CIVILNET

Partner contentWith Armenia set to launch its first AI-native public school this fall, Founder & CEO of the Armenia Education Initiative Larisa Hovannisian discusses the thinking behind Seroond’s new education model for the AI era. She explains the need to move beyond traditional systems, the ways in which AI can support rather than replace experiential learning, and why Armenia is well positi...

📍 Armenia’s parliament is set to consider a new bill to regulate investments.📍 Russia reopened a criminal probe connected to one of Armenia’s main mineral water producers.📍 More than half of Armenia’s population has been covered in the first 100 days of a mandatory health care insurance rollout, the country’s health minister said. Read more: https://civilnet.am/en/news/1011291#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆե...

A troubling pattern has emerged as the political language and agendas of Ilham Aliyev’s regime and Nikol Pashinyan’s government increasingly converge across key issues. From election rhetoric and peace narratives to international legal cases, diaspora relations, and constitutional changes, this episode of Insights breaks down how the messaging is shaping Armenia’s internal and external discourse....

Ahead of two major EU summits to be held in Armenia, France’s European Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad outlines plans for a new strategic partnership between Yerevan and Paris. He highlights strong European solidarity with Armenia and stresses that it’s up to Armenians to decide their future trajectory, free from external pressure. À l’approche de deux grands sommets de l’Union européenne qui se...

📍 Armenia and France will sign a strategic partnership agreement during an upcoming visit by President Emmanuel Macron to Yerevan next month, a senior French official told CivilNet.📍 The European Union is preparing to deploy a new permanent civilian mission to Armenia to strengthen the country’s resilience against hybrid threats ahead of a crucial electoral cycle.📍 More than half of Armenia’s r...

📍 Russia may restrict the ability of the Proshyan Brandy Factory, one of Armenia’s biggest producers, to do business in the country. Brandy is one of Armenia’s main exports.📍 Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia is not secretly holding any discussions on transferring the right to operate the country’s railway from Russia to a third country.📍 Armenia welcomed 453,000 tourists in the first...

A meeting in Moscow between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan last week revealed growing pressure on Armenia, as Russian officials issued warnings over Yerevan’s westward trajectory. Meanwhile, the Armenian election campaign continues to take shape, with Armenia’s international trajectory on the ballot. Eric closes with a review of the war on Iran, its sudden ceasefire, a...

📍 A group of six Armenian banks agreed to loan $300 million to a public-private, Armenian-American partnership that plans to develop the country’s first data center.📍 Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries opened a massive new distribution center in Yerevan, saying the 250,000-square-foot facility could help boost local entrepreneurs.📍 Armenia is in preliminary talks with Chinese tech giant Huawe...

📍 Yerevan has criticized Baku for accusing “radical Armenian groups” of committing what it called a “genocide of Azerbaijanis” in 1918, referring to the events known as the March Days during the Russian Civil War.📍 Armenia continues to import fodder wheat grain from Russia despite a reported mass outbreak of animal disease.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

📍 Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee has launched a criminal investigation into alleged vote buying involving a campaign office of the opposition Strong Armenia party.📍 A Yerevan court has banned the screening and distribution of a film about Armenia’s independence movement, siding with a copyright lawsuit filed by the country’s public broadcaster.📍 The American University of Armenia has reope...

📍 Three people were detained and a criminal case was launched after a man attempted to strike Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a Palm Sunday service at a Yerevan church. 📍 Iran’s foreign minister thanked Armenia for its humanitarian support and assistance to Iranian citizens amid the ongoing conflict. 📍 Armenia has reportedly spent around $400,000 promoting its Academic City project despit...

📍 Armenia plans to roll out courses in AI in most of the country’s schools by the end of the year, according to Education Minister Zhanna Andreasyan.📍 Armenia reached a deal with Chinese e-commerce giant Temu to allow Armenian companies to sell their products on the platform, Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said.📍 Lawmakers passed a bill to expand an existing ban on single-use plastic bags.#Civ...

In July 2025, when our think tank the Regional Center for Democracy and Security published a  report  on hate speech targeting refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, we identified several important patterns related to this phenomenon. The first was that the volume of hate speech against refugees increases during periods of domestic political tension. In this regard, one of the main concerns ahead of the...

As war continues in Iran, Armenia faces refugee flows, rising energy risks and inflationary pressures. At the same time, the election campaign is heating up, with defense and security dominating the debate and opposition parties challenging the ruling government’s record. On Insights, Eric Hacopian examines the regional consequences of the Iran conflict, the Armenian leadership’s politics of fear...

📍 Pashinyan said Armenia is updating its National Security Strategy, pursuing constitutional reform, and focusing on providing stability and improved conditions for displaced Nagorno-Karabakh residents. 📍 The Armenian government denied characterizations of a planned May 28 event to showcase military equipment in Yerevan’s Republic Square as a military parade, but instead said that it will be a “...

Sponsored contentVisa’s Diana Kiguradze speaks with CivilNet about the growth of the She's Next, Empowered by Visa initiative in Armenia and the milestone of its first national pitch contest. She explains how the program supports women entrepreneurs beyond financial grants and why partnerships are key to its success. Kiguradze also shares Visa’s broader vision for expanding opportunities for w...

📍 A group of Armenian non-governmental organizations has criticized the nomination of ruling party lawmaker Vladimir Vardanyan as a judge of the Constitutional Court.📍 The European Union’s temporary monitoring mission on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border could be replaced by a permanent mission in Armenia with a broader mandate. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

📍 Armenia may face risks to the stability of its electricity system should U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s power infrastructure continue, a former deputy minister told CivilNet.📍 Catholicos Karekin II of the Armenian Apostolic Church was unable to attend the funeral of Georgia’s Catholicos Ilia II due to a travel ban imposed by Armenian authorities. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

📍 A heated subway confrontation involving Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and a Karabakh refugee sparked backlash, prompting an apology and renewed concerns over rhetoric toward Armenians from Artsakh. 📍 Ararat Mirzoyan outlined Armenia’s expanding diplomacy, highlighting progress with Turkey, new ties with Pakistan, EU support, and ongoing talks with Azerbaijan over a peace deal. 📍 This Week in...

On March 10, Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), submitted her resignation and was dismissed from her position. Media reports about the possible reasons for her resignation appeared immediately and were confirmed two days later by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan himself. During a briefing on March 13, Pashinyan confirmed that Gzoyan had written her resignation a...

📍 Armenia’s Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged at 6.5%, with bank chief Martin Galstyan warning a prolonged conflict in the Middle East could drive up inflation.📍 The Armenia Stock Exchange could launch a platform for trading cryptocurrencies.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

During her visit to Yerevan, Marta Kos, the European Union's Commissioner for Enlargement, answered CivilNet's questions about the body's Hybrid Threat Rapid Response Team that is headed to Yerevan in preparation for June's parliamentary elections. Kos denied claims that it constitutes election interference, but instead that the body uses its experience to defend democracies from d...

📍 Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned that the country could face a new war as early as the autumn if political forces seeking to change the current peace process come to power. 📍 Pashinyan said Armenia’s Declaration of Independence fuels conflict and dependence, defending proposed changes to the constitution. 📍 Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized Pashinyan’s Euro...

With less than three months until Armenia’s pivotal 2026 election, political commentator Eric Hacopian joins the CivilNet podcast to break down the major issues shaping the race and whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan can retain power. The discussion examines national security, Armenia’s shifting position between Russia and the West, economic pressures, and pre-election controversies.0:00 Backg...

📍 The EU will soon deploy a team of advisers to Armenia to help counter foreign interference and strengthen resilience ahead of the upcoming elections.📍 The ongoing war in Iran is harming Armenia’s economy by creating inflation risks, says Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan.📍 Armenia’s economy is outpacing the region: https://youtu.be/wCayDKlXIZ0?si=fqRSFHjD5o_mMfZ3 #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmen...