In a phone call with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, President of the European Council, Charles Michel discussed the recent developments in Georgia and reiterated the EU’s full support to all Georgians “who put European future of their country first,” Georgian Public Broadcaster reports. “Georgian citizens’ call for an open democratic and pluralistic society…
Former US President Donald Trump has developed a detailed plan on resolving the Ukrainian conflict peacefully, but will not reveal it until the election, the Daily Telegraph reported, citing an anonymous source close to the politician. “There is a plan, but he’s not going to debate it with cable news networks because then you…
President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili had a telephone conversation with the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, and announced that the bill ‘On transparency of foreign influence’ being considered by the country’s parliament hinders Tbilisi’s integration into the European Union, the Georgian president’s office said. “During a long telephone conversation with the President…
“Georgian Prime Minister [Irakli Kobakhidze] was invited to the U.S. with the agreement that before the visit, the Georgian Parliament would temporarily suspend the debate on a draft bill “on the transparency of foreign influence,” the country’s Foreign Ministry has said, Georgian Public Broadcaster reports. “Today, the U.S. ambassador’s statement was issued, stating that…
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is breaking agreements by blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated in his X page. “This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements. I have instructed the Director General of the Israel MFA…
Matthew Miller, US State Department Spokesperson, issued a statement regarding the advancement of “Law on the Transparency of Foreign Influence”. The statement, particularly reads: “The United States condemns the Kremlin-inspired “foreign influence” legislation advanced in Georgia’s parliament earlier today and the false narrative government officials have adopted to defend it. Members of the ruling…
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said Georgia would adopt the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence and at the same time would become a member of the European Union, agenda.ge reports The most important thing is to protect “national dignity and principles”, which will “bring results in all directions”, Kobakhidze…
Police on Wednesday, May 1, detained dozens of protesters attempting to tear down barricades in different districts of Istanbul after authorities banned May 1 rallies at the city’s main Taksim Square. Tens of thousands of police were deployed across Istanbul, blocking even small sidestreets with metal barriers in an attempt to prevent groups of protesters…
A plenary session of the Georgian Parliament on Wednesday resumed deliberations on the bill on transparency of foreign influence, reintroduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party against public protests, in its second hearing, agenda.ge reports. The session will review the draft law, which calls for registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in…
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomes the agreement of Azerbaijan and Armenia to hold their negotiations in Almaty, Kazakhstan for the preparation of a peace treaty between them. “I welcome the agreement of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia regarding the holding of [their] foreign ministers’ negotiations, on the proposal of…
The U.S. State Department on Monday reacted to the detention of Anar Mammadli, the head of the Election Monitoring Center in Azerbaijan. “We are deeply troubled by the continuing arrests of members of Azerbaijani civil society – most recently, Anar Mammadli,” a State Department spokesperson told TURAN’s Washington correspondent. Mammadli’s detention on Monday…
The US Embassy in Azerbaijan expressed concern over the detention of the head of the Center for Election Monitoring and Democracy Training, Anar Mammadli. “We are deeply troubled by the continuing arrests of members of Azerbaijani civil society – most recently, Anar Mammadli. We urge the Azerbaijani government to immediately release all individuals…
Reuters. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the influential billionaire founder of Georgia’s ruling party, accused a Western “global party of war” of meddling in Georgia in a rare speech at a rally backing a bill on foreign agents that has sparked a political crisis in the South Caucasus country. Ivanishvili, who served as Georgia’s prime minister from…
The Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia discussed the draft law On Transparency of Foreign Influence today and approved it in the second reading, Georgian Public Broadcaster reports. The committee rejected an alternative proposal regarding specific provisions of the bill proposed by opposition MP Teona Akubardia. As per the rapporteur on the…
There have been mass anti-government protests since mid-April, when the ruling Georgian Dream party reintroduced plans to pass a law critics say resembles Russian legislation used to silence dissent, France 24 reports. Waves of similar street protests — during which police used tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators — forced the party to…
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has reiterated that Taksim Square is not a suitable venue for May Day celebrations and demonstrations by workers and unions, reaffirming the previous decision to close the iconic location, Turkish media reports. “Taksim Square is not among the designated venues for meetings and marches. This area, with its heavy traffic,…
Armenia will soon convey to Turkey its approaches regarding the restoration of the Ani Bridge. This was reported by the press service of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, responding to a written request of Sputnik Armenia. “Turkey has transferred to Armenia a protocol on the repair of the Ani Bridge, which is currently being revised and…
US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke by phone today with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the US State Department reports. “The Secretary commended President Aliyev for last week’s announcement that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to use the 1991 Alma Ata declaration as the basis for border delimitation and emphasized its importance to the two sides…
The German Foreign Ministry has summarized the meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Berbock and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, which took place yesterday in Berlin. Aliyev was in Germany to attend the high-level meeting of the 15th St. Petersburg Climate Dialogue and was also received by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. …
Irakli Garibashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Dream party, on Saturday said he hoped to have “less misunderstanding” with the country’s “strategic partners and friends” on the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence. Garibashvil’s remarks followed a letter, sent by the bipartisan group of the United States senators to Georgian Prime Minister…
Dina Titus, a member of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, informed that the bill on the review of sanctions against Azerbaijan was presented to the Congress. “I just introduced the Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act to take action against 44 Azerbaijani officials following the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Artsakh and the violent…
“We need several years to draw closer to the EU member states. The law On Transparency of Foreign Influence is significant to speed up economic development,” said Prime Minister of Georgia Ikarli Kobakhidze, Georgian Public Broadcaster reports. According to the PM, the activities of non-government organizations obstructed the country’s progress by their attempts to…
Almost all Russian peacekeeping troops have already left Nagorno-Karabakh, and the rest will leave by the end of May. This was reported by the Reuters agency, citing the source of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan. It is also said that all of their armored vehicles, including 90 armored vehicles and 380 other vehicles,…
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Germany on a working visit at the invitation of Chancellor Olaf Scholz to participate in the 15th St. Petersburg climate dialogue high-level meeting. According to the media, Aliyev and Scholz are expected to speak at the event. According to Steffen Hebestreit, the official representative of the German…
The ceremonial closing of the joint Russian-Turkish monitoring center took place in Aghdam. Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Army Karim Valiyev, ambassadors of Turkey and Russia to Azerbaijan and others took part in the ceremony. The center was established on January 30, 2021.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent a condolence message again to the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople and the Armenian community of Istanbul on the occasion of April 24. In his condolence message, Erdogan noted that he pays his respects the Armenians who died in unfavorable conditions during the First World War and sends…
The Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus at the European Parliament MEP Marina Kaljurand made a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. “Today we commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide – the massacres targeting an entire nation. I would like to recall that the European Parliament…
Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day, also known as Medz Yeghern: “Today, we join Armenian communities in Canada and around the world to mark Armenian Genocide Memorial Day. We reflect on this dark chapter in history, honour the victims who lost their lives, and…
French President Emmanuel Macron made a post on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide Victims. “Today, France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Let’s keep alive the memory of the victims of massacres, deportations and persecutions. Let’s not forget. The French and the Armenians are forever…
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský met today with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. According to the statement of the Czech Foreign Ministry, the parties discussed, among other issues, the political and security situation of the South Caucasus. Lipavsky noted that Prague is interested in the stability and security of the region, adding that the mutual…
