Azerbaijan and Turkey have signed a new agreement to supply 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas from the Absheron field in the Caspian Sea. Shipments, totaling 2.25 billion cubic meters per year, will begin in 2029 and continue until the 2040s via the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline.

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, in his response to the events in Venezuela, noted that Tbilisi's two main objectives remain unchanged: restoring Georgia's territorial integrity and ensuring the well-being of its people.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made a number of statements in an interview with local television channels. He stated that the war with Armenia will end politically in 2025 and called the past year historic for Azerbaijani-American relations, attributing this to the end of the war and the Trump administration.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, promoted his 20-year-old son, Akhmat Kadyrov, to acting deputy prime minister of the republic. He will continue to serve in this new position alongside his post as Minister of Physical Culture and Sport of Chechnya, a position he has held since May 2024.

Armenia has been recognized as one of the safest countries in the world, ranking 13th out of 193 in the World Travel Index. The ranking is based on an artificial intelligence analysis of various parameters important to tourist safety.

A court in Tskhinvali has sentenced civil activist Tamara Mearakishvili, accused of spying for Georgia. Citing the court ruling, the online resource "Sapa" reports that the sentence is "immediate expulsion" and a fine of 2,000 rubles, equivalent to more than $24. The ruling was made on December 31, and the Georgian citizen was tried under the article "on violation of the stay regulations by foreigners."

The first research and production center for unmanned aerial systems (R&P Center UAS) is planned to open in Ingushetia at the Serdalo Technopark. Adam Kokorkhoyev, the republic's Minister of Industry and Communications, announced the consideration of a public-private partnership project with Aerocosmos to create the Serdalo-Ural complex.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement with ten clergy on reforming the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC). The statement calls for a public announcement of the reform program, the removal of the de facto head of the AAC, Catholicos Karekin II, the adoption of a new charter, and the election of a new Catholicos of All Armenians.

Following Sukhumi, Tskhinvali also responded to the Georgian Foreign Ministry's statement on events in Venezuela. The South Ossetian Foreign Ministry stated that the Venezuelan authorities' decision to recognize the self-proclaimed republic as an "independent state" is beyond question.

According to Adygea Governor Murat Kumpilov, between 4,000 and 5,000 people remain without power in the republic due to downed power lines. Although the situation is gradually stabilizing, strong winds and repeated outages are slowing restoration efforts.