Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson, referred to the latest developments in Georgia, after the government fully enforced the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence. “The Secretary just put out a statement announcing an entire comprehensive review of our policy with respect to Georgia that could jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance that we…
Police detained a pro-Kurdish party mayor in southeast Turkey on Monday over alleged militant links and he has been replaced by the state governor, the interior ministry said, two months after the mayor won power in local elections, Reuters reports. After previous municipal elections, Turkey detained pro-Kurdish mayors, removing virtually all from their posts…
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday said the adoption of the controversial transparency law meant a “victory” for the country’s “sovereignty and security”, agenda.ge reports. The PM told a weekly Government meeting the adoption of the law should not be considered a “victory for the Government itself or a defeat for its opponents”,…
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov informed Louis Bono, US State Department’s Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, about the peace talks with Armenia, Azerbaijan’s MFA reports. At the meeting, the parties exchanged views on various aspects of the Azerbaijan-US bilateral and multilateral cooperation agenda, as well as the regional peace process in the post-conflict period….
On the penultimate day of registration for Iran’s snap presidential election, former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was among the high-profile names to file their nomination. Ahmadinejad, who served as the country’s president for two consecutive four-year terms between 2005 and 2013, appeared at the election headquarters in Tehran on Sunday morning, flanked by close aides….
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid of the Iranian Red Crescent have crossed the Armenian-Iranian border. This was reported by the Armenian Red Cross Society. “The Red Crescent of the Islamic Republic of Iran has sent humanitarian aid to flood victims in northern Armenia. Humanitarian aid will be transferred as assistance to flood victims in Lori…
China’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would visit the country on June 3-5. He will be the guest of top diplomat Wang Yi who met Fidan in the capital of Ankara in July 2023, their first meeting in Türkiye after Fidan took office, Turkish media reports. Türkiye and China…
A possible comprehensive peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia is essential for ensuring lasting peace and security in the South Caucasus, Turkish Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler said on the sidelines of the multinational EFES-2024 exercise. Guler stated that Ankara welcomes the ongoing peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. “Turkish President Recep…
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler emphasized Turkey’s firm stance on the situation in Syria during a discussion with journalists. Guler stated: “We may consider withdrawal once our border security is ensured.” According to him, Turkey used to have three anti-terrorist brigades, and now it has 20, and now it is carrying out long-term and…
The European Union does not have evidence of Chinese weapons supplies to Russia, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at a forum in Singapore, TASS reports. “China has committed not to supply arms [to Russia] and we don’t have evidence that this is happening,” he said, taking questions from participants in the…
The expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance did not trigger the Ukraine conflict, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, TASS reports. “I respectfully disagree with your point that the expansion of NATO caused the Ukraine crisis,” he said answering questions at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, which was broadcast on the Pentagon…
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke at Katholikentag, a gathering of German Catholics on Friday (May 31), Reuters reports. The most prevalent topics of discussion were the rise of far-right violence in Germany as well as the country’s support for Ukraine in its war effort. Scholz reiterated that his approach to the Ukraine crisis remains…
The course being pursued by NATO and the European Union toward confrontation with Russia has been fueling tensions in Georgia as well as in relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said. “Some members of the Alliance have been seeking to strengthen their positions in [South] Caucasus in order to get…
Armenia and Azerbaijan are close to peace, we hope that the still unresolved issues will be resolved in the near future, Elchin Amirbekov, the special representative of the President of Azerbaijan, stated. “Now we are close to peace. We hope that the rest of the issues will be resolved very soon,” the Azerbaijani official…
US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Prague, Czechia on the sidelines of an informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated. “Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Fidan discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that secures the release of hostages,…
A regular Cabinet meeting took place today, chaired by Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Before discussing the issues on the agenda, the Prime Minister, on behalf of the government and the people, expressed condolences to the relatives and family members of the victims of the flood that occurred on May 25 in Lori and…
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, on the occasion of Statehood Day, Armenian Government press office reports. The message reads: “On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and myself, I convey warm congratulations and best wishes on…
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova addressed the ongoing protests in Armenia during her weekly briefing. She noted that the discontent “appears to be partly due to concerns over the fairness of the delimitation of certain enclave villages”. Zakharova emphasized that Russia views these political “processes as Armenia’s internal affairs and is focused on…
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed on Saturday 25 May a decree pardoning 154 prisoners. This year, unlike in the past, the decree did not include persons sentenced for exercising their fundamental rights, the Diplomatic Service of the European Union reports. “In recent months, there has been an unsettling rise of arrests of independent…
“The supreme representation body of the country, which is elected by Georgian people and is solely accountable towards Georgian people acted rightfully in accordance with the will expressed by the Georgian people when creating the most important legal basis for solidifying the state sovereignty of Georgia,” stated the Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, during the…
The Georgian Parliament overcame the President’s veto on the law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence”, Georgian Public Broadcaster reports. 84 deputies voted for the overcoming the veto, four were against. The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, vetoed the law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” on May 18. She added only one article to…
Ilia Darchiashvili, Foreign Minister of Georgia, congratulated Armenia and its people on the National Day. “Happy First Republic Day to Armenia, its people, government and my colleague Ararat Mirzoyan. May this day be filled with peace, unity, and prosperity for your nation. We are committed to continuing strengthening strategic partnership and unique ties between…
US State Secretary Antony Blinken congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on National Day “On behalf of the United States of America, I wish the people of Azerbaijan a happy Independence Day. We value our relationship with Azerbaijan, having built a partnership over the last 32 years on mutual interests relating to security and…
Armenia will reach out to partners as needed to join efforts and mitigate the impact of the disaster. It is mentioned in the note of the spokesperson of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry. “We highly appreciate the solidarity expressed by our international partners, countries and organizations following heavy floods in Tavush and Lori regions of Armenia…
The president and prime minister of Georgia on Sunday lashed out at each other at a ceremony marking the country’s independence day as strong tensions persist over a law that critics say will obstruct media freedom and damage Georgia’s bid to join the European Union, AP reports. The measure would require media and non-governmental…
Foreign ministers of the 27 European Union (EU) member states are meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the forthcoming election in Venezuela and Georgia’s new “foreign agents law.” Ministers will discuss the European Union’s support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against the…
Today, the legal commission of the Parliament of Georgia will discuss the President’s veto on the law ‘On Transparency of Foreign Influence’ and the changes planned in the Electoral Code. The yellow level of security will be in effect in the Parliament indefinitely. This means access to the building will be restricted to protect…
The fact that the world’s attention is focused on the COP29 conference in Baku provides an excellent opportunity to sign a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Elchin Amirbekov, Azerbaijani presidential envoy for special assignments, said in an interview with NE Global. “Recently, an agreement was reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the mutual…
Protests again commenced in Georgia, they are being held against the background of news that the Parliament will try to bypass the veto applied by President Salome Zourabishvili to the controversial bill ‘On transparency of foreign influence’ at the May 28 session. The participants of the protest gathered in front of the buildings of…
The US Department of Defense announced another aid package for Ukraine worth $275 million as Kiev loses ground in the Kharkov Region and the Donbass as Moscow pushes to cut a buffer zone to protect its border regions. According to a Friday press release from the Department of Defense, this is the fifth aid…
