Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President delivered written answer to the members of European Parliament, on behalf of the European Commission. The questions concerned the EU position and current activities towards Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process.    The EP press handout reads:     Josep Borrell: The EU continues to support…

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova once again accused France of provoking “another round of armed confrontation in the South Caucasus.”   She said at a press conference on Wednesday that the French leadership is not guided by Armenia’s interests.   “Paris seeks to use the existing disagreements, contradictions within countries or between countries as…

Russia does not refuse contacts with Armenia in the technico-military sector. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stated this during Wednesday’s weekly press briefing and in connection with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin’s statement and the reports that Russia may refuse negotiations with Armenia on arms supply.  …

Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed in a lavish ceremony and cheering crowds in Pyongyang on Wednesday (June 19), as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed ‘full support’ for Russia’s war in Ukraine and pledged stronger strategic ties with Moscow, Reuters reports.   An honour guard including mounted soldiers, and a large crowd of…

An earthquake struck Kashamar County in Razavi Khorasan Province on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 4 people and injuring more than 120 people, the local Iranian authorities said, Mehr News reports.   The local authorities in Khorasan Razavi Province in northeast Iran said on Tuesday that a 5 earthquake on the scale of Richter hit…

Foreign Ministers Jeyhun Bayramov of Azerbaijan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye held a phone conversation on June 17, Azerbaijani MFA reports.   The ministers discussed various aspects of the bilateral allied relations between the two countries.   The sides reviewed the preparations for the upcoming Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).  …

No sooner had the first so-called “peace summit” in Switzerland ended than Ukraine had already planned a second one, with the participation of Russia. This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, Top War reports.   The first conference in Switzerland, organized by Kiev, was called a “failure.” As some Western experts note, Zelensky…

Switzerland intends to discuss the Peace Summit with Russia, as well as with China and other countries that did not participate in it, the Swiss Foreign Minister said, Ukrainska Pravda reports.   “We have a working embassy in Moscow, and every two weeks, we communicate with Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and we also have…

Leaders of the Group of Seven leading western industrial economies did not discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposals for peace in Ukraine since everyone knew they were not serious, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, Reuters reports.   Speaking from Italy shortly before leaving for Switzerland, where a Ukraine conference opens on Saturday, Scholz said Putin’s…

At a difficult moment, Russia came to the aid of the people of Armenia and restored the railway communication with Georgia destroyed by the natural disaster in a record short time, stated the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexey Overchuk.   “Russian specialists personally worked around the clock with their Armenian colleagues in the direction…

European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) continues its daily patrols on the Armenian side of the border with Azerbaijan, EUMA informed Friday on X (formerly Twitter).   “The Mission’s monitors haven’t observed any unusual movements or incidents,” EUMA added.    Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia also dismissed the disinformation disseminated…

Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev discussed the current state and future prospects of the Azerbaijan-NATO partnership during a political dialogue in the NATO+Azerbaijan format with allied states at NATO headquarters as a part of his visit to Belgium on June 12–13,…

The Union “For Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan” (FPPA) announced on 14 June a new list of 303 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. As compared to the previous list of 18 March, the number of political prisoners has risen by 16 people.   Over the past three months, opposition politician and academic economist Gubad Ibadoglu…

United States Welcomes Armenia’s Signing of the Artemis Accords, US State Department said in a statement.    “Armenia became the 43rd signatory to the Artemis Accords yesterday at a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington.  The Artemis Accords were established in 2020 by the United States and seven other countries to set out a practical…

Russia will continue to work with Armenia to clarify Yerevan’s position on the CSTO, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.   “As for Armenia, we will continue to work with our Armenian friends, we will clarify their position, of course, we hope that in any case we will stick to partnership and alliance relations,” the spokesman…

Nagorno-Karabakh peacekeeping troops have completely left Nagorno-Karabakh. The process ended on June 12, reports the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.   The department announced that the personnel, weapons and equipment of the peacekeepers were completely withdrawn.

Georgian Defence forces received NATO-standard armoured vehicles VURAN from Turkey based on an agreement signed between Georgia and Turkey. The ceremony was held at the field of the Fourth Infantry Brigade in Vaziani, Georgian Public Broadcaster reports.   Deputy Defence Minister Sergo Janelidze, Deputy Chief of the Defence Forces Irakli Chichinadze, Turkish Ambassador to Georgia…

Reuters. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan raised “economic issues that are important for Turkey” during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, a Turkish diplomatic source said.   The two ministers, who met on the sidelines of a BRICS meeting in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, also discussed developments in Gaza,…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani discussed work on a comprehensive cooperation agreement between the countries, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.   According to the statement, which followed meeting of foreign ministers from BRICS countries in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, emphasis at the…

The Iranian side supports the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, but will not accept changes in regional borders. Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, said this in an interview with CNN Turk, answering the question about the “Zangezur corridor” in the context of the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement.   “The Iranian side supports all initiatives…

The Armenian side is making necessary preparations for the opening of Consulate General in Tabriz, Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, said at a briefing today.   Nasser Kanaani also noted that Iran and Armenia had signed an agreement on the opening of consulates in Tabriz and Kapan in…

Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Chikovani is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, Georgian Public Broadcaster reports.   According to the Ministry’s press office, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov hosted his Georgian colleague to discuss defense cooperation and security issues in the region.   The duo focused on a peaceful neighborhood initiative offered by Georgia, seeking…

Taking into account the refusal of the Armenian leadership to pay the estimated contribution, it is necessary to adjust the CSTO budget for the current year, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) told RIA Novosti.   In an interview about the situation, the Russian MFA noted that “naturally, taking into account the refusal of…

“I welcome Levan Khabeishvili’s decision to care about his health state deteriorated due to politically motivated retribution,” said jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgian Public Broadcaster reports.   According to Saakashvili, he supports Tina Bokuchava’s candidacy for the post of the UNM Char. As the ex-president said, he also supports Khabeishvili’s decision to take up the…

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday (June 8) that an extraordinary meeting of D-8 countries, an economic cooperation group of developing nations, convened to voice support for Palestinians, adding that the war in Gaza has become “a challenge to global democracy,” Reuters reports.   The D-8 includes Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Indonesia,…

The delegation led by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov paid an official visit to Azerbaijan on June 7, the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan reports.   Colonel General R.Zhaksylykov expressed gratitude to his Azerbaijani colleague for warm reception. Noting that such visits are of particular importance and serve…

The European Commission intends to recommend starting negotiations with Ukraine on its accession to the European Union this month, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.   According to it, the European Commission wants to show support for Ukraine in this way before the start of Hungary’s EU presidency. On Friday, the European Commission will announce…

The US State Department referred to the adoption of the controversial law ‘On transparency of foreign influence’ in Georgia, which caused mass demonstrations.   “The United States remains deeply concerned with the Georgia Dream party’s anti-democratic actions as well as its recent statements and rhetoric. These actions risk derailing Georgia’s European future and run counter…

Georgia-US relations need to be restarted and improved. We will do everything for this, stated Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at a press briefing.   The Prime Minister stressed the importance of recognizing the need to reset and enhance these relations, urging constructive actions, 1tv.ge reports.   “We are fully committed to this endeavour. It’s…

Matthew Miller, US State Department Spokesperson, referred to the new arrests of activists in Azerbaijan.   Another prominent economist and journalist, Farid Mehralizade was arrested as part of the investigation on Abzas Media, even though there are facts that he’s not even related to that media organization.    “We are deeply troubled by the continued…