CIVILNET

📍 Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have revealed some details of the TRIPP project. Armenia will receive a 26% stake in the joint venture, and may upgrade its share to 49% should the agreement be extended beyond 2075.📍 Armenia has secured the release of four Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan. In exchange, Yerevan handed two Syrian mercenaries...

📍 U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Washington would impose a 25% tariff on any country engaged in trade with Iran, a move that could significantly affect Armenia–U.S economic relations.📍 Armenia expects Azerbaijani forces to withdraw from its sovereign territory as border delimitation talks continue, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan said. However, there has been no progress in negot...

📍 Armenian authorities have not been able to contact members of the Armenian community in Iran due to widespread internet outages amid escalating mass protests. 📍 A prominent Russian state TV host openly suggested possible military intervention in Armenia, escalating hostile public rhetoric amid strained relations between Yerevan and Moscow. 📍 Beyond the black-and-white narratives on Armenia- h...

📍A second Azerbaijani fuel shipment is headed to Armenia, officials confirmed.📍Reported financial troubles at Russia’s state-run rail company are renewing questions over Moscow’s management of Armenia’s rail network.📍The former owner of Armenia’s main utility company, Samvel Karapetyan, was moved to house arrest.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

By Tigran Grigoryan #DemocracyWatch –  As the 2026 parliamentary elections draw closer, every sphere of Armenia’s public life is gradually turning into an instrument of domestic political struggle. This politicization has extended even to traditionally unifying moments, including the festive season. Accordingly, many of the negative trends observed throughout 2025 found clear expression in Prime M...

In this episode of the CivilNet podcast, CivilNet’s Eric Hacopian sets the record straight on some of the most contentious disputes in Armenia, from tensions between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Church to debates over foreign influence and electoral interference. He explains how such portrayals are harming Armenia’s institutions and global reputation. 0:00- The First Armenian Prayer B...

📍 Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a rally on Christmas Day and used the holiday to once again address his standoff with Catholicos Karekin II.📍 As Armenia launches its historic universal health insurance system on January 1, critics argue the government is not adequately prepared to ensure its effective implementation.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

For the past eight years, Hayk Barseghyan has been living right above Vachagan village in Syunik. His home is near Mount Khustup, in a place called Pskhu Khut. As a photographer always in search of beauty, he discovered this area and has been bringing it to life through his lens. Near his home, Hayk is building a “Gitatachar”, meaning “knowledge shrine”. He means to turn it into a sanctuary for le...

In this special year-end episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian shares his Christmas wish list for Armenia in 2026: from peace and security to better governance, institutions, and public discourse. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #insightswitherichacopian

By Tigran Grigoryan The year 2025 proved to be deeply troubling for Armenia’s democratic development. Over the course of the year, a series of negative developments and entrenched trends cast serious doubt on the prospects for democratic consolidation in the country. Equally alarming were the growing questions about society’s capacity to resist increasingly overt anti-democratic practices. Through...

What does the planned “Trump Route” actually look like on the ground? CivilNet’s team travels to Armenia’s southern Syunik region to explore the local realities behind the TRIPP initiative — the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity — announced in Washington in August. From abandoned railways in Kapan and Meghri to the Armenia–Iran border at Agarak, this short film follows Eric Hacopi...

📍 A company linked to Khachatur Sukiasyan, a pro-government Armenian tycoon, is among the buyers of an Azerbaijani fuel shipment, RFE/RL’s Armenian service reported.📍 Armenia could take back control of some sections of its railroads, currently operated by Russia under a 30-year concession deal, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.📍 Speaking with CivilNet, Babken Tunyan, a leading pro-government...

By Tigran Grigoryan In recent days, the confrontation between Armenia’s ruling party and the Armenian Apostolic Church has reached a new level of escalation. On December 17, a group of bishops–who had earlier publicly demanded the resignation of Catholicos Karekin II and had also met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan– issued a statement  calling on the public to gather the following day, Decembe...

An estimated 8-10 million Armenians live in over 100 countries across the world, spanning different time zones, political systems, languages and cultural traditions. This diversity brings richness, but also, a multiplicity of beliefs, attitudes and perspectives, especially when it comes to the place that’s become a unifying point for all - the Republic of Armenia. From its political and social dir...

📍 Armenian and U.S. officials launched talks to establish a joint venture to oversee the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a major new transit proposal.📍 U.S. ambassador talks ‘Trump route’ and border security: https://shorturl.at/R2Q6l📍 Azerbaijan sent a fuel shipment to Armenia via Georgia, the first in decades.📍 Armenia lowered interest rates to 6.5%, after holding steady...

📍 Azerbaijan has launched gasoline shipments to Armenia via Georgia, reviving debate over rail connectivity, transit politics, and strategic dependence.📍 Authorities and church leaders urged calm ahead of planned gatherings at Holy Etchmiadzin of Catholicos with both opponents and supporters. 📍 Armenia at the Oscars: What does it take?- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZgUIe-53iU#CivilNet #Սիվի...

In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian breaks down Turkey’s repeated insistence on linking normalization with Armenia to the signing of an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty, and explains why Ankara’s long-standing promises to open the border are unlikely to be kept. He also reviews Armenia’s 2026 state budget and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s problematic response to Baku’s renewed “Weste...

📍 There is no organized ethnic Armenian crime in Europe, a fact acknowledged by the European Union, Deputy Interior Minister Armen Ghazaryan said. This is expected to ease Armenia’s path toward a visa-free regime under the EU visa liberalization action plan unveiled last month.📍 Armenia has signed a strategic partnership declaration with Luxembourg, following similar agreements with Germany and...

On the occasion of TUMO’s 15th anniversary, CivilNet’s Eric Hacopian speaks with Pegor Papazian, Chief Development Officer at TUMO, about the evolution and global reach of Armenia’s flagship education initiative. They cover TUMO’s expansion to more than a dozen countries, its role in shaping “Brand Armenia,” and its focus on intrinsic motivation and soft skills. Papazian also reflects on how AI is...

Claire Mouradian, director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, examines some of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s most controversial statements about Armenia’s history and regional conflicts. She provides historical context on Karabakh, the formation of Azerbaijani identity, and the use of the Armenian Genocide in politics. Mouradian’s insights help separate...

Armenia’s domestic political life continues to be dominated by the ruling party’s confrontation with the Church leadership. In its attempt to dethrone Catholicos Garegin II, Prime Minister Pashinyan has adopted a two-fold approach in recent months. On the one hand, he has sought to create cleavages within the Church by finding loyalists willing either to speak out publicly against the Catholicos o...

📍 Armenia’s standoff between government and church deepened as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan unveiled a controversial roadmap to restructure the Apostolic Church. Leading Armenian clerics abroad have expressed solidarity with Catholicos Karekin II, the prime minister’s main target. 📍 Georgia has agreed to provide the first transit of Azerbaijani fuel to Armenia free of charge. 📍 Inside Armenia...

During the fall months in Armenia, it is common for people to collect and burn fallen leaves and plant residue. This is done to clean roads, walkways and other areas near homes. The Ministry of Environment and specialists warn that leaf burning is not only harmful for nature but also dangerous to human health. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

📍 The International Monetary Fund approved a new $175 million credit line for Armenia.📍 The industrial city of Hrazdan was named as the home for Armenia’s first data center.📍 Inside Armenia’s breakthrough moment in global tech: https://shorturl.at/gY2yb#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

📍 Armenia’s Prime Minister Pashinyan refuses to attend liturgies that mention Catholicos Karekin II and implies he is a foreign operative. 📍 Armenia’s Justice Minister calls for fewer pre-trial detentions, but critics warn structural judicial practices continue to fuel public distrust. 📍 Armenia’s parliament has advanced a plan for mandatory universal health insurance, despite expert warnings t...