President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the “Mehmetçik Iftar Program” held at the Special Forces Command, praising the Turkish Armed Forces and emphasizing the nation’s enduring strength in the face of historical and contemporary challenges.
Day: March 5, 2026
On February 17, a court in Azerbaijan delivered a verdict against billionaire Ruben Vardanyan, the former state minister of the separatist Karabakh entity, who had been held in detention.
The verdict was read at a session of the Baku Military Court presided over by Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with a panel consisting of Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve judge Gunel Samedova).
During the hearing, the defendant was provided with a Russian-language interpreter and a state-appointed lawyer.
Present at the trial were the defendant, his defense attorney, some of the victims and the legal heirs of the victims along with their representatives, the prosecutors representing the state, as well as Rufat Mammadov, head of the Cabinet of Ministers’ Office, participated on behalf of the Azerbaijani state as a victim.
Ruben Vardanyan has been prosecuted under the Azerbaijani Criminal Code on numerous charges, including planning and waging aggressive war, deportation, torture, terrorism, financing terrorism, forming illegal armed groups, and illegal crossing of the state border.
In his speech, the prosecutor had requested a life sentence for Vardanyan. However, the court sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
Vardanyan’s family released a statement reacting to the verdict. They said that his 20-year sentence was “devastating but not unexpected” for them, and that from the first day of his detention they believed the outcome of the process had been predetermined. The statement alleges that Vardanyan was deprived of fair trial guarantees, including full communication with lawyers and the participation of independent media. The family called on the international community to take steps to secure the release of Armenian prisoners whom they say are being held for political reasons.
On February 5, the Baku Military Court had also announced verdicts against former leaders of the separatist entity that operated in Karabakh and other defendants tried alongside them.
By court decision, former president Arayik Harutyunyan was sentenced to life imprisonment. Former defense minister Levon Mnatsakanyan, parliament speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, foreign minister David Babayan, and deputy defense minister David Manukyan were also sentenced to life imprisonment.
For former leaders Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, the court imposed 20-year sentences instead of life imprisonment, taking their age into account. Other defendants received prison sentences ranging from 15 to 19 years.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in the late 1980s. During the collapse of the USSR, Karabakh and seven surrounding districts came under the control of Armenian armed forces.
After the 1994 ceasefire, a de facto unrecognized separatist administration was established in the region. As a result of the 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan regained control over a large portion of its previously occupied territories.
Following one-day military operations in September 2023, Armenian armed forces in Karabakh were disarmed and Baku declared full sovereignty over the region. After those operations, former separatist leaders were detained, brought to Baku, and put on trial.
On August 8, 2025, after many years of conflict, Azerbaijani and Armenian officials initialed the text of a peace agreement in Washington.
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On February 15, during the Munich Security Conference, Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, who was visiting Germany together with her husband, President Ilham Aliyev, responded to journalist Emin Huseynov’s attempt to ask a question about the state of democracy in Azerbaijan by referring to his past hiding in the Swiss embassy disguised in women’s clothing.
Emin Huseynov said he wanted to ask Mehriban Aliyeva, as she was leaving the conference hall, a question about democracy in Azerbaijan. Aliyeva stopped and replied, “Are you the one who hid in the embassy in women’s clothes? I wish you good health,” and continued on her way.
In 2014, the Prosecutor General’s Office opened a criminal case concerning the activities of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, which was led by Emin Huseynov, and imposed a travel ban on him. Huseynov said he and his organization were being pressured for political reasons, but Azerbaijani officials said the case was related to financial violations. To avoid possible arrest and ensure his safety, Huseynov hid in the Swiss embassy building in Baku. This step was intended to allow him to leave the country safely. He emigrated abroad in 2015.
Sanubar Heydarli, Photo: Turan
“The response shows the government’s anger”
Sociologist Sanubar Heydarli told Meydan TV that Mehriban Aliyeva’s response to the journalist’s question actually signals that the Aliyev family is currently very angry.
“This ruling family usually ignores independent journalists’ questions and passes without reaction. This time, however, both of them reacted because they were angry over Mehman Huseynov’s videos about their daughter-in-law, Alyona Aliyeva. In Mehriban Aliyeva’s response to Emin Huseynov, there is an attempt to humiliate the journalist. Unfortunately, although she is the Vice-President and a woman, she makes this attempt to humiliate through her gender and clothing. With this response, we also see how alien the topics of women’s rights, women’s legal rights, and the role of women in various processes are to the Azerbaijani government.”
Emin Huseynov’s brother, Mehman Huseynov, has been producing a series of videos about the presidential family, particularly about the family’s daughter-in-law, Alyona Aliyeva. Mehman Huseynov has stated that the videos were made in response to being blackmailed to stop his activities, claiming they recorded intimate moments over five years through hidden cameras installed in his bedroom.
Sanubar Heydarli notes that after these words from the First Vice-President, it would look absurd for her to speak about women’s rights in any international forum:
“Because she turned the issue of women’s clothing into a tool for humiliation. This indicates that Mehriban Aliyeva believes this is somehow a flaw. In our actions, we have always used expressions like ‘fight as a woman,’ ‘strike as a woman.’ This shows that for us, the idea of ‘being brave like a man’ does not exist; it is essential to be brave as a woman. This issue is very important because official circles and high-ranking people still do not fully understand this principle. Even if they consider themselves in line with ultra-modern world standards, they have not escaped patriarchal thinking.”
Leyla Mustafayeva, photo: VOA
“How bad has the situation in your country become that a person has to disguise themselves like this to defend themselves?”
Journalist Leyla Mustafayeva told Meydan TV that Mehriban Aliyeva’s words directly answered the journalist’s question about the state of democracy in the country:
“In fact, Mehriban Aliyeva’s reply to the journalist was personally humiliating, even though the question concerned the state of democracy in the country. From this arises a question: how bad is the situation in your country that a person has to disguise themselves like this to defend themselves? With her answer, Mehriban Aliyeva showed everyone that the state of democracy in Azerbaijan is still as it was in 2014 when the repression started—if not worse.”
She added that it would be incorrect to call the media that spread Mehriban Aliyeva’s words “media”:
“They are servants of the regime. Whatever orders come from the Presidential Administration, they execute. Apparently, this time they were instructed to justify Mehriban Aliyeva’s humiliating behavior unfit for the Vice-President and to amplify this view. When you analyze the troll comments under posts like ‘Mehriban Aliyeva responded appropriately,’ you see many repeat each other. This indicates that these media outlets are taking orders from a single center.”
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Google has announced that it will lower in-app payment fees for developers on its app marketplace Google Play and allow more third-party payment options. The move could significantly improve profits for content companies that have long complained about the platform’s high commissions, AzerNEWS reports, citing Korean media.
Georgia’s foreign ministry on attack on Azerbaijan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia has condemned a drone attack on Azerbaijan that left several people injured. However, the ministry’s official statement did not mention Iran, which Azerbaijan itself has accused of carrying out the attack.
According to the Georgian foreign ministry, Maka Bochorishvili also held a phone call with Jeyhun Bayramov. Bochorishvili expressed deep concern over the drone attack on Azerbaijan that injured several civilians.
The ministry said Tbilisi considers unacceptable any actions that violate the principles of international law and contribute to escalating tensions in the region. It also highlighted the “strong friendship and strategic partnership” between Georgia and Azerbaijan and said Georgia stands in solidarity with “brotherly Azerbaijan in this difficult situation”.
The incident took place on the morning of 5 March. Azerbaijani media report that drones carried out the attack on Nakhchivan International Airport in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Reports also mention several drone crashes in other locations, including near a school.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said the attack injured two people. The ministry described the incident as an act that “contradicts the norms and principles of international law and contributes to escalating tensions in the region”.
Baku also stated that Azerbaijan reserves the right to take “appropriate response measures”.
The Azerbaijani government accused Iran of carrying out the attack, but Tehran rejected the accusation. Iran’s deputy foreign minister said that Iran “does not attack neighbouring countries”.
Georgia’s foreign ministry on attack on Azerbaijan
Pre-election opinion poll in Armenia
“The overall results demonstrate that Civic Contract, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, would win the plurality of the votes if the elections were held now, but pending on voter turnout, may fall short of securing a single-party government”, the Center for Electoral Systems Studies of Armenia said.
The centre presented the results of the first round of polling ahead of parliamentary elections in Armenia. The elections will take place on 7 June 2026. Researchers interviewed 820 citizens in a telephone survey. Eighty-two percent of respondents said they plan to take part in the upcoming vote.
The authors of the study plan to conduct three more surveys before the elections. They say they will publish those results as well.
The centre’s experts conclude that the ruling party would receive about 40.5% of the vote if turnout reaches 82%.
“Civic Contract remains the only pro-Western, pro-Velvet party that is above the threshold to enter Parliament. Substantively, the results demonstrate that Armenia’s democratic opposition, and possible coalition partners to Civic Contract, are absent from the electoral domain as electorally-viable political parties”, the researchers say.
The centre also analysed the opposition’s chances. According to the survey, the party Strong Armenia will most likely take second place by vote share. Prosperous Armenia will likely take third place.
Businessmen Samvel Karapetyan and Gagik Tsarukyan lead these parties. The ruling team describes them as “Russian and local oligarchs”. Many residents of Armenia view both parties as pro-Russian.
According to the survey, the Armenia Alliance led by former president Robert Kocharyan will not cross the electoral threshold and will fail to enter parliament.
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Five key factors that could influence the election results
Experts from the Center for Electoral Systems Studies of Armenia say the survey reveals five important trends:
- “Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan receives low ratings for his performance, but he still holds relatively strong positions among undecided voters;
- the party Strong Armenia has absorbed the votes of the Armenia Alliance. It mainly consolidated voters who supported Robert Kocharyan in 2021;
- most voters believe the security situation in Armenia has improved. Undecided voters rate this improvement even more positively;
- society expresses optimism about the country’s economic future, although many people still have reservations about the economic situation over the past 12 months;
- regardless of personal political preferences, most citizens of Armenia believe the ruling party will win the election.”
“Civil Contract will win a relative but not an absolute majority”
The ruling party Civil Contract will secure a relative majority in parliament but not an absolute one. The survey results point to this outcome when analysts exclude the potential votes of undecided voters.
The projected distribution of votes looks as follows:
- Civil Contract — 26.1%
- Strong Armenia — 11.9%
- Prosperous Armenia — 6%
The opposition Armenia Alliance led by former president Robert Kocharyan would receive 3.3%, according to the poll. This result would leave the bloc below the electoral threshold.
Political parties must secure at least 4% of the vote to enter parliament. Electoral blocs must reach an 8% threshold.
Votes of Pashinyan’s opponents shift to parties of two major businessmen
During the snap parliamentary elections in 2021, the Armenia Alliance won 21% of the vote. The new research suggests the bloc is losing most of that support this year to the recently created party Strong Armenia. Dollar billionaire Samvel Karapetyan leads the party. Authorities placed him under house arrest on charges of calling for the seizure of power.
Experts at the Center for Electoral Systems Studies of Armenia say Strong Armenia resembles the Kocharyan-led Armenia Alliance in many ways. They describe it as an ideologically pro-Russian force that opposes the “Velvet Revolution”. In Armenia, the “Velvet Revolution” refers to the protest movement led in 2018 by opposition politician Nikol Pashinyan. The victory of that movement brought him and his team to power.
The poll also suggests that part of the votes that the Armenia Alliance won in 2021 will shift to Prosperous Armenia led by Gagik Tsarukyan.
“The votes of Pashinyan’s opponents will consolidate around Strong Armenia and Prosperous Armenia. These two forces have absorbed a significant share of the electorate that previously supported the bloc led by Robert Kocharyan,” the authors of the study say.
Pre-election opinion poll in Armenia