Today, at a meeting of the European Council in Brussels, it was decided to grant Georgia candidate status for accession to the EU. This was announced by the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

The absence of the Prime Minister of Armenia at the CIS and CSTO summits is associated with certain processes and is not related to the desire or unwillingness to work in these associations. It is not in the interests of Armenia to terminate membership in these structures. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this during a direct line.

The European Union summit is opening in Brussels, within the framework of which the decision to grant Georgia candidate status for membership in the organization will be discussed. In addition, the agenda includes negotiations on accession to the EU for Ukraine and Moldova.

Today, an exchange of prisoners of war took place on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the Gazakh region of Azerbaijan. 2 Azerbaijani and 32 Armenian servicemen were released.

Georgia's refusal to grant candidate status for EU membership will mean its defeat and Russia's victory. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili stated this in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She explained that depriving Georgia of its status would cause satisfaction among the Russian authorities, and disappointment among Georgians.

A meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union and the ministerial of the Eastern Partnership countries was held in Brussels. As the EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell noted, Georgia is moving towards EU membership, and the situation in Armenia requires strong support.

The end of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the transfer of territories to Azerbaijan were inevitable. This was stated by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. According to him, the current government inherited the negotiating situation in which Yerevan found itself in 2016 (then the head of state was President Serzh Sargsyan).

If a peace agreement with Armenia is not signed, it will be bad for the entire South Caucasus, which must be protected from any risks. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated this in an interview with Euronews TV channel.

Germany welcomes the bold step taken by Azerbaijan and Armenia, which creates confidence on the path to a just and lasting peace between the two countries. German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ralf Horlemann wrote about this on his Twitter account.

Azerbaijan sent Ukraine another batch of humanitarian aid, which includes 551 thousand meters of electrical cables and 6 complete transformer substations. A convoy of 20 trucks was sent from Sumgayit.