JAMnews. Top stories in local media.
Wednesday, 18 March, Armenia. The editor-in-chief of the newspaper Hraparak has been summoned for questioning
● The Investigative Committee has summoned Armine Oganian, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Hraparak. The outlet заявило о a “regime attempt to silence the free press ahead of the June parliamentary elections.” The reason for summoning Oganian for questioning is an editorial published in December 2024 which, according to investigators, contains public calls for a violent change of power. “Article 422 of the Criminal Code has become the authorities’ main tool of political persecution. Charges under it have already been brought against detained Russian-dollar billionaire Samvel Karapetyan and Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan,” the editorial team said.
● The sister of a погибшего serviceman from Karabakh was detained in her apartment in Dilijan and taken to an investigative department. The reason was a Facebook post calling for violence against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Her lawyer stressed that the arrest took place in front of her five children, three of whom are minors. “The woman is being subjected to political repression for her views. People from Artsakh are especially being targeted,” the lawyer said.
● The foreign ministers of Armenia and Oman signed a memorandum of understanding following political consultations during Ararat Mirzoyan’s visit to Oman. He became the first Armenian foreign minister to visit the country.
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● An EU rapid response team to counter external interference in Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections will arrive in Yerevan in early April, according to the Armenian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, citing a document in its possession. The group will consist of 9–14 experts and stay in Armenia for 10–15 days. It will assist the prime minister’s office and the Security Council in developing plans and procedures for handling crises such as cyberattacks and foreign information manipulation. The Central Election Commission, Interior Ministry, and tax authorities will also benefit from this support.
● “We are here to support Armenia in holding free and fair parliamentary elections on June 7,” EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos told NEWS.am, commenting on the upcoming visit of the EU rapid response team. He did not provide details about its composition or participating countries.
● A court has lifted house arrest for the nephew of Catholicos Garegin II, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, head of the Aragatsotn Diocese. He has been placed under administrative supervision and a travel ban. According to the ruling, he is prohibited from visiting the diocese and contacting witnesses. Proshyan is accused of obstructing electoral rights through abuse of office and coercing participation in meetings. The alleged victims are Aramais Takhmazyan and Stepan Asatryan, both dismissed former priests.
● A Security Council meeting was held under the chairmanship of the prime minister, attended by the president, the speaker of parliament, and other officials. The current regional situation was discussed. Local media note this was the fifth such meeting since early March.
● A carved wooden church door dating back to 1188, purchased by the government at an auction in London, along with graphic works by Arshile Gorky, will soon be displayed at the History Museum of Armenia and the National Gallery. According to Education, Science, Culture and Sports Minister Zhanna Andreasyan, more than 300 million drams (about $800,000) were allocated last year for the program to repatriate Armenian cultural heritage.
● The Iranian Embassy said the Iranian Red Crescent Society is ready to urgently receive aid in the form of medicines and medical supplies from individuals, humanitarian organizations, companies, and rescue services. The embassy noted it had received numerous appeals from compatriots living in Armenia and Armenian citizens offering financial and humanitarian assistance.
● The number of foreign applicants to Armenian universities increased by 67% in 2025 compared to 2021, said Minister Zhanna Andreasyan.
Wednesday, 18 March, Azerbaijan. Security Service has arrested the organizer of a blackmail campaign against the daughter-in-law of Ilham Aliyev
● The State Security Service said it had uncovered and arrested the organizer of a blackmail campaign targeting the family of Ilham Aliyev. Public Television aired a report stating that a person abroad attempted to contact senior Azerbaijani officials using various foreign phone numbers and email addresses. He allegedly demanded €5 million from the family in exchange for not releasing “intimate videos” of Alena Aliyeva, the wife of the president’s son, Heydar Aliyev.
In this context, the authors accused well-known Azerbaijani bloggers living abroad—Mehman and Emin Huseynov, and Gabil Mammadov—of spreading defamatory information about Alena Aliyeva on various online platforms. All three bloggers actively criticize the Azerbaijani authorities in their publications.
“The images found on the phone of the person who blackmailed the president’s family were taken from 18+ websites. The woman appearing in the footage is known on such sites under the pseudonym Amber Lulu. Investigators have identified her real name and address. The entire campaign conducted against Alena Aliyeva is built on a major lie,” the report says. The authors emphasize that it remains to be established who provided these videos to certain bloggers who then distributed them online. In particular, the report includes an audio recording in which a blogger named Zaki Salimov, who published the videos, speaks about an “upcoming change of power in Azerbaijan, for which a button has been pressed from above,” and about his potential role in this “big politics.”
“Who is this—some individual or force based abroad—making decisions about a change of power in Azerbaijan? Why does this force oppose the authority of a strong and victorious Azerbaijan? This is a subject for a completely different investigation,” the TV report states.
● The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Iran discussed the regional situation and bilateral relations by phone. Abbas Araghchi noted that attacks by the United States and Israel contradict international law, while Iran’s defensive measures are directed exclusively against aggressors and against bases and facilities used for attacks. Jeyhun Bayramov emphasized the importance of a fair investigation by the Iranian side into the March 5 drone strike on Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave, launched from Iranian territory.
● In the first two months of the year, Azerbaijan exported petroleum products to Armenia worth more than $4.2 million, accounting for 0.12% of total exports during this period. No exports from Armenia to Azerbaijan were recorded.
● In January–February 2026, Azerbaijan exported 3,600,307.4 tons of oil to more than 10 countries. The top three destinations were Italy, Romania, and Portugal.
● Money transfers to Azerbaijan in 2025 totaled $1.177 billion, an increase of 8.7% compared to the previous year. The largest share came from Russia ($479.3 million). Significantly smaller amounts were received from Turkey ($193.2 million), the United States ($100.7 million), Georgia ($43.6 million), and the United Kingdom ($42.4 million).
● In the “Old City” Icherisheher in Baku, the 15th-century Bukhara caravanserai was ceremonially reopened after major restoration. An art space called “BukharaArt” was also presented on its premises. Uzbekistan’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Bakhrom Ashrafkhanov, noted that the history of the Bukhara caravanserai is directly connected to the centuries-old ties between the peoples of the two countries.
Wednesday, 18 March, Georgia. Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, has died at the age of 93
● Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, has died at the age of 93. A period of mourning has been declared in Georgia. Today, his body will be transferred to the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) in Tbilisi. The new Patriarch will be elected by the Holy Synod and the Expanded Council of the Georgian Church—after 40 days, but no later than two months. More information about the late Patriarch is available here.
● Parliament has approved in the first reading amendments to the law on “foreign influence.” Oversight functions will be transferred to the State Audit Office (currently handled by the Public Registry). Organizations receiving foreign funding will be required to apply for registration with this body.
● A large-scale special operation by the Interior Ministry and the State Security Service took place in the Adjara region. Seventy-two people linked to the criminal underworld were detained. All are Georgian citizens, including three women. According to the investigation, they organized the “resolution of disputes between citizens according to criminal underworld rules” and then coerced people into paying them money.
● Parliament also supported in the first reading an increase in excise tax on imported cars. Fees for importing vehicles older than six years will rise significantly, while a unified rate will be introduced for cars aged 0 to 6 years. According to the инициators, the goal is to renew the vehicle fleet, protect the environment, and improve road safety.
● Penalties for traffic violations have been significantly tightened. In particular, the fine for speeding has doubled—from 50 to 100 lari (now about $35). The fine for parking on sidewalks or pedestrian crossings has also been set at 100 lari.
