CIVILNET

Armenia’s Central Bank raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 7%, citing accelerating inflation in the country. It’s the agency’s second rate hike this year. Yerevan-based Cube Invest became the first investment company to list its bonds on the Armenia Stock Exchange. Armenia’s beekeeping industry faces mounting threats from climate change. Read more: https://civilnet.am/en/news/1015026#Civil...

A brawl in Armenia’s parliament has raised questions about the country’s political leadership. In this episode of Insights, Eric Hacopian examines what the confrontation reveals about Armenia’s political class and voters. He also discusses Azerbaijan’s demand for constitutional changes as a precondition for signing a peace agreement. Hacopian asks whether Armenia is walking into a political trap s...

Ronald Suny, a historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, asks whether Joseph Stalin was a Marxist and what the answer means for Marxism’s legacy. He examines how Bolshevik political choices helped produce Stalin’s dictatorship, contrasting Stalinism with what he sees as Marxism’s humanist and democratic aspirations. Suny also considers the relevance of Marxist ideas to inequality, capitalism and t...

As Armenia hosts COP17, Eric Hacopian examines the environmental destruction taking place in Azerbaijani-occupied parts of the Shikahogh Nature Reserve in Syunik. Following a visit to the reserve and nearby border villages, Eric shares what the CivilNet crew witnessed and what residents reported about deforestation, military fortifications, and restricted access to farmland and water. He also ques...

📍 Armenia ratified a major new trade and investment deal with the United Arab Emirates.📍 U.S. technology company Nvidia plans to expand its operations in Armenia, and seeks to make the country a hub for its operations across the former Soviet Union.📍 Dispatch from Turkey: Businesses eye opportunities if the border with Armenia is opened. Read more (in Armenian): https://civilnet.am/hy/news/1015...

Andrei Kortunov, former academic director of the Russian International Affairs Council; Akram Umarov, director of the Institute of Advanced International Studies in Tashkent; Yang Cheng, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University; and Brianne Todd, a professor at the U.S. National Defense University, discuss how Central Asia is navigating great-power competition. They examine regiona...

📍 The head of Dynamic Frontier Holdings, the new U.S. owner of Armenia’s Teghut copper mine, revealed it paid $228.5 million to acquire the facility, and provided additional details on plans to expand operations and redirect output to the United States.📍 Armenia’s place in a Russian-led trade bloc has been thrown into doubt after other members said they could suspend the country’s membership. Th...

Dominic Lieven, a historian of Russia, traces the rise of the Russian Empire and its struggles to adapt to the modern world. He examines how monarchy, social inequality and great-power competition shaped Russia’s history, from imperial expansion to revolution and the Soviet collapse. The lecture was delivered in Tbilisi on June 30, 2026.This lecture is part of the Monterey Summer Symposium 2026, h...

Yerevan is hosting #COP17, a major international conference on climate change and biodiversity. World leaders are gathering to discuss how to protect nature and turn promises into real action. But what can COP17 actually achieve? And what does it mean for Armenia? Dr. Adil Najam, President of WWF International and a professor at Boston University joins CivilNet to discuss these questions. #CivilNe...

📍 Armenia’s controversial Amulsar gold mine officially launched operations, marking the end to years of delays over the project. It’s expected to generate $120-$130 million per year in taxes📍 Drone strikes by Ukraine on multiple data centers used by Yandex, Russia’s largest technology company, led to disruptions to the company’s services across Armenia.📍 Armenia’s government formally recognized...

In today’s episode of Insights, Eric examines Armenia’s nuclear energy plans following a visit to Yerevan by representatives of Rosatom, Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation. He also analyzes Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev’s latest speech, focusing on his statements about the 2020 war, threats against Armenia, and rhetoric referencing the Armenian Genocide.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #insightswit...

Dominic Lieven, a historian of Russia, examines how geography, territory and ideology have shaped empires and great-power competition. He traces the foundations of British and American global dominance, Russia’s imperial legacy and China’s rise, exploring what history reveals about today’s rivalry between Washington and Beijing. The lecture was delivered in Tbilisi on June 29, 2026.This lecture is...

In this episode of Mindful Leaders, we delve into the life and experiences of Dr. Bruce Boghosian, President of the American University of Armenia (AUA) and Professor of Mathematics at Tufts University. We explore what kind of leaders the future will need, how universities can prepare students for a world shaped by artificial intelligence, and how the science of systems can inform the art of leadi...

📍 An Azerbaijani serviceman went AWOL and crossed into Armenia’s Syunik province, where he injured a local villager before being apprehended. Azerbaijani border officers warned their Armenian counterparts of the missing serviceman two days prior.📍 Armenia’s cabinet has drafted the country’s state budget for 2027. It suggests an increase in military spending of about 9.5%, to roughly $1.7 billion...

📍 Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation chief and discussed Moscow’s potential involvement in the construction of a new nuclear power plant in the country.📍 Armenia plans to implement the action plan for visa liberalization with the European Union by 2029, the interior minister announced.📍 EXPLAINER: Can Armenia achieve visa-free travel to E...

In this episode of Insights, Eric Hacopian examines the recent diplomatic tour of Artsakh organized by Azerbaijan and the controversy surrounding its Armenian cultural heritage. He reflects on the lessons of the past six years, Armenia’s security challenges, and the growing political divide over how to respond to Azerbaijan, including the debate between compromise and resistance.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆե...

What has the war in Ukraine revealed about the future of warfare? In an exclusive interview, CivilNet’s Eric Hacopian speaks with Michael Kofman, Senior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia’s military adaptation, Ukraine’s use of drones and long-range strikes, and the evolution of modern warfare. Kofman als...

📍 A possible increase in Russian natural gas price for Armenia would be an egregious economic shock that would require a stronger than usual monetary policy response, Central Bank Governor Martin Galstyan said.📍 Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan said he spoke with Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev over the latter’s remarks regarding Armenian cultural heritage in Nagor...

📍 Opposition politician and Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan has sued Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for defamation in a months-long dispute over alleged hallucinogenic mushroom use.📍 During a working visit to France, Pashinyan met with President Emmanuel Macron.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

The future of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement remains uncertain, but some elements of the process are likely to outlast it. CivilNet political commentator Eric Hacopian explains how TRIPP and other regional transport links could move forward even without a final agreement. Yet Hacopian says Baku’s “Western Azerbaijan” campaign exposes Aliyev’s true intentions, calling it a “declaration of w...

The future of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement remains uncertain, but some elements of the process are likely to outlast it. CivilNet political commentator Eric Hacopian explains how TRIPP and other regional transport links could move forward even without a final agreement. Yet Hacopian says Baku’s “Western Azerbaijan” campaign exposes Aliyev’s true intentions, calling it a “declaration of w...

📍 Armenia’s government has proposed major amendments to the country’s citizenship law, introducing a two-year residence requirement for ethnic Armenians who wish to become citizens.📍 Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov repeated calls for Armenia to amend its constitution, but said that when this happens is Armenia’s own business.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

📍 Armenia will have completed about 40% of the work required for visa-free travel to the European Union by November 1, Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan told CivilNet.📍 Armenia has appealed Russia’s trade restrictions through institutions of the Eurasian Economic Union.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says Armenia will soon apply for EU membership, while relations with Russia continue to deteriorate. What does Armenia’s move toward Europe actually entail, and how much further can Russia pressure the Armenian economy? CivilNet political commentator Eric Hacopian joins the podcast to discuss these and other major issues of the day, including the arrest of former Pre...

📍 Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Court has ordered former president Robert Kocharyan into pre-trial detention in a criminal case involving charges of abuse of authority, large-scale bribery, and money laundering.📍 Moscow has accused Armenia of cracking down on Kocharyan and other pro-Russian politicians, describing the charges as “repressions.” It has also claimed that the Armenian government’s calls...