JAMnews. Top stories in local media.
Thursday, December 25, Armenia. The government proposes revoking the church’s ownership rights to land plots
● The government is proposing to revoke the Armenian Apostolic Church’s ownership rights to land plots and retain only the right to free use of the land. Draft amendments to the Land Code have been included on the agenda of today’s National Assembly session.
● Diana Gasparyan, former head of Echmiadzin, the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has been charged with the illegal alienation of land plots. The Anti-Corruption Committee says that Gasparyan, who served as head of the Vagharshapat community since October 2018, carried out these transactions with the assistance of associates, abusing her official authority. The case includes the alienation of a 0.9-hectare plot belonging to the community. She is also accused of laundering particularly large sums of money with the prior agreement of the aforementioned individuals.
● Premium-grade Azerbaijani gasoline will be sold at 430 drams (about $1.10), compared with the usual price of 500–520 drams. “This means it will be sold at a lower price, which is good,” Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said on social media.
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● Former Yerevan mayor Hayk Marutyan said he will take part in the 2026 parliamentary elections. Last year, he founded the New Force party. “Our party follows a social-democratic platform, and we will focus on social issues,” Marutyan said. Much of Armenia’s opposition is seen as pro-Russian.
● Former opposition MP Ruben Hakobyan, who was arrested on charges of “calling for the seizure of power,” has been found guilty and fined. His son said the verdict will be appealed.
● Former deputy head of the State Revenue Committee Vakhtang Mirumyan has been detained at the request of the Anti-Corruption Committee. No further details have been released.
● Donald Trump reportedly presented a gift with a personal inscription to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan “as a sign of high appreciation.” The gift was delivered during Trump’s meeting with Armenia’s ambassador to the United States, Narek Mkrtchyan. The ambassador thanked the U.S. president for his consistent efforts to promote peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as for the historic agreement and documents signed at the White House on August 8.
Thursday, December 25, Azerbaijan. It has been exactly one year since Russian air defenses shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane
● Today marks one year since the tragedy in which an Azerbaijani passenger jet was shot down by Russian air defenses while approaching Grozny (Chechnya). The aircraft was later redirected by air traffic controllers to Kazakhstan, where it crashed three kilometers from the city of Aktau. The Embraer 190 operated by AZAL on flight J2-8243 was carrying 67 people – 62 passengers and 5 crew members. 38 people were killed, and 29 were injured. Russian sources claim this occurred during attempts to repel Ukrainian drone attacks.
The crew members who died were Captain Igor Kshnyakin, First Officer Alexander Kalyaninov, and flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva. Two other flight attendants — Zulfugar Asadov and Aydan Rahimli — survived. After learning of the crash, President Ilham Aliyev cut short his visit to Russia and returned to Baku. The fallen crew members were posthumously awarded the title National Hero of Azerbaijan, while the surviving crew received the Rashadat Order, First Class.
The tragedy led to a sharp deterioration in Azerbaijani-Russian relations. A partial easing of tensions occurred only in October 2025, when Aliyev and Vladimir Putin met one-on-one in Dushanbe. Putin said the investigation was nearing completion and promised compensation and legal assessments of officials’ actions. Read more here
● A memorial plaque honoring the victims of the AZAL crash was unveiled in Grozny (pictured).
● President Ilham Aliyev expressed outrage over what he described as years of Western support for separatists in Karabakh, speaking at a meeting with former internally displaced persons who have returned to their homes in the Aghdam district after its liberation from Armenian control following the Second Karabakh War of 2020. “Every year, marathons were held in the United States and France in support of Armenian separatists. Their leaders – who are now standing trial in Baku – were granted visas to travel there. How was this possible? How could separatists visit the countries that co-chaired the Minsk Group?” Aliyev asked. “Separatist strongholds exist in Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. Can the United States, France, or European countries issue visas to their leaders? No. So why were visas issued to Armenian separatists? They were also funded through covert channels so they could keep these lands under occupation indefinitely and carry out violence against the Azerbaijani people. We have no right to forget this,” he said.
● Ilham Aliyev: “Azerbaijan has faced the greatest injustice of recent history. Our lands were occupied. In such cases, international organizations and major powers usually apply pressure on the occupier, including sanctions. Had sanctions been imposed on Armenia, it would have ended the occupation of Azerbaijani territories. Instead, not only were no sanctions imposed, but some countries supplied Armenia with weapons worth billions of dollars – free of charge.”
● Ilham Aliyev: “The total value of weapons we captured from Armenia during the Second Karabakh War and subsequent anti-terror operations – and later destroyed – amounts to around $5–6 billion. This includes the Russian-made Iskander-M ballistic missile, which Armenia should not have possessed at all, as its export is prohibited. How was an Iskander-M missile used to strike Shusha? That is a very serious question.”
● President Ilham Aliyev and the First Lady attended the opening of Victory Park in the city of Khankendi in Karabakh (pictured). From the park’s entrance, 44 steps lead to the Triumphal Arch, symbolizing the 44 days of the Second Karabakh War in the autumn of 2020. Inscriptions along the way describe the course of the war, including the names of settlements and the dates of their liberation from Armenian control. The park also highlights the results of the anti-terror operation carried out in 2023. The Triumphal Arch is also 44 meters high and consists of ten floors and a terrace. On the terrace, a structure in the shape of the number eight has been erected as a symbol of Victory Day. An exhibition space called the Victory Gallery is located on the ninth floor. The park features fountains and newly planted greenery, including more than 500 trees and over 11,000 shrubs and flowers.
● “At this stage, it is too early to speak about Azerbaijan’s participation in an international stabilization mission in the Gaza Strip. The United States has proposed that Azerbaijan join the mission, but no final decision has been made,” presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev told Nikkei. He noted that the UN Security Council resolution does not clearly define the mandate or rules of operation for a mission in Gaza.
● The European Court of Human Rights has requested information from the Azerbaijani government regarding a complaint filed by Ali Kerimli, the detained chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party. However, the request concerns not his current arrest, but a previous incident in June 2019. Kerimli says he arrived at the headquarters of the Musavat party to take part in a charity marathon when police entered the building, detained him without explanation, and took him to a police station. He was released after a two-hour discussion with a prosecutor and senior police officials. Kerimli previously appealed to domestic courts, but his claim was rejected. Authorities told him he had not been arrested or detained and that he was merely given a “preventive talk” over illegal parking.
At present, the chairman of the Popular Front Party and his deputy, Mammad Ibrahim, are charged with attempting to seize power by force. Both deny the accusations. Around 20 members of the Popular Front Party are currently imprisoned.
● Russia plans to begin supplying grain and fertilizers to Armenia via the territory of Azerbaijan and Georgia in the near future, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said. He described the new route as “an important development.” The first shipment of Russian grain – 1,000 tons – was sent along this route in early November.
According to official data, Armenia imports around 450,000 to 500,000 tons of grain annually, almost all of it from Russia. Previously, deliveries were carried out mainly by road and partly by sea through Georgian ports. Analysts say the new railway route will significantly reduce transportation costs and improve the reliability of supplies.
● More than 15 civil society representatives have criticized the new amnesty law, calling it “manipulative,” according to the Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The statement says that while the scope of those eligible for amnesty is broad in terms of including vulnerable social groups, the law does not address the problem of prison overcrowding and makes no meaningful contribution to the release of political prisoners. Official reports say that around 20 people from lists of political prisoners have already been released, most of them religious activists detained on drug possession charges.
The large-scale amnesty was initiated by the president and is expected to affect more than 20,000 people in total. Reports say the list will primarily include those who took part in combat operations to defend the country’s territorial integrity, close relatives of those killed or missing during those operations, and people who “suffered as a result of Armenia’s military provocations against the civilian population.”
● Three Saudi nationals were sentenced to two years in prison for filming and posting offensive videos at the Alley of Martyrs in Baku. They will be deported after serving their sentences.
● The Second Forum of Religious Figures of Azerbaijan was held in Baku.
Thursday, December 25, Georgia. Kobakhidze intends to resolve the problem of rising prices by involving law enforcement agencies
● Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani said he will challenge in the Constitutional Court the repressive legislative amendments adopted by the Georgian Dream party in 2025. The human rights defender said the decisions violate human rights and do not meet international standards of proportionality.
● Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgian Dream said law enforcement agencies should be involved in addressing food price hikes, which he said in some cases significantly exceed prices in European countries. He cited possible violations of antitrust (competition) law as one of the potential reasons for the disparity. Read more here
● Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili of Georgian Dream continued the discussion, saying that immediately after the opening of the spring parliamentary session a special investigative commission will be set up to examine how product prices are formed.
● Georgia’s State Security Service responded to these statements by announcing the launch of an investigation.
● The president of the Distributors Association, Lasha Rijamadze, criticized this one-sided interpretation of the reasons behind rising food prices, saying there are many factors negatively affecting the situation. Some experts point to “potential collusion between cartels and the ruling party” as a cause. Read more here
● Former head of the State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili will remain in custody during the pretrial investigation. The next court hearing is scheduled for February 16.
● His lawyer, Rostom Grigalashvili, said his client’s testimony will be made public, as the former senior official “has nothing to hide.” The lawyer also said he is filing an appeal against the preventive measure imposed on Liluashvili.
● The U.S. government will allocate a grant of more than $10.4 million to Georgia’s Ministry of Defense, the government said. The funds will be used to strengthen Georgia’s defense capabilities and improve the technical equipment of the Georgian army.
● Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili of Georgian Dream said the government will invest an additional 7 billion lari (about $2.6 billion) in strategically important infrastructure projects through 2032. Of this amount, 1 billion lari (about $400 million) will be mobilized for further development of the railway sector, including upgrading the locomotive fleet and expanding rolling stock, starting as early as next year.
● Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also spoke about the upcoming modernization of railway infrastructure. “Our future lies in an intermodal transit function that will bring all modes of transport together into a single ecosystem. In this context, the digitalization of logistics processes, which is now actively underway, is also important,” Kobakhidze said.
● Former boxer Giorgi Kandelaki has been released on bail. He is accused of selling large quantities of counterfeit alcoholic beverages and cigarettes without excise tax stamps. Interpressnews, citing his lawyer, reported that bail was set at 200,000 lari (about $70,000).
