This week on Insights, host Eric Hacopian analyzes Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s unprecedented eight-hour marathon question and answer session with the public. He discusses what it shows about Armenia’s democratic development and priorities. Eric then looks at the reactions from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev regarding Armenia’s military acquisitions. Hacopian provides context and insights into the strategic communications behind these political dynamics unfolding in the South Caucasus.
-
Pashinyan, Aliyev hold brief meeting in Albania on normalization deal
By Alexander Pracht Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a rare brief conversation on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania, the Armenian government reported on Friday. According to a post on the government’s official Facebook page, the two leaders discussed the text of a long-awaited normalization agreement between their countries and the next steps toward its signing. This was the first direct interaction between Pashinyan and Aliyev since their meeting during a BRICS summit in Russia last October, where they also discussed normalization between the nations. Pashinyan and Aliyev are […]
-
“False and Sacrilegious”: Russian Ambassador Condemns Armenian Official’s WWII Claims
By Lia Avagyan Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin has strongly condemned statements made by Artsrun Hovhannisyan, the former spokesperson of Armenia’s Defense Ministry, regarding World War II and Nazi Germany’s potential impact on Armenia. In an open letter published on May 16, addressed to Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, Ambassador Kopyrkin expressed his outrage over what he described as “historically false and sacrilegious statements” made by Hovhannisyan on Armenian Public Television on May 9, the day commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. “Against the backdrop of deep respect for the Victory Day celebration among […]
-
Armenia conceals agreement with Azerbaijan that terminated search for Karabakh
By Hayk Hovhannisyan, #CivilNetCheck Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs is refusing to disclose details of an agreement with Azerbaijan that led to the termination of a search for an Azerbaijani citizen accused of war crimes. In April 2025, it was revealed that Armenia had ended the interstate search for Azerbaijani blogger Kyamil Zeynali within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Zeynali is accused of murdering an elderly Artsakh civilian in Hadrut during the 2020 Karabakh war. According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the search was halted within the framework of an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan originally signed […]
-
Why Netanyahu’s Baku visit was scrapped
In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian covers three key developments shaping Armenia’s regional and domestic landscape. He begins with the cancelled summit between Israeli and Turkish officials in Baku, examining the deeper strategic divide over the future of Syria, and how it could create opportunities for Armenia. Hacopian also argues why Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s decision to attend the May 9th Victory Day parade in Moscow despite calls from Europe for a boycott is a symbolic move that makes strategic sense for Armenia. Finally, he covers the expansion of additional Wizz Air flights from Europe to Armenia, calling […]
-
Armenia’s gold trade decline raises questions about economic sustainability
By Arshaluys Mghdesyan Armenia’s gold trade has seen a dramatic collapse in early 2025, following a brief surge driven by geopolitical and policy shifts in the region during 2023-2024. In an interview with CivilNet, economist Haykaz Fanyan explained that the boom in gold exports during 2023 and early 2024 was largely the result of a temporary loophole created by Russian export policies. In September 2023, Russia imposed a 10% export duty on gold, aiming to boost its federal revenues amid rising global gold prices and the financial pressures of war. The duty, however, excluded exports within the Eurasian Economic Union […]
-
Armenia intensifies penalties for military training evasion amid personnel challenges
By Elen Muradyan Armenia’s government has approved new legislation that significantly strengthens penalties for citizens who evade mandatory military training assemblies, marking another step in the country’s efforts to address its ongoing military personnel challenges. According to a decision approved during Thursday’s government session, individuals who avoid military training assemblies without legally recognized exemptions will face severe administrative or criminal liability. The legislation, presented by the Ministry of Defense, establishes a graduated system of penalties based on the nature of the evasion. Citizens who fail to report to military commissariats for training, refuse to undergo health assessments, or decline to […]
-
Russia ready to offer various nuclear reactor designs to Armenia,
By Lia Avagyan Russia is ready to offer Armenia nuclear power plants with reactors of various capacities that feature enhanced safety and economic efficiency, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin declared during his visit to the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant on May 14. “Rosatom is ready to offer Armenian colleagues nuclear power plants of Russian design with reactors of various capacities, distinguished by enhanced safety and economic efficiency,” the ambassador emphasized during his visit to the Metsamor facility. Rosatom is Russia’s state atomic energy corporation that oversees all aspects of the country’s nuclear industry, from power generation and fuel production […]
