visited Armenian citizen Rashid Beglaryan detained in Lachin. Members of the National Preventive Group presented him with legislative acts translated into Armenian.

● The lot has been cast among IDPs returning to Zabukh village of Lachin. In the first phase, 20 families (88 people) will be resettled.

● The price of cigarettes has increased again in Azerbaijan. This time the price increase ranged from 10 to 20 qepiks [6-12 cents] depending on the brand of tobacco products.

● 7 and 8 August have been declared national days of mourning for those killed in the Racha landslide. State flags have been lowered on government buildings across Georgia. On 3 August, a huge landslide hit the popular mountain resort of Shovi. Since then, rescue efforts have been ongoing. So far, the bodies of 18 dead have been found, and the search for 17 other missing people continues.

● The National Environment Agency has published the first assessments of the causes of the disaster. It is reported that the landslide in the valley of the Bubiskali River was caused by intense glacier melting and heavy rainfall, which caused rock avalanches in the mountains. According to preliminary estimates, the landslide reached the cottages within 8-10 minutes. “Predicting the exact time of formation of this type of phenomena around the world is virtually impossible,” the 11-page report said. It is noted that individual circumstances may be cited in modified/clarified form in the final report.

● Arrested activist Afieddin Mammadov has ended his hunger strike. He is now allowed to make phone calls. The head of the Independent Confederation of Trade Unions was detained after he took part in a courier protest; he was imprisoned for 30 days.

● In the first phase of the planned return of Internally Displaced Persons to Fizuli town 114 families (509 people) will be resettled. After the occupation of Fizuli district during the first Karabakh war, they have been living in Baku, Sumgait cities and Absheron district.

● Serviceman Ulvi Shamkhalov shot himself from his service weapon while serving in a correctional facility in Salyan district. He was taken to hospital and has been operated on.

● From 7 August it will only be possible to pay for parking in Azerbaijan through the Azparking mobile app and cashless payment terminals.

● The III CIS Games in 2025 will be held in Ganja.

● In a 35-minute video on Azerbaijani TV, the entire territory of Armenia was presented as Azerbaijani. A spokeswoman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter, “This is open propaganda and a blatant threat”.

● French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies said that France demands the restoration of free movement along the Lachin corridor in both directions and an uninterrupted gas and electricity supply for the population.

● US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, among others, discussed the situation in the South Caucasus and the process of normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in a phone call.

● The VIII Pan-Armenian Games started in Gyumri. More than 7,000 athletes from 41 countries are taking part in them.

The main topics of the day in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, 31 July-4 August, 2023