Opposition figure Gulu Mammadli stated that the arrest of Ali Karimli, leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was expected, but the reasons go beyond simple criticism of the authorities. According to Mammadli, Karimli's publications in major Western media have increased his political significance and visibility abroad, which has caused concern among the Azerbaijani authorities.
Armenian authorities have once again refused to participate in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Cobalt-2024 exercises, which will be held in Novosibirsk from August 14 to 16.
“For three days, representatives of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will exchange best practices and improve the skills of interaction between special forces units,” the CSTO press release says.
Earlier, Armenia announced that it would not participate in the approval of the CSTO annual budget and the financing of the organization. On February 23, in an interview with France24, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the freezing of Armenia’s participation in the CSTO “due to the failure to implement the collective security treaty with respect to the country.” On February 28, he threatened to officially withdraw from the organization.