- Ruben Vardazaryan, Armenia’s former top judicial official, was formally dismissed from his post after he published a recording that appears to show his successor pressuring him to resign.
- Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan called for a “realistic” approach to Karabakh negotiations in a wide-ranging interview with public television.
- U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Kristina Kvien to be the next ambassador to Armenia.
- The Armenian government approved a cooperation agreement with USAID worth $120 million.
- CivilNet sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Anthony Barsamian, the head of the Armenian Assembly of America.
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Biden back-tracking and Erdoğan toying with NATO
In the latest edition of Insights With Eric Hacopian, Eric discusses US President Joe Biden’s decision to waive Section 907, which allows for military assistance to Azerbaijan. Eric also discusses Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent press conference and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s move to block Sweden and Finland from joining NATO.
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Armenia’s parliament approves Defense Ministry restructuring
By Mark Dovich Armenia’s National Assembly voted 58-0 Thursday to pass amendments to the country’s defense law that restructure the Defense Ministry’s leadership structure. The changes, which Defense Minister Suren Papikyan announced last month, would see the chief of the general staff, who oversees the army, serve automatically as first deputy minister of defense as well. In most Armenian government agencies, the first deputy minister will take over for the minister in the case of their absence, but the new amendments specifically prohibit this in the Defense Ministry. Only lawmakers from the ruling Civil Contract party were present at the […]
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Pashinyan holds call with Putin as regional diplomacy accelerates
By Mark Dovich Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to discuss “regional issues and the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh,” as normalization efforts with neighboring Azerbaijan and Turkey appeared to continue moving forward. According to an Armenian government read-out, Pashinyan and Putin also talked about “the implementation of the tripartite declarations” and ongoing work to delimit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and reopen transport connections between the two countries. The term “tripartite declarations” refers to three statements signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia aimed at establishing peace in the region. The first […]
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AND IN OTHER NEWS: Science, Sports & Culture
Developments from Armenia continue to come fast and furious, and yet what it all means is unclear as ever. Most surprisingly, the sudden announcement that Turkey and Armenia will be opening the border which has been essentially closed in one way or another for a century to citizens of other countries seems to suggest progress in normalization, though exactly when and how this will take place is still unknown. The very same day, Azerbaijan abruptly closed its land border with Turkey to travelers, while warning of renewed hostilities with Armenia. While we ponder what these big questions all mean, there […]
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Russia and Canada in war of words over Armenia embassy
The Russian embassy in Yerevan has condemned a Canadian Foreign Ministry statement that described the move to open a Canadian embassy in Yerevan as a way to “push back on Russian influence.” Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with the Spanish parliamentary speaker Meritxell Batet in Madrid. Azerbaijani forces opened fire in the direction of Khachik village in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor region, according to the Armenian Defense Ministry, which reported no casualties.
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Appointment of first woman prosecutor general refocuses attention on women’s
By Mark Dovich Last Wednesday’s appointment of Anna Vardapetyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s assistant, to be Armenia’s first woman prosecutor general has refocused attention on the low levels of representation for women in the country’s government, particularly in high-ranking positions. At present, there is only one woman in the cabinet, Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan, and just 37 out of 107 lawmakers are women. Armenia currently has no women governors, and it remains rare for women to be elected to political positions at the local level. The country has never had a woman president or prime minister. “I was not only […]
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Questions raised over close Pashinyan aide’s business dealings
Opposition deputy Artur Ghazinyan has resigned from his seat in Armenia’s parliament, in the latest in a string of opposition resignations. CivilNet investigations uncover murky business dealings regarding former Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan.
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Supporting Armenian democracy and the Armenian people։ An interview with
Damon Wilson is the President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy, a Washington-based non-profit that provides grants to grow and strengthen democratic institutions around the world. Mr. Wilson sat down with CivilNet to discuss NED’s work in Armenia and the region, the Armenian government’s reform agenda, and ongoing normalization efforts with Azerbaijan and Turkey.