CIVILNET

With Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election fast approaching, political commentator Eric Hacopian joins the CivilNet podcast to assess a race that looks markedly different from previous campaigns. The contest is being shaped by unprecedented levels of spending from frontrunners, while smaller parties compete for visibility through social media. Against the backdrop of Prime Minister Nikol Pashiny...

📍 According to Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Turkey, Baku is urging the Turkish government to hold off on opening Turkey's border with Armenia. Armenia has previously accused Baku of hindering Yerevan’s normalization with Ankara.📍 Armenia’s foreign minister acknowledged that Yerevan cannot be a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union at the same time, responding...

📍 A video showing armed masked men threatening Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has triggered a criminal investigation and intensified political tensions. 📍 A man from Artashat, who had been in police custody for allegedly taking down an election poster, died by apparent suicide in a psychiatric ward. 📍 Pashinyan has proposed a controversial easing for Armenia’s drivers who lost their li...

📍 YouTube has launched monetization in Armenia, High-Tech Industry Minister Mkhitar Hayrapetyan announced.📍 U.S. infrastructure consulting firm Aecom started site surveys for a major new transit route planned in Armenia, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan announced.📍 Turkey eased decades-old restrictions on trade with Armenia, amid continuing efforts to reopen the two countries’ long-shuttere...

With less than a month until Armenia’s parliamentary election, the campaign has entered a volatile phase marked by escalating political rhetoric. On Insights, host Eric Hacopian identifies potential violations of campaign spending limits by the leading parties, and examines how the current government’s strategy may be to encourage voter disengagement. The episode also highlights Ruben Vardanyan’s...

📍 Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says four school principals in Aragatsotn province offered resignations as authorities investigate allegations that teachers and students were mobilized to attend a ruling party campaign rally. 📍 Former Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign Minister David Babayan, currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan, says appeal documents filed by Armenian detainees have disappeared. 📍 Armeni...

📍 Turkey has lifted restrictions on direct trade with Armenia. Though it continues to keep the shared border closed, it is expected that the import costs of Turkish goods to Armenia will reduce.📍 The International Committee of the Red Cross says it continues visiting Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan from abroad despite the closure of its Baku office, amid concerns over prisoners’ treatment and l...

📍 Russia’s foreign ministry claims that unlike Moscow, the European Union has little to offer Armenia in terms of trade, security, and political representation.📍 Armenia and the United States held another round of consultations on the so-called ‘Trump Route,’ a proposed Washington-mediated transport link through Armenia’s southern 📍 Syunik region that would connect Azerbaijan to its exclave of...

In this CivilNet interview, political scientist Cengiz Aktar joins Eric Hacopian to examine Turkey’s deepening political and economic crisis under President Erdoğan. The discussion explores the country’s autocratic trajectory, declining living standards, strained EU relations, and the future of Kurdish rights. Aktar also addresses Armenia-Turkey normalization and the broader regional implications...

📍 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan rejects Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for Armenia to choose between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union, saying there is no immediate necessity to leave the bloc. 📍 Pashinyan faces backlash after questioning Armenia’s historical ties to Nagorno-Karabakh during a campaign speech in Syunik. 📍 Business Week Armenia: https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Can the proposed Trump Route (TRIPP) through Armenia’s south bring lasting peace and prosperity to the South Caucasus? Anahide Pilibossian, Vice President of the Yerevan-based APRI Institute, discusses the think tank’s new report on the route. She argues that TRIPP is a necessary but insufficient step toward regional stability without broader border openings between Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan...

British Ambassador Alexandra Cole discusses the expanding relationship between the United Kingdom and Armenia following the first-ever visit of a UK prime minister to independent Armenia. She outlines the launch of a new strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as the UK’s growing economic interest in Armenia, expanding people-to-people ties, democratic cooperation, and developing...

📍 Central Bank chief Martin Galstyan secured a second six-year term. The Bank held interest rates steady at 6.5%, citing elevated global energy prices.📍 Major Russian online retailers Wildberries and Ozon have restricted Armenian producers from selling their goods in Russia, citing strengthened Russian customs rules.📍 Lion Finance Group, Ameriabank’s parent company, joined the London Stock Exch...

Armenia hosted the largest gathering of world leaders in its history this week as the European Political Community summit and EU–Armenia summit came to Yerevan. On Insights, host Eric Hacopian explains what Armenia has gained, why the deeper political significance may matter more than the official declarations, and how the summit could shape Armenia’s domestic political landscape ahead of election...

📍 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will not attend Saturday’s Victory Day parade in Moscow, despite having participated last year. 📍 From an Azerbaijani prison, former speaker of Artsakh parliament Davit Ishkhanyan has called on Armenia’s human rights ombudsperson to organize a visit to Armenian prisoners held in Baku and help secure access to their court documents. 📍 Strong Armenia part...

Partner content. As Armenia works to strengthen energy independence and climate resilience, especially in rural areas, new efforts are targeting high energy costs and reliance on fossil fuels. In this episode of CivilNet Business, Olga Weigel of the SE4Resilience project, co-financed by the European Union and Germany’s Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and implemented by GIZed, ex...

James Tufenkian, founder of the Tufenkian Foundation and a pioneer in Armenian hospitality, shares his journey from carpets to boutique hotels and now to winemaking. Filmed in one of his Yerevan hotels, he explains how wine, like carpets and local crafts, is a form of cultural expression — a way to share Armenia’s history, traditions, and excellence with the world. In this conversation with Paul K...

📍 Armenia and Turkey have discussed the possible restoration of the Kars–Gyumri railway as part of broader normalization efforts. 📍 A new analysis from APRI, a Yerevan-based think tank, argues that the TRIPP is a useful but insufficient step for South Caucasus connectivity, and that full regional prosperity depends on opening the Armenia–Azerbaijan and Armenia–Turkey borders. 📍 Business Week Ar...

📍 Moscow has temporarily banned the sale of Armenian Jermuk mineral water, as tensions grow over Yerevan’s deepening ties with the European Union. 📍 Armenia has denied unsourced media reports that it plans to hand over the border village of Jiliza to Georgia as part of ongoing demarcation talks. 📍 Armenia has unveiled a new biometric passport design aligned with EU standards, featuring updated...

📍 Moscow has accused Armenia’s civil society of undermining bilateral relations with Russia.📍 The European Union is not backing Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party in the parliamentary election scheduled for June, EU Ambassador to Armenia Vasilis Maragos told CivilNet. Full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqCzkezi7Gs 📍 CivilNetCheck found that the name of a senior aide to Armenia’s...

David Hovhannisyan, the founder of Voskevaz Winery shares how one of Armenia’s historic wineries blends tradition with modern winemaking. In this conversation with Paul Kalemkiarian, host of the podcast ‘Wine Talks with Paul K’, he discusses reviving karas (clay vessel) production, working with indigenous grape varieties, and staying true to an authentic Armenian wine identity. From Soviet-era roo...

Armenia’s election campaign heats up as arrests linked to Samvel Karapetyan’s campaign raise questions about whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is trying to shape the opposition field by sidelining his strongest rival. This episode of Insights examines what’s behind the crackdown and how it could impact the balance of power in parliament. Lastly, ahead of the 111th anniversary, Eric Hacopian b...

📍 The cost of the government’s planned expansion of the Yerevan metro has climbed to about $287 million, according to the latest projections.📍 Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the addition of another terminal at Armenia’s main airport a high priority.📍 Armenia improved its position in a yearly economic freedom index calculated by the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank...

From the roots of winemaking in the Armenian Highlands to the unique challenges of growing grapes at high altitude,Vahe and Aimee Keushguerian share their journey of preserving tradition while pushing the boundaries of Armenian wine on the international stage. This intimate conversation reveals the passion, heritage, and family bond at the heart of Keush Winery — Armenia’s first traditional method...

Mariam Saghatelyan, co-founder of In Vino, Armenia’s first wine bar, shares how she helped build Armenia’s modern wine culture. In this conversation with Paul Kalemkiarian, she discusses the challenges of curating quality Armenian and international wines, educating staff and customers, and supporting a new generation of winemakers. In Vino has become a hub for wine lovers, fostering both appreciat...