The Region in Brief
Armenia
The verdict in the case of Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is scheduled to be announced on October 3 at 5:30 p.m. local time. During the court session on September 29, the prosecutor requested a sentence of two years and six months in prison for the archbishop.
Earlier, the court had found Archbishop Ajapahyan guilty, while leaving the existing preventive measure unchanged. Following the announcement, he commented briefly, saying, “Don’t pay it any mind — it will be alright.”
His attorney, Ara Zohrabyan, criticized the court proceedings, stating: “We witnessed serious procedural violations by the judge, all seemingly aimed at securing this outcome. We had anticipated that a decision would be made to keep the archbishop in custody until after the elections. This is more than obvious.” The defense team maintains that the case against Archbishop Ajapahyan is politically motivated.
Artsakh
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has formally requested that Azerbaijan provide detailed information on the conditions and health status of 23 Armenian detainees held in Baku prisons. The court has set a deadline of November 4 for the submission of this report.
International human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan stated that Azerbaijan had requested in July to be released from its obligation to provide periodic updates on the detainees. Following objections from both the Armenian government and the detainees’ legal team, the court rejected Azerbaijan’s request and reaffirmed the obligation.
The detainees — Armenian prisoners of war and civilians — have reportedly been held in complete isolation for nearly three months, with no access to international monitoring bodies. There has been no reliable information about their physical or psychological condition or the circumstances of their detention.
The last known visit to the detainees by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) occurred in June. Since then, the ICRC has ceased all activities in Baku following a formal request by the Azerbaijani government, raising further concerns over the welfare and transparency surrounding the imprisoned individuals.
Georgia
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili will remain in custody after the Tbilisi Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling, confirming his continued detention.
Earlier, the Tbilisi City Court ordered Saakashvili and former Special State Protection Service head Teimuraz Janashia to pay approximately $3.3 million in damages to the state budget. The case stems from a 2014 indictment, in which Saakashvili was accused of misappropriating public funds. Since then, four additional criminal cases have been filed against him.
Saakashvili has been receiving medical treatment at a private clinic in Tbilisi since May 2022 due to declining health.
Iran
Speaking at a press conference on September 26, former Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mehdi Sobhanian stated that certain aspects of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement remain unclear and have not yet been fully addressed.
“During bilateral meetings and discussions, I can confirm that some of these ambiguities have been resolved,” Sobhanian noted. “However, it is important to emphasize that Armenian authorities have clearly stated they will not take any steps that contradict the interests of either country.”
The former ambassador highlighted what he described as a continued spirit of mutual understanding between the governments of Iran and Armenia.
Russia
Russia will define its stance on the proposed “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” once it has a clearer understanding of the transport initiative, said Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin.
Kopyrkin emphasized that a core priority of Russia’s foreign policy is ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus. In line with this objective, Moscow supports any effort aimed at normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
On the so-called “Trump Route,” he noted: “Russia’s position will be formed once we have a detailed understanding of how this transport project will be implemented. To our knowledge, work on this initiative is still in its early stages. The modalities of cargo and passenger transportation, as well as security arrangements for the route, have not yet been finalized.”
The ambassador added that any efforts to unblock transport communications in the region must take into account Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), as well as the presence of Russian border guards on the Armenian-Iranian border under existing bilateral agreements.
Turkey
At the 8th Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Transport of the Organization of Turkic States, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu underscored the strategic significance of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” for the region. Minister Uraloğlu stated that the corridor plays a critical role in advancing the normalization process in the South Caucasus.
“The opening of new opportunities through the Zangezur connection is welcome news for our region,” he said. “This corridor will enable direct land transportation between Turkey and Azerbaijan and represents a key step toward enhancing connectivity across the entire Turkic world. Moreover, it will offer benefits to all regional countries.”
