Regional
- Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Yerevan. The Georgian government’s administration says that the two discussed relations between Georgia and Iran, including positive cooperation in tourism, as well as the general situation in the region.
Armenia
- COP 17 kicked off in Yerevan yesterday and will last until 30 October. It is the 17th United Nations conference focusing on the issue of biodiversity.
- Latvia’s Food and Veterinary Service has prohibited the sale of Armenian green tea. The service said it found banned pesticides that do not meet the EU’s safety requirements.
- The Yerevan Civil Court has rejected the lawsuit filed by Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan against Strong Armenia MP Edgar Ghazaryan. Simonyan had demanded a retraction and financial compensation from Ghazaryan for disseminating ‘untrue’ information and engaging in slander.
Azerbaijan
- Amnesty International has called Azerbaijan’s ban on hijabs in schools discriminatory. The international human rights organisation has called on the Azerbaijani authorities to lift the restrictions and release those detained for participating in peaceful protest against the policy..
- Teymur Musayev has been dismissed from his position as Minister of Health and appointed Deputy Prime Minister. Anar Bayramov has been appointed as Health Minister in his stead.
- Qafqazinfo and Real TV published an article about organisations alleged to be linked to Turkey’s intelligence agency, MIT. The article was later deleted. The Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan also issued a statement of protest regarding the matter.
Georgia
- Yesterday, a protest took place calling for the closure of the Didi Lilo landfill. The protesters, who blocked the road near the landfill, said the unbearable stench and environmental pollution make life in the area difficult.
- Shares in the pro-government, UK-sanctioned TV Imedi have been redistributed. The broadcaster is now equally owned by four individuals, each holding a 25% stake. Prime Media Global’s Vasil Kalandarishvili and Natia Songhulashvili have given up their stakes in the channel. TV host Magda Anikashvili has become a new shareholder, while Imedi Director General Maka Lomidze, TV host Irakli Chikhladze, and Head of Programming Maia Chigoshvili have each increased their stakes to 25%.
- The EU Delegation to Georgia has announced €38 million in funding for new projects in 2026, reaffirming its commitment to the Georgian people. The projects aim to support families and communities across the country. The EU stressed that it no longer provides funding to the Georgian authorities due to the country’s democratic backsliding.
Abkhazia
- Twenty large families, comprising around 100 people from border areas of Belgorod region, have arrived in Abkhazia at the invitation of President Badra Gunba for a holiday. They will spend two weeks in Pitsunda (Bichvinta) and Gunba said it was a chance for the families from the border region to feel ‘safe’ and ‘relax’.
- Members of the Public Chamber and Russian counterparts have held a meeting to discuss the roles of wives of soldiers fighting in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
- The authorities have presented a strategy to develop Sukhumi’s (Sukhum) public transport system through 2040. It includes reducing private car use and building bike lanes.
South Ossetia
- Russia will provide South Ossetia with an additional ₽509 million ($6.1 million). The decision was made by an intergovernmental commission.
- Police officers in South Ossetia will receive a pay rise. The Russian and South Ossetian interior ministries have agreed to increase salaries by 7% from 1 January.
- Three former South Ossetian MPs have had their bans on entering Russia lifted. David Sanakoev, Garry Muldarov, and Dzambolat Medoev, who previously had their Russian citizenship revoked, will be able to enter Russia, Parliamentary Speaker Alan Margiev has said. The decision was made thanks to the personal intervention of President Marat Kambolov.
The North Caucasus
- Several Chechens have been at Tbilisi Airport for several days after being denied entry to Georgia while attempting to cross the land border into Russia. They have been cut off from communication and are being held in a prison-like room until return flights to the countries they came from, local independent media outlet Caucasian Knot reports, citing the detainees themselves. Local human rights defenders who deal with such cases are unaware of the Chechens’ detention.
- Ibrahim Islamov, an MMA fighter from Chechnya known as Nikarkho, was seriously wounded after being shot during a conflict in Vladikavkaz. The North Ossetian Interior Ministry reported that a criminal case had been opened and one person detained. A range of potent substances, including methadone, tramadol, and pregabalin, were found in his blood.
- Tumso Abdurakhmanov, one of the best-known Chechen opposition bloggers living abroad, has been hospitalised. He has undergone surgery, according to a statement on his Telegram channel.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Ingushetia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Slastenin the title of Honoured Economist of the Russian Federation. The region is the poorest in Russia, with more than 25% of its population living in extreme poverty.
For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.