The Region in Brief

Artsakh

A court in Baku has extended the detention of military-political leaders of Artsakh by an additional four months, following their initial four-month detention. These high-ranking officials, including former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, Major General David Manukyan, Speaker of the National Assembly and member of the ARF Bureau Davit Ishkhanyan and others, were unlawfully detained by Azerbaijan during the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, facing charges tied to their affiliation with Artsakh. 

Azerbaijan

During a visit to Baku on January 29, Hulusi Akar, chairman of Turkey’s Parliamentary Committee on National Defense and former Defense Minister, insisted that Armenia promptly accept Azerbaijan’s proposals for a peace agreement. “It should accept the hand of peace extended by Azerbaijan, otherwise it will suffer serious damages just like in the 2020 war,” Akar said. Akar also emphasized the enduring partnership between Azerbaijan and Turkey and their commitment to collaboration following the 2020 Artsakh War. 

Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has announced his resignation. Pro-government Georgian media has indicated that Garibashvili will be replaced by Irakli Kobakhidze, chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, while Garibahsvili will take over Kobakhidze’s role as party chair. The announcement comes a month after Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of Georgian Dream, became the party’s honorary chair and the party amended its charter to allow the honorary chair to approve prime ministerial candidates.

Meanwhile, Garibashvili has declared the formalization of a memorandum outlining a strategic partnership between Georgia and Armenia. Garibashvili emphasized the enduring nature of the bilateral friendship and collaboration, stating that the memorandum serves to codify and enhance existing relations across diverse domains. He highlighted the historically entrenched alliance and profound connections between the two nations, portraying their relationship as transcending mere geographical proximity, characterized by a deep and enduring friendship.

Turkey

Canada and Turkey have reportedly reached an agreement to resume the export of Canadian drone parts to Turkey. The deal is expected to be effective after Ankara completes the ratification of Sweden’s NATO bid. Turkey swiftly endorsed Sweden’s NATO membership this week after a 20-month delay. Turkey is anticipated to send the final documents to Washington soon, enabling Canada to lift the export controls imposed in 2020. Canada suspended technology sales to Turkey after it concluded that Azerbaijan used Canadian optical equipment attached to Turkish-made drones during the 2020 Artsakh War.

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Hoory Minoyan

Hoory Minoyan was an active member of the Armenian community in Los Angeles until she moved to Armenia prior to the 44-day war. She graduated with a master's in International Affairs from Boston University, where she was also the recipient of the William R. Keylor Travel Grant. The research and interviews she conducted while in Armenia later became the foundation of her Master’s thesis, “Shaping Identity Through Conflict: The Armenian Experience.” Hoory continues to follow her passion for research and writing by contributing to the Armenian Weekly.

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