Chechnya's Mufti, Salah Mezhiyev, issued a statement in response to criticism from Russia's Chief Rabbi, Berel Lazar. In it, he accused "atheists and Ukrainian Satanists" of misinterpreting his words, and the rabbi himself of making hasty statements without verifying the facts. This refers to Mezhiyev's comment on the program "Chechen History. War and Peace," in which he discussed atheism as a "movement born of the Jews."
At a meeting of the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly held in Yerevan, representatives of the ruling Civil Contract party rejected a proposal calling on Azerbaijan to guarantee the collective and safe return of Karabakh residents to their homes, backed by international guarantees.
Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, accused the opposition of using the issue of the return of "Artsakh residents" as a political tool. Simonyan noted that the opposition forces are limiting themselves to mere loud statements without offering any practical solutions.
"Can anyone now say with certainty that they can guarantee the return of an Armenian to any settlement in Karabakh? This is not a matter of spectacular statements or pompous toasts. Of course, in the future, provided relations are normalized, some people may return and live in their homes—if that becomes realistic. But who are they misleading? "Are there any Karabakh residents currently wishing to return, but who are being impeded by the Armenian authorities?" the speaker asked.
Reporters reminded Simonyan of the example of Gaza, to which he responded:
"A very good example. The international community has come together, and what we're seeing now is genocide in Gaza. We could become a second such example. We would find ourselves in the same situation; we would turn our territory into Gaza."