JAMnews. Daily morning roundup: latest news from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia.
Wednesday, July 30, Georgia.
● Cartu Bank, founded by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili (considered the shadow ruler of Georgia), has filed a lawsuit against opposition TV channel Pirveli. Cartu is seeking a ban on being referred to as Ivanishvili’s bank or “the oligarch’s bank.” The channel reports that the lawsuit claims Cartu has no connection to Ivanishvili. Currently, Cartu Bank is owned by the Cartu International Charity Foundation. This foundation was also established by Ivanishvili, and his son, Uta Ivanishvili, is listed in recent documents as the beneficial owner.
● Gia Volsky, the first deputy speaker of parliament from Georgian Dream, accused the opposition of “trying to destroy the country.” “They are acting like an extremist group. Certain circles have developed a plan aimed at fueling revolutionary processes in Georgia, which goes against the interests of society. The topic of ‘parliamentary election fraud’ is being artificially pushed into the public agenda as part of attempts to destabilize the country. The upcoming local elections in October will clearly show which side the Georgian public supports,” Volsky said.
● Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed prospects for increasing Kazakh oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.
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● The government plans to expand and renovate a border crossing with Russia due to deported Ukrainian citizens from Russia who are trying to enter Georgia but cannot do so because of invalid documents. For more than two months, dozens of Ukrainians have been living at the “Upper Lars” checkpoint. They sleep in shifts in the basement of an unfinished Georgian terminal where there are no beds. More on this issue here
● A court has ordered pre-trial detention for Luka Kurtanidze, a former Georgian Dream MP and well-known wrestler. He was arrested for physically assaulting his ex-wife, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
● In Abkhazia, a Georgian citizen was arrested and extradited to Russia on claims that he was “illegally present” in Abkhazia.
Wednesday, July 30, Armenia.
● “A major campaign against Armenia has begun. A hybrid war has been launched,” wrote parliament speaker Alen Simonyan (pictured below) on social media. He claims that Russian-speaking bloggers and well-known figures are being recruited to “spread lies” and create a false impression of Armenia. He attached a screenshot showing topics they are instructed to write about: 1) criticism of Prime Minister Pashinyan, 2) support for Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, arrested in Armenia on charges of inciting seizure of power, 3) support for the Catholicos amid tensions between the Armenian authorities and the patriarch. “They think they can buy everyone. They will buy our free people for cash and turn them into slaves. Prices vary, the currency is Russian rubles. The ultimate goal is to turn Armenia into a stronghold controlled by oligarchs who are Russian subjects,” said the speaker.
● “Syunik will become the gateway to Armenia’s future development if we manage to open these gates,” said Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan about Armenia’s southern border region. He explained that this refers to opportunities that will arise from unblocking regional communications. “Our ‘Crossroads of Peace’ project is very well received internationally and is highly attractive,” he stressed. Khachaturyan also said that the Armenian authorities intend to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan soon.
● Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan stated that the emergency ruling by the arbitration court in favor of Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan may not be enforced. Karapetyan, a billionaire, owns Electric Networks of Armenia. Frequent power outages and other issues caused public outrage, leading parliament to pass amendments allowing possible nationalization. The Stockholm Chamber of Commerce arbitration ordered the government not to “confiscate” the company, appoint a temporary manager, or amend its charter. Karapetyan’s family declared victory in court, but the minister clarified that such emergency rulings “do not have to be enforced if they contradict public order.” She added that no nationalization procedure exists in Armenia: “If it ever comes to that, the owner would be compensated.” Read more here
● Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Armenia and other regional neighbors have great potential for cooperation. “Tehran urgently needs to improve relations with its neighbors. If we strengthen these ties, sanctions will become ineffective. Delegating powers, especially in border provinces, will encourage local authorities to expand cooperation with neighboring countries,” he said.
● “If Donald Trump truly wants to claim credit for achieving peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, this must happen by persuading Ilham Aliyev to abandon his ambitions of creating the ‘Zangezur Corridor,’” wrote former Armenian ambassador to the US Grigor Hovhannisian in The Washington Times. The road would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave. The diplomat argued that there are no global precedents or UN provisions requiring a country to relinquish control over its own territory to link separate parts of another state.
● The Anti-Corruption Court upheld the prosecutor general’s lawsuit to revoke the property rights of the company “Soglasiye-Armenia” to a plot of nearly 3,000 square meters in central Yerevan’s Northern Avenue. The court returned the land, owned by the head of the Union of Armenians of Russia Ara Abrahamyan, to city ownership. The prosecution said the privatization was illegal. The company linked the ruling to Abrahamyan’s recent statements calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation and criticizing the government’s policies.
● Armenian athletes achieved success at the European Running Target Shooting Championship in France. Armenian team member Hovhannes Margaryan won a gold medal in the men’s individual event and set a world record. The men’s team won bronze, while the women’s team secured silver.
Wednesday, July 30, Azerbaijan.
● UNICEF’s office in Azerbaijan will cease operations on September 3, announced the organization’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Irina Mazur. UNICEF will continue cooperation with partners in Azerbaijan through its regional office and headquarters, she said. Social media users commented that Azerbaijan already has a high child mortality rate and that UNICEF’s departure may worsen the situation.
Since March, Transparency International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Erasmus+ student exchange program have halted activities in Azerbaijan. According to pro-government sources, authorities also plan to close three more UN offices: UNDP, UNFPA, and UNHCR. The state-run APA news agency stated that “Azerbaijan has evolved from an aid recipient to a country contributing to the global agenda and sees no effectiveness in working with outdated organizations given new regional and global realities.” Commentary on these decisions here.
● US Senator Jeanne Shaheen called for the release of Farid Mekhralizade, a Radio Free Europe journalist sentenced to nine years in prison in Azerbaijan. “This is a mockery of justice. He was unjustly imprisoned for reporting on the government’s economic and energy policies. He must be freed. Journalism is not a crime,” Shaheen wrote on X. In June, she announced plans to highlight imprisoned journalists from US-supported independent media every week. Mekhralizade is one of seven journalists detained in a criminal case against AbzasMedia. They received sentences ranging from 7.5 to 9 years on charges including currency smuggling, illegal entrepreneurship, and tax evasion. They deny the accusations, stating they were punished for investigative reporting exposing corruption. Local and international human rights organizations condemned the sentences as political repression targeting critical voices. At least 30 journalists and activists remain jailed in Azerbaijan under similar charges.
● “Moldova is open to concluding a long-term gas supply agreement with Azerbaijan. This has become possible after the start of Azerbaijani gas transportation to Ukraine via the Trans-Balkan route,” Moldova’s Energy Minister Dorin Jungietu told the pro-government outlet Report. “Our goal is to allow every consumer to independently choose a supplier, and we encourage new, reliable players to enter the market. Azerbaijan has already proven itself a trustworthy energy partner,” Jungietu said.
● Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan highlighted the importance of opening a road linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenia’s territory, known in Azerbaijan as the Zangezur Corridor. Baku demands that the road be extraterritorial, while Yerevan insists it will not give up control over the route on its own territory. Azerbaijani media quoted Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan during a meeting with residents of Syunik, near the border between the two countries: “If we can open Syunik’s gates—meaning the 43 km stretch of this road on Armenian territory—the future will offer us great opportunities for development. Our goal is to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan soon,” Khachaturyan said. Azerbaijani media cited his remarks during a visit to Syunik, near the Armenia-Azerbaijan border: “If we can open Syunik’s gates, meaning the 43 km of road on Armenian territory, the future will offer us great development opportunities. Our goal is to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan soon,” said Khachaturyan.
● The International Front for Decolonization (FID), founded in Baku, criticized the Bougivale Agreement signed in July in France, which outlines the future of Kanaky (New Caledonia), a French territory seeking independence. The agreement proposes a new political model where Kanaky remains part of France but gains autonomous status as the “State of New Caledonia,” with dual citizenship (French and Caledonian) and gradually increasing powers in defense, security, and other areas. The agreement requires approval via a 2026 referendum. FID argued that these terms are insufficient and recalled the killing of 14 Kanaks by French police during pro-independence protests in May 2024. “The concept of ‘shared sovereignty’ does not fully realize the right to self-determination, which is enshrined in the French Constitution and UN General Assembly resolutions. New Caledonia must become a sovereign state,” the group stated, urging France to adhere strictly to international law and self-determination principles.
International experts often note that the activities of FID and the Baku Initiative Group—advocating independence for regions suffering from French and Dutch colonial policies—are partly a response to these countries’ long-standing support for the self-proclaimed “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” established by ethnic Armenians in the 1990s but dissolved and reintegrated into Azerbaijan following the Second Karabakh War in 2020. Read more here
● The trial of Ruben Vardanyan, a former state minister of the now-defunct self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Armenian citizen, continued. He is accused of torture, mercenary activities, war crimes, terrorism, and other offenses. According to the pro-government outlet AzerTac, “testimonies of victims and relatives of those killed during Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani lands were heard during the session.” The next hearing is set for August 5.
