The main topics of the day in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, 29 May-2 June, 2023

● An informal meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan was held in Moldova, mediated by the President of the European Council, the German Chancellor, and the French President. No documents were signed.

● Ilham Aliyev met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyin Moldova. Zelensky thanked Aliyev for his involvement in the reconstruction of the Kiev region and invited Azerbaijani companies to invest in the Ukrainian economy.

● Azerbaijani student Farid Safarli has been detained in Iran on espionage charges. The 27-year-old Jena University student had been reported missing since 20 February 2023. On that day he had travelled from Germany to Iran to visit his girlfriend and disappeared. It was only yesterday that the Iranian authorities notified the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry of his detention.

● Three Azerbaijani nationals, former wives of ISIS members, returned to Azerbaijan from Iraq. They were arrested by the Iraqi authorities on charges of involvement in the terrorist organisation.

● Abid Gafarov, a political prisoner and owner of the YouTube channel KimTV, was released from custody. The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan dismissed charges against him under one of the articles of the criminal code, while under the other article of the charges Gafarov has already served his sentence. Read more about his arrest here

● Azerbaijan and the Netherlands will build the first dredging vessel in Baku. The vessel will help remove obstacles at ports – necessary because of the Caspian Sea level dropping

● The first international children’s dance festival was held in Shusha. Around 150 schoolchildren from Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan took part in the event.

● The two sides have stressed that they are not against taking the 1975 maps as the basis for future delimitation plans between Armenia and Azerbaijan—according to Nikol Pashinyan. He said this after the meeting, which was mediated by the President of the European Council, the German Chancellor and the French President.

● Another meeting between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the heads of the European Council, Germany and France will take place on 5 October in Spain, European Council President Charles Michel told reporters.

● Two state-owned newspapers, Hayastani Hanrapetutyun and Respublika Armenia, which had been published for 33 years, have closed down in Armenia.

● Child vaccination rates have increased in Armenia, Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan told parliament.

● 10 police officers were dismissed in Armenia last year for drug use, according to the Deputy Interior Minister.

● Russian writer Viktor Shenderovich was not allowed into Georgia without explanation. He was scheduled to appear in Tbilisi today and in Batumi on June 4. “I would not dare to call Georgia under Ivanishvili a Putin province, but work is being done in this direction, isn’t it? In 2006, at the height of the infamous anti-Georgian campaign and deportations, I, along with hundreds of other Muscovites, went to a protest rally on Pushkin Square with a badge on my chest that said ‘I am Georgian’,” Schederovich wrote on his FB.

● On June 1, the leaders of 50 European countries gathered for the European Political Union summit in Moldova. The main topic of the summit was Ukraine. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili was present at the summit. EU leaders also spoke about the need for reforms in Georgia. Garibashvili reiterated: candidate status belongs to Georgia and another rejection would be “another injustice and a big strategic mistake”.

● Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, speaking at the summit, mentioned Georgia in the same context as Belarus and said that Russia would pull them into a “state mess”. Garibashvili responded that Zelensky’s statements are often fully in line with the hostile forces operating in Georgia.

● The police did not allow Beka Grigoriadis, father of the arrested activist, a participant in the March protests against the foreign agents bill (pictured), to set up a tent outside the parliament building. He demands the release of his son Lazare, a participant in the March protests. Beka Grigoriadis was detained by the police immediately after he took the tent out of his bag.
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● The US State Department welcomes Aliyev’s recent remarks about considering amnesty. This was stated by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. Ilham Aliyev said the other day that Karabakh separatists could count on amnesty provided: “parliament” must be dissolved, the element calling itself “president” must surrender, all “ministers”, “deputies” and others must leave their positions.
Read more about Aliyev’s speech here

● Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is in Moldova, has met with the President and Prime Minister of that country. He is expected to meet with Nikol Pashinyan today.

● The deputy foreign ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan discussed prospects for Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation. During the meeting, Mikhail Galuzin and Khalaf Khalafov also “synchronised their watches” on a number of regional and international subjects.

● The issue of early marriages in Azerbaijan was raised in the parliament. Sahiba Gafarova, speaker of the Milli Mejlis, responded by saying that it was too early to talk about it: “It is not everywhere. Then such data gets into various reports and creates a wrong opinion about Azerbaijan”.

● A meeting of the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan on the unblocking of transport communications in the South Caucasus will be held in the near future. “We are talking about the fact that there will be passport, customs and all other controls that exist at international borders at this border,” explained Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk.

● Over the last year and a half more than 10 countries have asked Azerbaijan to either increase or start supplying gas. Ilham Aliyev said this at the opening ceremony of the 28th International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition.

● Israeli company is building a plant for production of medical products in Azerbaijan. It will produce 50 types of medicines including insulin.

● The Azerbaijani city of Gabala will become the Youth Capital of CIS in 2025. The issue will be discussed at a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government in Sochi on 8 June.

● Nikol Pashinian’s two-day visit to Chisinau began with a concert and reception in honour of the participants in the European Political Community summit. Pashinyan is scheduled to hold five-way talks today with the leaders of France, Germany, Azerbaijan, and the head of the European Council.

● Armenian telecommunications company Team has acquired 30% of one of Georgia’s leading operators SkyTel. This will diversify Armenia’s inbound internet channels and improve internet reliability and security, reports Team Telecom Armenia.

● Aram Nikolyan, who burned the flag of Azerbaijan at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championships, has been dismissed from Public TV on his own accord, the broadcaster’s director told reporters.

● “I want Armenia to ratify the Istanbul convention,” said EU Ambassador to Armenia, Andrea Viktorin. She added that she was well aware that her words will not please many in Armenia, but that “this step will strengthen women’s rights”. Even before the revolution, there was a heated debate in society over the fact that the document endangers traditional Armenian values and introduces the promotion of same-sex marriages, and the document was not adopted. Read more here: “Why Armenia isn’t taking to the European convention against domestic violence – myths and refutals”

● European Court of Human Rights on June 6 asked Azerbaijan to provide information on the grounds for the detention of Armenian military personnel in Baku, whether as prisoners of war or under any other status.

● The court’s ruling also said it demanded information on the conditions of their detention and medical examinations, according to the office of Armenia’s international legal affairs representative.

● Another Georgian fighter has been reported dead in fighting in Ukraine, his name has not yet been released. The body of another dead soldier, 45-year-old Vakhtang Barabadze, has also been taken to Tbilisi. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 43 Georgian citizens have died fighting the occupiers.

● Maka Bochorishvili, MP from the ruling Georgian Dream coalition, regarding the President of Georgia’s speech at the European Parliament: “This was a good opportunity to once again say that Georgia is a European nation, Georgia has European history, Georgia has European culture and identity and this is very important for us.” Read more about the president’s speech here

● MEP Viola von Kramon regarding the same speech: “It is like air to finally listen to a high-ranking Georgian official, who represents the European will of 90% of Georgians. Dear President, in the European Parliament, we strongly support you and your people for the European future of Georgia.”

Photo: Tbilisi, JAMnews / David Pipia

● “European values are in the blood of the Georgian people. I once again reaffirmed to the Georgian President my strong support for our common European future,” tweeted the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, after his meeting with Salome Zurabishvili in Brussels. The President of Georgia also met with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, (see photo) and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Mezzola.

● There was a scandal during the photo competition “I see Europe” held by NATO and EU information centre at the Georgian Foreign Ministry. The jury did not accept the famous photo with the EU flag taken in Tbilisi during the March rally against the “foreign agents” law. The author Zura Tsertsvadze said “the photo was published by the New York Times, BBC, Guardian and other well-known media and the jury rejected it because it was taken at an anti-government rally. Competition organisers responded that they did not include the photo in consideration because ‘the work would have put the other contestants in a completely unequal position’. The winning photos can be viewed here

● A border police officer who is accused of using violence against tourists and using weapons in the Vashlovani Nature Reserve has been detained.

● A big meeting will be held today in Chisinau by Aliyev-Pashinian with the participation of European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

● The price of diesel fuel in Armenia may drop soon – head of the Competition Commission.

●  In the coming months, the Armenian satellite will be controlled from the territory of Armenia, Hi-Tech Industry Minister Robert Khachatryan told the parliament.

● Armenian airlines will be audited in the summer to resume flights to the EU, Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Gnel Sanosyan said. At present, flights to European countries are made only with aircraft with foreign crew, maintenance by them and with foreign insurance.

● Restoration of railway infrastructure will take up to 3 years – Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

● Another Aliyev-Pashinian meeting is due to take place in Chisinau today, with the participation of European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

● “We are moving towards the meeting in Chisinau with certain optimism, with certain expectations. Another meeting of the foreign ministers will be held in June, during which the peace treaty will be discussed,” Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said.

● “Baku is ready to ensure the rights of Armenians living in Karabakh within the framework of the Azerbaijani constitution” – Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev.

● US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Jeffrey Pyatt arrived in Baku. He will take part in the 28th annual Baku Energy Week.

● The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence has reported shelling of positions by Armenian armed formations in Karabakh. “In addition, under the guise of agricultural work, members of illegal Armenian armed formations tried to install defensive structures in front of Azerbaijani positions in the direction of Agdam, Fizuli, Lachin and Kelbajar districts. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces responded adequately. The engineering works have been stopped,” the Ministry said in a statement.

● Israeli President Itzhak Herzog arrived in Baku on an official visit. He met with Ilham Aliyev. After the meeting, the presidents made press statements. “Azerbaijan has a huge influence on the world and the region,” Herzog said. “Iran is a country that threatens the security structure in the region,” he added.

● Azerbaijan is increasing defence and national security spending by more than 1 billion manats (about $600 million). After the surcharge they will be 2bn 70m manat (about $1.2bn).

● The Azerbaijani authorities will allocate another $1.33 billion this year for projects in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur. Earlier, the state budget envisaged spending of $1.765 billion for these purposes. Thus, the total amount of funding for these purposes this year will be about $3.1 billion.

● “It would be good if the Armenian side, instead of hindering peace efforts and making false statements, would respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country, including the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, not in words but in deeds,” an Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry statement said. This was their response to the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s sharply critical statement about what Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting with residents of Lachin: that the Armenians of Karabakh should surrender to the Azerbaijani authorities, and Armenia should accept the conditions of Baku, including regarding the delimitation of the border. Read more here

● Israeli President Itzhak Herzog will arrive in Baku today. He is scheduled to meet with Ilham Aliyev during his visit.

● Aide to Azerbaijani President Hikmet Hajiyev is expected to meet with Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan in Bratislava today. They will hold a panel discussion as part of the GLOBSEC 2023 Bratislava Forum event.

● “Members of illegal Armenian armed formations attempted to install fortifications in front of Azerbaijani positions in a number of areas under the pretext of agricultural work. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces suppressed their actions,” the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

● The opening ceremony of the World Taekwondo Championship was held in Baku.

● Baku’s statements that the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border should be on Baku’s terms raise questions for the Armenian side. Does this signify a rejection of the agreements made in Brussels? This question was raised by Nikol Pashinyan, who directed the Foreign Minister to learn the answer. Read more here

● Today, Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Armenian Security Council, will hold panel discussions with Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, at the GLOBSEC 2023 Bratislava Forum in the Slovakian capital.

● Pashinyan will again travel to Russia on a working visit from 7-9 June, Sergey Paltov, a representative for the 4th Department of CIS countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters.

● The case against the mother of the deceased military officer accused of “kidnapping” the prime minister’s son has gone to court.
It is not yet known who will hear the case, the lawyer involved told reporters.

● Yerevan has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in connection with the kidnapping of two Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijan. The court is asked to apply an interim measure and protect their right to life, to oblige Baku to provide data on the conditions of detention, and the soldiers’ health.

● Another fawn has been born at the reindeer breeding centre in Dilijan National Park.

● The Yerevan mayor’s office plans to launch an application to track the movement of public transport in real time, Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinyan said at a meeting.

● Three ballets composed by Aram Khachaturian will be performed in an open air arena in Armenia for the first time. The initiative is timed to coincide with the 120th anniversary of the great Armenian composer’s birth.

● Two Georgian citizens were sentenced to one month in prison in South Ossetia. In mid-May they were detained in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone by the Russian military.

● The police did not allow the father of Lazare Grigoriadis, a detained participant in the March protests against the “foreign agents law”, to set up a protest tent in front of the parliament. He had earlier announced that he was launching an indefinite hunger strike demanding his son’s release.

● “Refusal of flights would be de facto sanctions against Russia” – one of the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream Mamuka Mdinaradze – on the diplomatic demarche delivered by EU ambassadors to the Georgian government over the resumption of direct flights with Russia.

● MEP Marina Kaliurandi – on flights: “It creates problems for Georgia, the government must take a firm stance.”

● Mikheil Saakashvili: “I am sure that Georgian people will free me, I will fight till the end.”

Photo: Protests in Tbilisi for choosing the European path. JAMnews/David Pipia

● Armenia celebrated the Day of the First Republic yesterday. In his congratulatory message, the Armenian PM said, the Republic failed to hold out after the 1920 war, and we held out after the 2020 war and will no longer look for a new homeland, because our homeland is our state.

● Pashinyan congratulated Erdogan on his re-election as President of Turkey. The Armenian Prime Minister said he expects to “continue working together to fully normalise relations” between Armenia and Turkey.

● A Russian consulate will be opened in Syunik. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said it was positive about the proposal and had informed the Russian side of its consent back in April.

● An Azerbaijani court has arrested the Armenian military officers kidnapped the day before in the border zone. Arutyun Hovakimyan and Karen Ghazaryan are facing criminal charges under six articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code.

● Ilham Aliyev congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his victory in the Turkish presidential election and invited him to Azerbaijan. Traditionally, Turkish elected presidents are the first to visit the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Azerbaijan.

● In Azerbaijan, a court has ordered the arrest of Armenian soldiers detained earlier in the Zangilan direction. A criminal case has been opened against Garut Hovakimyan and Karen Ghazaryan under six articles of the country’s Criminal Code.

● Ilham Aliyev visited Lachin and met with the first internally displaced persons to return to their hometown. During the meeting the Azerbaijani President said that there would be no third invitation to the Karabakh Armenians to continue negotiations on reintegration. Aliyev put forward conditions for the surrender to the representatives of the authorities of the unrecognised NKR.

● An extraordinary session of the Azerbaijani parliament will be held. The speaker is convening it at the request of 42 MPs. The agenda is unknown.

● 75-year-old Abdullah Alasgarov was blown up by a landmine while grazing cattle. The man’s left leg was injured. The man’s house is close to the conditional border with Armenia. There is a mine danger in the area.

● In the heart of Baku, the Old City (Icherisheher), the V National Book Exhibition has opened. It runs until 4 June.

● “Ukraine will break through the front, Russia will fall apart and we will have a chance to return Abkhazia” – ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili. He also said that “Georgia should prepare for the emergence of a common border with Ukraine.”

● “Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili deserves the Nobel Peace Prize” – Mariam Lashkhi, deputy from the ruling party.

● Prime Minister Garibashvili congratulated Erdogan on his victory in the elections before the publication of the official results.

● The Liberal Democratic Alliance of Georgia once again criticized the government for resuming direct flights with Russia and called on the authorities to act in accordance with Western sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation, including in the aviation sector.

● “Both the closure of flights and the restoration of flights were a unilateral decision by Russia,” Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili.

● “President Zurabishvili’s statements give the impression of a person who is looking for an opportunity to create problems” – Mamuka Mdinaradze, one of the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream, about Salome Zurabishvili’s speech on May 26

Photo: Tbilisi on Independence Day, JAMnews/David Pipia

The main topics of the day in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, 22-26 May, 2023