CIVILNET

📍 Armenia has held high-level talks with Iran while monitoring regional security and travel disruptions sparked by U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country. 📍 Armenian cargo trucks continue to be held up at the Armenia–Georgia border due to stricter procedures applied by Tbilisi. 📍 This Week in Business- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yykqWgMDZBYCredits: Ruptly#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

📍 Armenia’s economy expanded by 7.2% in 2025, according to the latest official figures.📍 Armenia may have to pay up to $275 million if it decides to end a railway deal with Russia before previously agreed, according to RFE/RL’s Armenian service.📍 S&P upgraded its outlook for Armenia to “positive,” citing U.S.-backed peace efforts. Credits: Ruptly#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faces mounting pressure over foreign interference concerns ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections, as Russia, the EU, the United States and the Baku regime all maneuver for influence. At the same time, escalating tensions between the United States and Iran could lead to a regional war. On Insights, Eric Hacopian examines the electoral stakes at home, the geopolit...

📍Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan promotes irreversible regional peace and economic integration, while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will skip the European summit in Yerevan this May. 📍Facing public backlash ahead of parliamentary elections, the Armenian government reversed the water utility company’s plan to impose nightly water shutoffs throughout the country this summer. 📍Inside...

Democracy Watch – On February 12, at the congress of the newly established Strong Armenia party, it was  announced  that the political force’s candidate for prime minister would be Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan. The main issue with this decision is that, under the Constitution of Armenia, only individuals who have been solely citizens of the Republic of Armenia during the previous...

📍 The family of Ruben Vardanyan has announced that he will not appeal the 20-year prison sentence handed down by a military court in Baku last week.📍 The nomination of Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan for prime minister contradicts democratic principles, as it would require unwarranted constitutional amendments, according to political analyst Tigran Grigoryan.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #d...

📍 Armenian prosecutors are seeking to transfer the Yerevan building that serves as the permanent representation of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Republic back to the state. 📍 Major Jewish organizations have not publicly responded after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev claimed that former Nagorno-Karabakh officials recently sentenced in Baku committed crimes worse than those of the Nazis, remarks...

📍 Armenia’s first regulations on cryptocurrencies came into effect. Read more: https://www.civilnet.am/en/news/1003468/📍 Turnover in Armenia’s IT industry surpassed $2.7 billion 2025, according to High-Tech Industry Minister Mkhitar Hayrapetyan📍 Inside Armenia’s growing investment wave, with Hovsep Patvakanyan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jicMho1UBg8#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has intensified his battle with the Armenian Church, charging archbishops and even Catholicos Karekin II with obstruction of justice. But in pushing this fight aggressively, is he endangering his own political standing? Eric Hacopian examines the national and electoral stakes, and why Pashinyan’s focus on the Church could backfire as Armenia heads toward June’s parli...

📍 Russia rejected Prime Minister Pashinyan’s proposal to transfer Armenia’s railway concession to a third country. Yerevan argues that Moscow’s control and years of underinvestment are discouraging transit partners.📍 A new U.S.-Armenia agreement seeks to replace Metsamor nuclear plant with small modular reactors, though experts note the transition will take 10-15 years. 📍 Rural Armenia and the...

On February 14, a criminal case was initiated against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. The case centers on allegations of obstructing the enforcement of a court decision to temporarily reinstate Arman (Gevorg) Saroyan as Primate of the Massyatsotn (Masis) Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. On January 10, Catholicos Karekin II  removed  Bishop Gevorg Saroyan from his position as dioce...

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s historic visit to Armenia brought major investment announcements and fresh momentum to U.S.-Armenia economic ties. In this interview, Dr. Hovsep Patvakanyan, Head of the Investment Council of Armenia, discusses the implications for Armenia’s tech sector. He also explains the significance of the Trump Route initiative (TRIPP) and what a potential opening of the Turk...

📍 The European Union has appointed Finnish police officer Satu Koivu as the new head of its monitoring mission in Armenia.📍 Armenia continues to tighten regulations on cryptocurrency businesses, requiring them to obtain a license from the Central Bank and banning exchanges between crypto and cash.📍 This Week in Business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4SgdqI2YUc Credits: Ruptly#CivilNet #Սիվի...

Armenia and the United States agreed to expand ties in technology and trade, as J.D. Vance paid a historic visit to Armenia, the first by a sitting U.S. vice president.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

What did U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s historic trip bring to Armenia and what comes next? That's what host Eric Hacopian covers this week on Insights. He reveals the most likely outcomes of the trip, and asks whether Armenia’s government will take the right lessons heading into the June parliamentary elections. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #insightswitherichacopian

📍 Armenia and Iran intend to sign a strategic partnership agreement later this year. 📍 Jailed billionaire Samvel Karapetyan will be the Strong Armenia party’s candidate for prime minister. However Karapetyan, as a dual Russian and Armenian citizen, is currently barred by the constitution from holding office. 📍 Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant’s life might be extended through 2046, as Armenia active...

#DemocracyWatch – In a previous  Democracy Watch report , we examined how protests by Iranian residents in Yerevan—and the Iranian ambassador’s criticism that Armenia was allowing “anti-Iranian forces” to mobilize—were followed by a ban on a planned march and the summoning of several protesters by Armenian law enforcement. At the time, we warned that perceived external pressure influencing domesti...

📍 Ruben Vardanyan, the last of the known Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan yet to be sentenced, has delivered the closing statement of his trial in a Baku court.📍 Armenia’s parliament today adopted a law eliminating criminal liability for men who skipped mandatory military service, allowing them to either serve instead of facing jail time, pay a fee of up to $40,000 to avoid conscription altogeth...

During a historic visit to Armenia, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance held talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and announced major agreements on nuclear energy, advanced technology, and defense cooperation.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

US Vice President J.D. Vance has visited Armenia, holding talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and announcing major agreements on nuclear energy, advanced technology, and defense cooperation.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

📍 U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan today. 📍 An investigation by the Armenian outlet Infocom found that dozens of business figures whose companies received customs duty exemptions from the government later made donations to the ruling Civil Contract party. 📍 Business Weekly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGEBo_zhR7k #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

# DemocracyWatch  – A couple of months ago, I was invited to a working lunch with a foreign delegation, together with several other colleagues representing Armenia’s civil society and think tank community. As the discussion turned to Armenia’s domestic dynamics, I pointed out the anti-constitutional and anti-democratic nature of some of the domestic processes initiated by Armenia’s ruling party–na...

📍 Trump administration official Dr. Mehmet Oz faces backlash for allegedly targeting Armenian-American businesses in a social media video about medical fraud. 📍 Former President Robert Kocharyan criticizes the U.S.-backed TRIPP project, warning that Armenia faces new risks amid great power rivalries. 📍 The European Union has approved $24 million in non-lethal military assistance to Armenia afte...

Yerevan State University has launched Armenia’s first AI supercomputing center, as the government moves forward with a $500 million AI data center project powered by NVIDIA chips. CivilNet examines how these initiatives could strengthen Armenia’s national AI capacity, and what is still needed to turn major investments into a competitive role in the global AI ecosystem.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

📍 Armenia agreed to extend a deal that grants control of Zvartnots International Airport to Eduardo Eurnekian’s Corporacion America Airports to 2067, in exchange for a $425 million investment package.📍 Armenia welcomed 2.26 million tourists in 2025, according to official figures, marking a 2.5% year-over-year increase.📍 The ratings agency Fitch upgraded Armenia’s outlook to “positive,” while af...