The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on plans by US President Donald Trump's family, along with local partners, to build a 70-story Trump Tower in Tbilisi. According to the publication, the building is slated to be the tallest in the Georgian capital.
This news comes amid the ruling Georgian Dream party's desire to restore relations with the United States and establish a partnership with the Trump administration.
Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Yerevan following harsh and provocative statements by Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov.
The ambassador was presented with a note of protest expressing "deep indignation" at Solovyov's statements. The Armenian Foreign Ministry considers these statements "an unacceptable infringement on the country's sovereignty, a hostile act, and a gross violation of the fundamental principles of friendly relations between Yerevan and Moscow."
The protest was prompted by Solovyov's remarks on a program in which he suggested the possibility of conducting a joint military operation in Russia's "zone of influence," including Armenia and Central Asia, if necessary to ensure Russia's national security.
Commenting on the incident, Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Ruben Rubenyan compared Solovyov to a "barking dog."
"The dog barks, but the caravan moves on. The dog in this case is Solovyov, and the caravan is our beloved country, which is moving toward irreversible peace and development," he wrote on Facebook.
Sherzodkhon Kudratkhoja, Rector of the University of Journalism and Mass Communications of Uzbekistan, also criticized Vladimir Solovyov's statements. According to Kudratkhoja, the propagandist's words effectively justify ignoring international law and the sovereignty of other states. The rector of the Uzbek university believes that rhetoric about "zones of influence" and disregard for the law constitutes preparation for aggressive actions, where war is considered an acceptable political tool. He emphasized that such statements create a dangerous precedent for justifying aggression.