Abkhazia
Abkhazian opposition figure wounded in shooting
Eshsou Kakaliya was hospitalised after the incident, which other members of the opposition claimed was politically motivated.
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Daily Brief
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Armenia * Defence Minister Suren Papikyan has arrived in Iran for a work visit. Today, Papikyan met with his Iranian counterpart, Aziz Nasirzadeh. They discussed defence cooperation and relations between their countries. * YouTube has begun testing monetisation in Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated on social media that advertisements have begun to appear between videos played on the streaming platform, noting it was ‘good news for everyone who believes they can earn money through
Daily Brief
Monday, 23 February 2026
Armenia * Catholicos Karekin II has refused to testify in a case involving the defrocking of a senior priest. His attorney, Ara Zohrabyan, told journalists on Sunday that the criminal proceedings pressed against Karekin II for defrocking Bishop Gevorg Saroyan aimed at ‘hindering the Bishops’ Synod’ in Vienna, Austria. Karekin II was scheduled to take part in the meeting, but was placed under travel ban, forcing the bishops in Austria to downgrade the meeting to a simple gathering. Azerbaijan
Daily Brief
Friday, 20 February 2026
Regional * Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev participated in the inaugural session of the Peace Council in Washington. While in Washington, Pashinyan held brief conversations with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance in Washington, as well as Aliyev. Later, Pashinyan posted on social media that he was returning to Armenia ‘with greater confidence in peace’. * As details emerged about the meeting, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev stated
Daily Brief
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Regional * Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are both in the US to attend the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace today. Armenia * Armenian police have announced that the ‘full circle of individuals’ involved in the shootings on Wednesday afternoon in Yerevan was identified and ‘measures are being taken to locate them’. No further information has been provided about the incident as a result of which one person was killed
Russia
South Ossetia and Abkhazia again top list of Russia’s ‘friendliest neighbours’
Georgia’s rating increased from 2024, while those of Armenia and Azerbaijan both dropped.
