The Georgian Foreign Ministry has criticized statements made by the European Union regarding legal proceedings that could lead to the banning of five opposition parties. The ministry issued its response following comments made on October 19 by European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand.
The Armenian newspaper "Graparak" writes that the US is exerting pressure on Armenia to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan as soon as possible. The preliminary version of the document should be signed by the end of May. It is mentioned that US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Olson, who recently visited Yerevan and Baku, brought with her a draft version.
The newspaper links such haste of the West with the Russian-Ukrainian war, namely the desire to defeat Russia by making a breakthrough on the Ukrainian front. «One way to push Russia into a corner - to drive it out of our region, namely to put pressure on the Armenian authorities not to help Russia circumvent the sanctions on the one hand, but on the other hand to get the Russian peacekeepers out of Karabakh and Armenia», the newspaper says.