CIVILNET

Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has  dismissed  Liparit Drmeyan, the head of the Office of the Representative for International Legal Affairs. This move follows a public statement by the Prime Minister that Armenia will not comply with an emergency ruling from the Stockholm Arbitration Tribunal. The ruling had ordered Armenia to halt any actions to seize “Electric Networks of Armenia.”...

Sharpening surgical scalpels on barber’s leather straps was once the reality in Armenia’s hospitals, an observation that inspired Dr. Krikor Deramerian to rethink how the diaspora can be involved in building lasting solutions in the country. He now works to shift Armenia’s healthcare from one-off aid trips to sustainable, preventive care that empowers local physicians and improves patient outcomes...

In this comprehensive interview with CivilNet, European Union Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos discusses the dramatic expansion of EU engagement with Armenia, including a groundbreaking €2.5 billion investment commitment through 2027. The ambassador details major infrastructure projects like the North-South Highway and Caucasus transmission network, explains the ongoing visa liberalization d...

A US-brokered peace declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan — brokered by Donald Trump — could mark a turning point in the region. It grants Armenia full sovereignty over a new transit route, elevates its status as a US strategic partner, and addresses issues like hostages, Artsakh refugees, and Azerbaijani forces on Armenian soil. But with Baku already pushing new demands, doubts remain over t...

In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian previews the trilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, explaining why they’ll likely “initial” a peace deal without signing it. Havipian also discusses how a U.S. controlled Syunik corridor hands Aliyev access with zero concessions, and why dropping genocide...

How can a small country like Armenia compete in the global AI race? Suzanna Shamakhyan, Executive Director of the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), says the answer is through ensuring the quality, not quantity, of the country’s future experts. FAST has a multi-layered approach to AI education, including its Generation AI school program, which trains future engineers and resear...

In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian unpacks Armenia’s half-billion-dollar Firebird-NVIDIA AI cloud partnership, which plans to create the only data center of its kind. He then tackles Baku’s phony trials of Armenian hostages and Yerevan’s lack of response.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #insightswitherichacopian

Yerevan faces a major environmental and public health challenge as most garbage containers across the city remain uncovered. During the summer, this issue becomes especially serious, leaving residents to cope with foul smells, pests, and other health risks.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

The newly formed Armenian Documentary Association (ArmDoc) is making its official debut with a week-long international workshop in collaboration with DOCA Documentary Association Georgia, a non-profit organization founded in 2022, dedicated to supporting and promoting the documentary film industry in Georgia. At Yerevan’s Cinema House, CivilNet learns about the mission of ArmDoc from the founders...

Arbitrators ordered Armenia to halt its seizure of the country’s power grid, arguing the nationalization of Electric Networks of Armenia would violate an international investment treaty. Armenia’s justice minister suggested the country may defy the decision. Global ratings agency Fitch affirmed Armenia’s “BB-” sovereign credit rating with a stable outlook. #civilnetbusiness

In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian unpacks the results from the most recent polling by the International Republican Institute. The results of the survey show that 61% of respondents trust no politician and they also highlight shrinking support for Pashinyan after his clash with the church. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #insightswitherichacopian

In this episode of the CivilNet podcast, analyst Tigran Grigoryan shares insights from his recent trip to Washington, D.C., where he met with U.S. policymakers and experts on South Caucasus affairs. He discusses the Trump administration’s proposed settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including a controversial corridor plan through Syunik. Grigoryan also examines U.S. priorities in the region...

Hrair Balian, former director of the Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution Program, analyzes Armenia’s critical juncture as it pursues normalization with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Drawing on decades of experience and his forthcoming book on the failure of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks, Balian offers a sober look at the potential of a normalization treaty with Azerbaijan. He addresses public skeptici...

On July 12, demonstrators gathered in Freedom Square in Yerevan to protest the Armenian government’s declining support for displaced Artsakh Armenians. The rally drew roughly hundreds of people and included  both Armenians from Artsakh and others showing solidarity.

Rex Kalamian, assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and head coach of Armenia’s national basketball team, shares how he’s using his NBA experience to build Armenia’s basketball program from the ground up. Kalamian offers insights into his recruiting process and what he’s learned working with some of the biggest names in the game. He also reflects on what representing Armenia means to him as the g...

Dr. Karena Avedissian, political scientist and researcher, shares insights from her recent visit to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, also known as Rojava, where she met with Islamized Armenians, descendants of Genocide survivors who were forcibly assimilated during and after 1915. She explains how this hidden diaspora is now reemerging and reclaiming its Armenian identity thr...

In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian covers the geopolitical shock of Israel’s attack on Iran, and what the unfolding war means for Armenia. Hacopian outlines the key developments, including the purported use of Azerbaijani territory for Israeli drone strikes, the likely goals behind the attacks, and the potential for a wider regional conflict. He also examines how Iran’s instability co...

"We have complicated this simple life." The flow of Iranian citizens to Armenia continues. Uncertainty, loved ones left on the other side of the border, and an emptying Tehran: this is how Iranians who have crossed the Agarak checkpoint describe the situation. Some, despite obstacles, are going in the other direction- returning to Iran to be with their relatives.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

In this episode of the CivilNet podcast, Sergei Melkonian, a Middle East specialist and a research fellow at the Yerevan-based think tank APRI Armenia, sheds light on the fast-moving conflict between Iran and Israel and what it means for Armenia. Recorded on day five of the crisis, the conversation explores what Melkonian warns could be a worst-case scenario, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin N...

📍 The government of Armenia is partnering with the artificial intelligence startup Firebird and chipmaker NVIDIA to launch a $500 million AI data center and supercomputer.📍 A look inside Armenia’s Russian “gold rush”: https://www.civilnet.am/en/news/956651/Credits: Ruptly#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

Yerevan hosted the world-renowned Russian ballet companies for its third annual international ballet festival. The highly anticipated week-long event drew over 100,000 people to watch a myriad of pieces, even including a special tribute to Armenia’s cultural heritage with a performance of Aram Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

Eleanor Monbiot, OBE, Regional Director for the Middle East and Eastern Europe at World Vision, discusses the humanitarian organization’s evolving role in Armenia as it transitions to a locally led, self-funded model. She highlights World Vision’s decades of work with vulnerable children and families in fragile contexts, including recent support for over 16,000 displaced people from Nagorno-Karaba...

Civilnet sits down with Aren Deyirmenjian, the Armenia Representative of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA), to discuss their groundbreaking educational initiative. From a unique tuition-free private school in Yerevan to an ambitious community-centric cluster model school launching in the border region of Vardenis, AMAA is creating empowering spaces for vulnerable children and t...

Tim Jemal, president of the non-partisan advocacy organization Global ARM, shares how his organization is reshaping U.S. policy toward Armenia through strategic lobbying and bipartisan outreach. He discusses reversing the anti-Armenian narratives promoted by Azerbaijan's big dollar lobbyists and engaging with the Trump administration on strengthening US-Armenia ties, which in turn will enhance...

📍 The Zangezur mine, one of Armenia’s largest and most profitable companies, is seeking $12 million in damages from former employees who led a strike earlier this year in protest of what they called low wages and harmful working conditions.📍 Only 6% of the estimated 900,000 Armenians who are expected to submit mandatory income declarations have done so thus far, the latest sign that public oppos...