Day: February 3, 2026

The 2nd International Winter Tale Music Festival will be held in Gabala beginning on February 5, Azernews reports.

A court in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Donetsk sentenced former Georgian Deputy Prime Minister Giorgi Baramidze, now an opposition politician, to six and a half years in jail in absentia, finding him guilty of fighting for Ukraine as a “mercenary,” an accusation for which many Georgian citizens have previously been sentenced in absentia.

The Russian General Prosecutor’s Office reported on February 3 that Baramidze arrived in Ukraine “as a mercenary” in February 2022, took part in combat operations against Russian forces until April 2022, and received a “mercenary payment” of more than 238,000 rubles. Sentenced to a general-regime correctional colony, Baramidze has been declared internationally wanted.

Giorgi Baramidze is currently an opposition politician in the United National Movement party. He served as deputy prime minister from 2006 to 2012 under UNM rule and had also been a member of the Georgian Parliament at different times.

Also Read:

• 26/12/2025 – Russia-Backed Court Sentences Georgian Medic to 15 Years in Absentia

As of January 1, 2026, the business loan portfolio of Azerbaijani banks for the information and communication sector stood at 784.8 million manats, Azernews reports, citing the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA). According to the data, the portfolio increased by…

repurpose (third-person singular simple present repurposes, present participle repurposing, simple past and past participle repurposed) To reuse for a different purpose, on a long-term basis, with or without alteration.

Georgia’s annual inflation rate stood at 4.8% in January, while consumer prices declined by 1.2% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the National Statistics Office (Geostat) on February 3.

Annual inflation was primarily driven by rising prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages (up 10.6%), health services (up 8.3%), restaurants and hotels (up 8.1%), miscellaneous goods and services (up 7.4%), and alcoholic beverages and tobacco (up 3.5%). The prices declined in communication (down 4.6%), recreation and culture (down 2.5%), and clothing and footwear (down 1.8%).

On a monthly basis, the biggest price drop was recorded in clothing and footwear (down 4.3%), while prices rose in food and non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.9%), miscellaneous goods and services (up 2.9%), and health (up 2.4%).

Within the food and non-alcoholic beverages category, annual price increases were recorded for vegetables (12.5%), fruit and grapes (5.9%), milk, cheese and eggs (3.5%), sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery (2.8%), coffee, tea and cocoa (2.6%), fish (1.8%), oils and fats (1.5%), meat (1.4%), and bread and cereals (0.2%). In contrast, prices for mineral waters, soft drinks, and fruit and vegetable juices declined by 0.5%.

High grocery prices have long been among the key economic concerns for Georgian households. Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze first raised the issue publicly in December, suggesting that elevated prices could be linked to cartel-like coordination among retailers. The GD government launched a commission to examine the matter, and the State Security Service began investigating the price-formation process. The disputed parliament is also set to establish a temporary commission to study food, medicine, and fuel prices this week. The authorities expect prices to begin declining by April.

Also Read:

• 26/01/2026 – Money Transfers to Georgia Rise 18% in December, EU and U.S. Remain Top Sources
• 08/01/2026 – Georgia’s Annual Inflation at 4% in December 2025

A government endorsed by Armenia’s enemies is not sovereign  The Armenian Weekly