CIVILNET

📍 There is no organized ethnic Armenian crime in Europe, a fact acknowledged by the European Union, Deputy Interior Minister Armen Ghazaryan said. This is expected to ease Armenia’s path toward a visa-free regime under the EU visa liberalization action plan unveiled last month.📍 Armenia has signed a strategic partnership declaration with Luxembourg, following similar agreements with Germany and...

On the occasion of TUMO’s 15th anniversary, CivilNet’s Eric Hacopian speaks with Pegor Papazian, Chief Development Officer at TUMO, about the evolution and global reach of Armenia’s flagship education initiative. They cover TUMO’s expansion to more than a dozen countries, its role in shaping “Brand Armenia,” and its focus on intrinsic motivation and soft skills. Papazian also reflects on how AI is...

Claire Mouradian, director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, examines some of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s most controversial statements about Armenia’s history and regional conflicts. She provides historical context on Karabakh, the formation of Azerbaijani identity, and the use of the Armenian Genocide in politics. Mouradian’s insights help separate...

Armenia’s domestic political life continues to be dominated by the ruling party’s confrontation with the Church leadership. In its attempt to dethrone Catholicos Garegin II, Prime Minister Pashinyan has adopted a two-fold approach in recent months. On the one hand, he has sought to create cleavages within the Church by finding loyalists willing either to speak out publicly against the Catholicos o...

📍 Armenia’s standoff between government and church deepened as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan unveiled a controversial roadmap to restructure the Apostolic Church. Leading Armenian clerics abroad have expressed solidarity with Catholicos Karekin II, the prime minister’s main target. 📍 Georgia has agreed to provide the first transit of Azerbaijani fuel to Armenia free of charge. 📍 Inside Armenia...

During the fall months in Armenia, it is common for people to collect and burn fallen leaves and plant residue. This is done to clean roads, walkways and other areas near homes. The Ministry of Environment and specialists warn that leaf burning is not only harmful for nature but also dangerous to human health. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

📍 The International Monetary Fund approved a new $175 million credit line for Armenia.📍 The industrial city of Hrazdan was named as the home for Armenia’s first data center.📍 Inside Armenia’s breakthrough moment in global tech: https://shorturl.at/gY2yb#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

📍 Armenia’s Prime Minister Pashinyan refuses to attend liturgies that mention Catholicos Karekin II and implies he is a foreign operative. 📍 Armenia’s Justice Minister calls for fewer pre-trial detentions, but critics warn structural judicial practices continue to fuel public distrust. 📍 Armenia’s parliament has advanced a plan for mandatory universal health insurance, despite expert warnings t...

This week’s episode of Insights tracks two stories with major implications: Armenia’s global tech developments and civil society engagement with Azerbaijan. Host Eric Hacopian explains why the Firebird supercomputer project’s approval, a new partnership with Dell, and recent high-level Silicon Valley meetings could mark a turning point for Armenia’s economic and security capacity. He also comments...

📍 Turkey is considering reopening its land border with Armenia within the next six months, Bloomberg reported, citing Armenian-American analyst Richard Giragosian.📍 Billionaire and former lawmaker Gagik Tsarukyan has been charged with violating a court order, allegedly selling off frozen assets.📍 The making of Azerbaijan’s political dynasty: https://youtu.be/OcWbu0HgJJ8?si=vl7BpLbOLIJHx2WL #Civ...

CivilNet traces the rise and consolidation of Azerbaijan’s ruling dynasty, from Heydar Aliyev’s Soviet-era leadership to Ilham Aliyev’s rule today. Through archival footage, expert commentary, and eyewitness accounts, the film explores how power was passed from father to son, how oil wealth and nationalism sustained the regime, and how dissent was gradually silenced. Two decades after Ilham’s firs...

📍 Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul signaled support for Christian unity while subtly reinforcing efforts toward Turkey–Armenia reconciliation.📍 Numerous regional leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church, including bishops and archbishops, issued a joint statement calling for the resignation of Catholicos Karekin II.📍 A group of activists held a rally in central Yere...

On November 22, Yerevan hosted the first conference of Armenia’s state administration representatives, an event attended by more than 7,000 state and municipal employees. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  delivered  a keynote speech packed with political and ideological messages – many of which are expected to form the backbone of the ruling party’s upcoming electoral campaign. Notably, the event wa...

📍 Armenia’s ambassador to the United States held a series of meetings with senior representatives of major U.S. technology companies, just days after Washington approved the export of advanced chips to Yerevan.📍 Meet the visionaries behind Armenia’s AI supercomputer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j_x4LHLMpA📍 Armenia would prefer to run the country’s main power distributor as a state-owned co...

📍 An unconfirmed document published on the ruling party’s website, attributed to 13 bishops, calls for the removal of Catholicos Karekin II. 📍 Turkey’s National Security Council discussed the Armenia–Azerbaijan normalization process and possibility of bilateral cooperation. 📍 Education Minister Zhanna Andreasyan says the new “Real Armenia Aesthetic Localization and Support” concept aims to stre...

In this episode of the CivilNet podcast, commentator Eric Hacopian surveys the political field ahead of the 2025 Armenian parliamentary elections, which are shaping up to be crowded, uncertain, and highly consequential. He outlines the names currently expected to run and assesses which figures are real contenders versus those who have more visibility than viability. Hacopian also considers the rol...

📍 Catholicos Karekin II convenes an emergency meeting of bishops to address deliberate omissions of his name during Divine Liturgies, warning clergy that continued violations could lead to severe disciplinary action. 📍 Wildfires continue to burn in the Dilijan region despite containment efforts, with hundreds of rescuers, aircraft support, and officials urging caution as hotspots persist near po...

📍 Armenia continues to decline participation in the upcoming CSTO summit, stemming from criticism of the body’s lack of support during Azerbaijan’s 2022 attack on Armenia. 📍 Armenia weighs state or foreign management for its electricity grid after taking control of the Electricity Networks of Armenia amid mounting legal and political tensions. 📍 This Week in Business: https://www.youtube.com/wa...

📍 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announces that a referendum on a new Constitution will be held after the 2026 parliamentary elections. 📍 Armenian civil society delegates visit Baku, raising detainee and media concerns during dialogue with Azerbaijani officials. 📍 Armenia is preparing to gradually release the non-classified sections of its long-awaited parliamentary report on the 2020...

📍 The U.S. government granted the artificial intelligence startup Firebird permission to export advanced chips for a new $500 million data center in Armenia.📍 Meet the visionaries behind Armenia’s AI supercomputer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j_x4LHLMpA📍 Armenia’s state regulator stripped the country’s main power distributor, Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), of its operating license.#Ci...

By Tigran Grigoryan and Tatev Ghazaryan On November 13, at 7 a.m., masked officers of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) raided the homes of opposition bloggers and activists Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelian,  arresting  both men. Later the same day, they were charged with hooliganism and placed in two months’ pre-trial detention. Law enforcement also seized the equipment used for the...

📍 Turkey reaffirmed that normalizing relations with Armenia will only happen after an Armenia–Azerbaijan peace treaty is signed, keeping the process firmly tied to regional geopolitics. 📍 The United States approved Firebird’s export of advanced Nvidia chips to Armenia for a $500-million AI supercomputing center. 📍 The country’s regulators have placed the Electric Networks of Armenia utility und...

In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian breaks down the EU’s new visa liberalization plan for Armenia and what it could mean for the country’s political future. He explains the reforms Brussels is demanding, why this process matters now, and how it fits into Armenia’s broader geopolitical shift. Hacopian also reviews the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent statements on debt, defense s...

📍 Police search homes and charge five members of opposition alliance with vote-buying following Vagharshapat municipal election.📍 Armenian court extends billionaire Samvel Karapetyan’s pre-trial detention by two months amid legal and business disputes. 📍 Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians meet in Istanbul to discuss normalization process and parliamentary cooperation.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ...

Vagharshapat, Armenia’s fourth largest city, held municipal elections on November 16th. The ruling party Civil Contract kept its position in the district with 48% of the votes followed by Victory Alliance with 32%. Ahead of the election day, electoral observers reported violations of financial transparency rules. The Armenia Project intern Martina Sanna joined the Civilnet team to report on the da...