From January to October 2024, 462 new cases of HIV transmission were recorded in Armenia. What’s the reason for this increase and how does the state work with HIV-positive individuals? What are the main issues in the healthcare system when dealing with this patient group, and what specific challenges do people living with HIV face? CivilNet spoke with a number of experts, activists, and people living with HIV to uncover the situation.
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Pre-Soviet Yerevan through the lens of Gegham Tarverdyants
By Alexander Pracht Although the history of Armenian photography dates back to the 1850s, it was primarily centered in Western Armenia, Georgia, and Palestine where renowned Armenian photography studios flourished. Among them were the famous Abdullahyan brothers in Constantinople, who became official photographers to the Ottoman Sultan, and the photography school established by Yessai Garabedian at the Saint James Monastery in Jerusalem. In Eastern Armenia, the first photo studios appeared in the 1870s, and they primarily focused on commissioned portrait photography. As a result, while there are many surviving photographs of pre-Bolshevik Armenia, they remain relatively scarce compared to those […]
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Armenia’s parliamentary committee approves EU integration bill
By Alexander Pracht Armenia’s parliamentary committee on European integration approved the bill on launching the country’s European Union membership process in a second reading during an extraordinary session today. Committee chairman Arman Yeghoyan noted that the bill underwent editorial changes, including the removal of the wording “expressing the united will of the people of the Republic of Armenia” from its preamble. The revised version says that Armenia, “aiming to develop democratic institutions, improve societal well-being, and strengthen security, resilience, and the rule of law, declares the launch of the EU accession process.” The bill will now proceed to a full […]
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Sexism, Stereotypes, and Insults: Armenia’s Ruling Party’s Troubling Rhetoric
By Tigran Grigoryan In recent weeks, the rhetoric of Armenian politicians, particularly within the ruling party, has raised significant concerns about the use of offensive and politically incorrect language in public discourse. These incidents underscore the need for greater accountability and the protection of democratic values, particularly in the face of growing political polarization. Andranik Kocharyan’s sexist attacks on female journalists Armenian MP Andranik Kocharyan, chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defense and Security, has a history of making sexist and degrading remarks toward female journalists. Most recently, he targeted journalist Hripsime Jebejyan by refusing to answer her […]
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The Undoing of Armenia: Nikol Pashinyan’s Negotiation Debacle
Op-ed by Vartan Oskanian, Armenia’s former foreign minister (1998-2008) By any objective measure, Nikol Pashinyan has proven to be the worst negotiator Armenia has ever had. In the six years since he came to power, every diplomatic or strategic dossier he has touched has turned to ash. Armenia, once a resilient state, now stands hollowed out—Nagorno-Karabakh lost, mainland territories occupied, its defenses weakened, its alliances frayed, and its people disillusioned. This is not simply the result of Azerbaijani aggression; it is the product of breathtakingly poor leadership and a near-textbook violation of every core principle of sound negotiation strategy. Pashinyan’s […]
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What Turkey wants in the South Caucasus
Dr. Mustafa Aydin, a professor of international relations at Kadir Has University is in Yerevan to participate in a conference organized by the Caucasus Institute entitled “Gathering Storm: Regional Security of the South Caucasus in the Context of the Crisis of the Global Order.” He speaks with CivilNet about Turkey’s evolving role amid global and regional upheavals, as well as the country’s positioning between the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East. The discussion focuses on how Turkey views the South Caucasus and, in particular, normalization attempts with Armenia. Aydin emphasizes the importance of people-to-people contact between Turks and […]
