Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).
Armenia sent a second batch of humanitarian aid to the earthquake victims in Turkey. The day before the trucks crossed the Armenian-Turkish border over the Margar Bridge,
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will visit Turkey on February 15. He will meet with Armenian rescuers who are doing work in the earthquake-affected Adyyaman. A meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavushoglu will take place during the visit to Ankara.
On 12 February, the border between the two countries, which had been closed for 35 years, was effectively unlocked. Ankara Special Representative Serdar Kylych thanked Yerevan for the assistance rendered to the victims of the earthquake by his fellow citizens. Earlier, Armenia had sent over 100 tons of food, medicine, water and dozens of rescuers.