Day: October 7, 2025

President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Azerbaijan on October 7 to attend the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Azernews reports.

On October 7, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in Gabala, Azernews reports.

During the plenary session of the 222nd meeting of UNESCO’s Executive Board at the organization’s headquarters, Elman Abdullayev, Azerbaijan’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, presented the country’s statement, Azernews reports.

1. Five Georgia opposition leaders charged with ‘coup’ attempt after protests  Al Jazeera
2. Georgia’s prime minister says protesters want to topple his government and vows a further crackdown  AP News
3. After Another Sham Election in Georgia, the Country’s Citizens Persist  Just Security
4. Georgia protesters try to storm Tbilisi presidential palace  BBC
5. Georgia’s police use water cannons on protesters trying to storm presidential palace  CNN
6. Georgia’s prime minister announces crackdown on dissent after Tbilisi protests  The Guardian
7. Georgia charges five with plotting government overthrow, others detained  Reuters
8. Georgian Leader Warns Pro-West Protesters Of Further Arrests As Tbilisi Remains Tense  Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
9. Georgia’s PM imposes major crackdown on dissent, accuses EU of meddling  politico.eu

Cargo shipments carried out by vessels of ASCO, a company within AZCON Holding, increased by approximately 10% in January–September 2025 compared to the same period last year, rising from 6.4 million to 7 million tons, Azernews reports citing ASCO.

On 4 October, the idea of a revolutionary uprising in Georgia may indeed have been discredited — but not the protest itself, says sociologist Iago Kachkachishvili.

Elections and a failed revolution: Georgia’s new political crisis?

Around ten people have been detained, and several were injured. The government is announcing a new wave of repression

According to him, the events of 4 October showed that neither a violent seizure of power nor a genuine victory for Georgian Dream in the municipal elections is realistic. The truth, he says, lies with the majority of voters who are demanding change through peaceful protest.

Kachkachishvili stressed that this is now the dominant view within Georgian society — and one that everyone will have to reckon with.

A mass anti-government rally that gathered in central Tbilisi on 4 October amid the municipal elections ended with an attempted storming of the presidential palace and police intervention.

Several people were injured, and around a dozen — including political leaders — were arrested.

The ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in the elections, which were boycotted by the opposition and a large part of society.

Iago Kachkachishvili:

“It’s important to note one crucial fact — thousands of people took to the streets, disproving the government’s claim that the protest movement had vanished, that it no longer existed, and that only a few hundred people were still taking part. The events of 4 October showed that the protest is alive, real, and always ready to resurface.

The mobilisation of tens of thousands of people was driven by expectations of something new — what was called a ‘peaceful revolution’. From my observations, many expected some kind of surprise to happen. Yet the overall expectation of instant change was low. Consequently, the level of nihilism and disappointment after 4 October cannot be very high either.

In any case, people did not take to the streets for radical or violent actions. The peaceful nature of the protest has not changed, despite the violent clashes that occurred. Protesters quickly moved on from the failure of 4 October, as they never placed great hopes on it to begin with.”

Opinion: “The organizers of the Tbilisi rally have given grounds for a new wave of repression”

Gia Nodia: “The propagandist narrative about a ‘coup attempt’ has, for the first time, gained real justification”

If we follow the narrative of a ‘peaceful revolution’, it might seem that some expected a section of the security forces to side with the protesters — that there would be a split within the power structures. It’s possible that the organisers of the rally even hinted at such a scenario, especially given that talk of divisions within the government has been circulating for quite some time.

EU officials: ‘Georgia’s elections were held amid widespread suppression of dissent’

EU rejects disinformation about its role in Georgia

As for the elections themselves, opposition-minded voters simply could not believe that change was possible through the ballot box. On the contrary, taking part in the vote was seen as legitimising the rule of Georgian Dream. Neither the voters nor much of the opposition managed to unite their efforts.

But this latest victory for Georgian Dream is a Pyrrhic one. I don’t think the ruling party has much to celebrate, since most Georgian voters hold opposition views. The government has won without the participation or approval of the majority. It represents not the will of Georgian society, but only that of its supporters. As a result, the crisis of legitimacy will only deepen.

German MP: “Europe must not abandon the people of Georgia”

The German government must act swiftly by imposing further targeted sanctions on those responsible for the ongoing repression – and must push for a joint EU sanctions package at the European level

News in Georgia

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Farid Gayibov has met with athletes who achieved high results in international competitions over the past month, Azernews reports.