May 31, 2026
“Pressing” in the program Suren Surenyants, chairman of the “Democratic Alternative” party, number 6 on the pre-election list of the “Prosperous Armenia” party, among other issues, he spoke about 300,000 Azerbaijanis coming to Armenia.
According to him, Aliyev is trying to make the subject of “Western Azerbaijan” part of the international agenda.
“Pashinyan’s educated and constructive friend Aliyev says: peace is not an empty paper that you sign and it is approved. At the helm of power in Baku sits someone who understands international relations very well.
Circles close to the government generate the idea to create a criminal prosecution tool against those oppositionists who will talk about 300,000 Azerbaijanis coming to Armenia. They threaten to initiate a case under Article 297. It is the article of the Criminal Code under which Armen Grigoryan was arrested and later died in court for spreading domestic hatred.
If the Constitution is changed at the request of Azerbaijan, then there will be demands for enclaves, settling Azerbaijanis here, and strengthening their rights with legislative mechanisms – Azerbaijani demands. I recently visited Tigranashen, which Pashinyan will hand over. The school is closed in that village, and the population is leaving. They talk about silver. It does not have the same strategic significance for us as Tigranashen and the 3 villages of Tavush, which, if lost, will put us under siege,” said Suren Surenyants.
Details in the video.
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If Tigranashen is surrendered, Armenia will appear in full Turkish-Azerbaijani conflict
May 31, 2026
“Classes” of the program the guest՝ Turkic scholar, candidate of historical sciences Varuzhan Geghamyan spoke About the strategic importance of Tigranashen, which, Nikol Pashinyan did not deny that he will hand over to Azerbaijan.
“On the morning of June 8, if the de facto regime was re-elected, there will be a demand to present Tigranashen, which the Turks call Kyarki, to Azerbaijan as soon as possible. Tigranashen is of critical importance for the territorial integrity of Armenia. Tigranashen is located on the border of Nakhichevan and Vayots Dzor and Ararat. If Tigranashen is surrendered, a Turkish wedge will be driven into the territory of Armenia. Tigranashen is also located on the border of Central Northern Armenia and Southern Armenia.
If Tigranashen is handed over, it will not be a village, but a large military base. Our geography does not allow us to build a normal road bypassing that section. To go from Masis to Yeghegnadzor, from Yerevan to Goris or from Vanadzor to Kapan, you will have to deal with Azerbaijanis in one way or another. To go from one part of Armenia to another, we will pass through the Azeri corridor. If Kyarky is an enclave, as they say, and Azerbaijan wants to have a presence there, there is no other way than to give a corridor to that land.
It’s not enough, we will give that enclave, one more small corridor to get there. By handing over Tigranashen, Armenia is creating a slow-acting bomb in its territory, which will have access to the entire Ararat Valley. To go from Yerevan to Iran, whether you like it or not, you will pass through the Azerbaijani territory. It turns out that instead of lifting the blockade, we get a full blockade,” said Varuzhan Geghamyan.
Details in the video.
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Putin Urges Armenia to Hold Early Referendum on EU Membership
Astana (TDI): Armenia has come under renewed political pressure from Russia and its allies over its long-term foreign policy direction, with President Vladimir Putin and several Eurasian partners urging Yerevan to quickly decide whether it intends to pursue European Union membership or remain within Russia-led structures.
Speaking at a summit in Astana, Putin said Armenia should hold a referendum on EU membership “as soon as possible,” arguing that it is not possible for the country to simultaneously align with both the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union.
The statement was supported by Russia’s close allies Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, who jointly warned that Armenia’s deepening engagement with the EU could pose “significant risks” to the economies of member states in the Eurasian bloc.
Armenia is formally part of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union but has steadily expanded ties with the European Union in recent years, particularly after tensions increased with Moscow over security guarantees in the South Caucasus.
Under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia has adopted a foreign policy of diversification, seeking to balance relations between Russia and Western institutions while reducing overdependence on any single power.
The shift has been driven in part by frustration in Yerevan over what it views as limited Russian support during its conflicts with neighboring Azerbaijan, prompting a gradual rethinking of its traditional security alignment.
Moscow, however, continues to view Armenia as a key partner in its regional economic and security architecture, warning that a move toward EU integration could force structural and political contradictions within existing agreements.
Despite the growing diplomatic pressure, Armenian officials have not yet issued a formal response to the latest remarks, while maintaining that their foreign policy decisions will be based on national interest and long-term stability.
The debate reflects broader geopolitical competition in the post-Soviet space, where several countries are increasingly navigating between Western integration and continued participation in Russia-led economic and security frameworks.
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Rubio Armenia Visit Highlights Western Turn—One Step Remains | Opinion
Armenia’s parliamentary election on June 7 will be seen as a referendum on the country’s extraordinary geopolitical gamble. Armenia’s emerging Western orientation should not be viewed as a political property of any single leader but as a shift away from strategic overdependence on Moscow toward broader partnership with Europe and the United States, reflecting a collective national reassessment.
The strategy has already produced visible results. The May 4 European Union summit in Armenia reflected the country’s growing importance to Europe and Washington as a potential democratic and logistical bridge in the South Caucasus. This week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Yerevan to sign a strategic partnership agreement with Armenia, alongside additional accords on critical minerals and cooperation surrounding a proposed transit corridor through southern Armenia linking Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan and onward to Turkey.
The agreements underscored how central the South Caucasus has suddenly become to Western strategic thinking as Europe and the United States seek new trade, energy, and logistical routes that bypass both Russia and Iran.
So Armenia has diversified its partnerships, deepened ties with Europe, hosted Western leaders, and reduced its reliance on Russia. A country long viewed as isolated and vulnerable has started to look outward with a degree of confidence unseen in a generation.
Yet, this transformation rests on an enormous and painful sacrifice.
The price of Armenia’s geopolitical repositioning was effectively the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, known to Armenians as Artsakh, the mountainous enclave that for decades functioned as a de facto Armenian state after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Following Azerbaijan’s military assault in September 2023, the enclave, which also endured a nine-month blockade, collapsed entirely. More than 120,000 ethnic Armenians fled almost overnight into Armenia itself, fearing persecution, imprisonment, or worse under Azerbaijani rule. One of the oldest Armenian communities in the world vanished from the territory in a matter of days.
For many Armenians, the trauma remains raw and unresolved because the world moved on with startling speed. International outrage faded quickly, with attention shifting to the Middle East after the October 7 assault by Hamas on Israel, and the devastating wars that followed.
In the South Caucasus itself, diplomatic energy and attention shifted toward infrastructure deals and regional normalization. The refugees settled in Armenia, carrying stories of abandoned homes, left behind cemeteries, emptied churches, and a collective identity uprooted from its historic center. They received sympathy but little justice, no meaningful compensation, and no credible path toward return.
At the center of this unresolved tragedy sits another issue that increasingly threatens to poison Armenia’s rapprochement with Azerbaijan and its wider Western integration: the continued imprisonment in Azerbaijan of several dozen former Artsakh officials and public figures, including Ruben Vardanyan, the former state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, who was convicted earlier this year and sentenced to 20 years in Azerbaijani prison.
Their detention has become one of the defining moral questions of the postwar order in the Caucasus. Azerbaijan presents them as criminals. Armenians view them as political prisoners abandoned in the rush toward normalization. Their fate has acquired enormous symbolic power because many Armenians increasingly feel that reconciliation has become a one-sided process in which Armenia makes concessions while Azerbaijan consolidates military victory and diplomatic leverage without restraint.
That perception carries serious political consequences for the normalization process. If regional integration and promising transport corridors are associated with the forsaking of prisoners and the definitive erasure of Artsakh’s Armenians—these projects will remain vulnerable no matter who wins the next elections.
Yet even Armenians open to compromise and coexistence struggle to understand why the issue of the prisoners receives so little sustained international attention at precisely the moment when Azerbaijan seeks broader legitimacy, deeper commercial partnerships, and expanded transit arrangements with the West.
The current diplomatic environment gives Europe and the United States more leverage than they appear willing to use, and that leverage is no longer theoretical. Rubio’s visit to Yerevan this week–three months after a historic visit by Vice President JD Vance–and the signing of a new U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership agreement reflect a profound geopolitical shift already underway across the South Caucasus.
Azerbaijan wants stability, investment, and recognition as a central transit and energy hub connecting Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkey, and Europe. It wants infrastructure agreements to proceed smoothly. It wants long-term economic integration with Western markets and institutions. Armenia wants security, integration, and durable Western backing as it attempts its historic pivot away from Moscow despite growing Russian economic pressure and threats.
The region now stands closer than at any time in decades to a genuine reordering based on connectivity rather than armed confrontation. That makes this precisely the moment for Rubio, Washington, and Europe to insist on resolving the prisoner issue as part of the broader settlement rather than treating it as an inconvenient humanitarian side matter.
That makes this the moment to insist on resolving the prisoner issue as part of the broader settlement rather than treating it as an inconvenient side matter.
Western governments have repeatedly praised Armenia’s democratic development and its willingness to move toward compromise after military defeat. They have encouraged reconciliation and rewarded Yerevan diplomatically for pursuing a less confrontational path. Those same governments should now make clear that regional integration carries obligations for all parties, including Azerbaijan. The release of political detainees from Artsakh should become a central demand in negotiations surrounding transport corridors, economic partnerships, and normalization initiatives.
Such a step would strengthen moderates inside Armenia rather than weaken them. It would also show Armenians that Washington’s growing partnership with Yerevan is not purely transactional, but still tied to principles of political accountability and human dignity.
It would give Armenians evidence that diplomacy can still protect human dignity and national interests even after catastrophic loss. It would reduce the growing perception that Armenia alone absorbs sacrifice while the international system rewards power without accountability.
The alternative carries profound risks. Settlements engineered on the calculus of corridors and expediency have rarely outlasted the grievances they chose not to address. In societies marked by displacement and bitter loss, what is deferred is not resolved—it is harbored.
Peace agreements imposed without moral legitimacy rarely endure in places shaped by memory, displacement, and unresolved grief.
The South Caucasus stands at a rare historical opening, but true peace requires more than corridors, summits, and investment conferences. It requires a sense that justice still matters in the architecture of the new order taking shape across the region. Right now, the prisoners of Artsakh represent the clearest test of whether that principle survives.
Grigor Hovhannissian is Armenia’s former ambassador to the United States and Mexico and Armenia’s former deputy foreign minister.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
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Poll points to landslide win for Armenia’s Pashinyan as Russia steps up pressu
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party is on course for a commanding victory in next week’s parliamentary election, according to a new opinion poll, even as Russia escalates diplomatic and economic pressure over Yerevan’s increasingly pro-Western foreign policy.
A survey conducted by Breavis between May 5 and May 11 among 1,551 respondents found Civil Contract would secure nearly 65% of decided voters ahead of the June 7 election, far ahead of a fragmented opposition in which no party exceeded 12%, reported Euronews.
If confirmed at the ballot box, the result would hand Pashinyan a powerful mandate to continue Armenia’s strategic shift away from its traditional ally Russia and deepen ties with the European Union and United States.
The poll comes at a time of mounting tensions between Moscow and Yerevan. On May 30, Russia announced it had recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations, citing concerns over Armenia’s growing engagement with the European Union.
“The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia, S.P. Kopyrkin, has been summoned to Moscow for consultations in connection with the steps taken by the Armenian leadership to move closer to the European Union, which are detrimental to cooperation within the EAEU,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.
The diplomatic move followed a warning from leaders of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), who said Armenia’s pursuit of closer EU integration posed “significant risks to the economic security of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union.”
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply since Pashinyan came to power in 2018. Yerevan has accused Moscow of failing to provide adequate support during successive confrontations with Azerbaijan, particularly after Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh that triggered the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians from the region.
Armenia subsequently froze its participation in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and has sought closer cooperation with Western partners.
The geopolitical stakes surrounding the election have intensified following a Reuters report that Western intelligence and government officials believe Russia has expanded efforts to undermine Pashinyan’s government before the vote.
According to Reuters, Russian officials discussed transporting large numbers of Russia-based Armenians to Armenia in an effort to influence the election outcome. Five Western intelligence sources cited by the news agency said Moscow examined ways to physically bring voters to Armenia, where citizens living abroad are not permitted to vote remotely.
“Russian authorities calculated a cost of about $50mn to transport 100,000 voters,” Reuters reported, citing three sources familiar with the discussions.
Russia’s foreign ministry dismissed the report, accusing Reuters of publishing false information and promoting “anti-Russian rhetoric”.
The election campaign has also drawn unusual international attention. On May 27, US President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Pashinyan, describing him as “a great friend and leader”.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Pashinyan “completely shares my vision of PEACE and PROSPERITY for Armenia and the entire South Caucasus region” and had his “COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for Re-Election on June 7, 2026.”
Washington has deepened engagement with Armenia through new economic and security initiatives linked to a US-brokered peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Despite political tensions, Russia remains Armenia’s largest trading partner and dominant energy supplier. In recent weeks Moscow has imposed restrictions on several Armenian imports and warned that closer integration with Europe could carry economic consequences.
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We’ll have to eat by ourselves: Armenian strawberries in a difficult situation
Armenia risks completely losing income from strawberry exports. According to RIA Novosti, citing data from the UN Comtrade platform, in 2025, the supply of this berry to Russia brought $13.25 million to the republic.
This is a colossal share of 97% of all Armenian strawberry exports, which together reached $ 13.65 million. In fact, the industry focused exclusively on the Russian market. Now, because of the ban, there is nowhere to sell products, and farmers will probably have to rely only on domestic consumption.
Even at the beginning of the year, the Rosselkhoznadzor has repeatedly stated that Armenian fruit and vegetable products do not comply with the phytosanitary standards of Russia and the EAEU. Now the results are restrictions on imports.
EADaily also informed earlier that the Rosselkhoznadzor restricts the import of vegetables and fruits from Armenia.
Read more: https://eadaily.com/en/news/2026/05/31/well-have-to-eat-by-ourselves-armenian-strawberries-in-a-difficult-situation
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Welcome to Armenia – The walk
120 mile upgrade from the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT)
Having never been to Armenia, Jetpack and I wanted to spend a few days exploring the capital city before hitting the road. After our 3 days, I must say that I was pleasantly impressed by the city. We had a lovely hotel with great breakfasts included for little money. The city is very walkable and has many excellent museums and art facilities. Many indoor and outdoor markets with shopping of all kinds. The food we had was excellent and affordable. We did a wine tasting, since this region is the birthplace of wine (Armenia has been making it since 4100 BC). The people were friendly and talkative.
While I was in town, I got my hair cut and we did a last minute resupply. Yes, mainly buying junk food and local snacks for our long bus ride south. They have great dried fruit and nut selections, plus all the fruit leather flavors. Ice cream bars are cheap and plentiful, so I make it a point to try them all!
To get to the southern terminal we scheduled a seat on the daily 7:30 minibus to Meghri. Almost all public transportation here is done by Sprinter vans. We arrived at 7:10 and started wandering around. A guy quickly came over to “help” us, but then tried to sell us a private van ride there for much more. No, thanks. Others pointed us in the right direction. We found our bus even though the number on the front was wrong. No one spoke English but they nodded to «Meghri», so what could go wrong? The Sprinter had capacity for 21 people, but there was no space for luggage. We later learned that when everyone sat down, the island was filled with stacked luggage. We stopped twice on the 8 hour trip and realized that the two of us were the only non-smokers. The road crossed the TCT several times so we got to see a little of what awaited us.
Upon reaching Meghri, we walked a kilometer to our guest house. Marietta, our host, was wonderful and offered to cook us a local dinner in her garden for $12 each. It was beyond excellent and much more than we could eat. Breakfast was equally wonderful. We then met the only other guest, a very friendly and chatty Iranian. We chatted for a good while. It was a great reminder that people are just people and we can all get along. As a result of the morning, we started the trail with laziness 9a.
The trail begins at the border between Armenia and Iran. It is arid and mountainous at an elevation of approximately 2,100 feet. We started with a 10 mile climb to 8,000 feet. Soon we were in beautiful forests and green meadows. We were looking at bear scat and it felt totally different at first. The trail was marked but began to become more overgrown. Despite almost stepping on a snake, we reached the highest point without much drama. From there the drama began. First, I realized that I had left my extra pair of socks drying on the guesthouse clothesline. After a little more time, the trail just stopped and we were walking to follow the GPS line. It took us hours to complete the next 4 miles. To be fair, the TCT just officially opened the Armenia section in 2022 and we were warned that some sections are not well maintained. So we were warned, but we didn’t realize the extent of it. Sometimes this was grass over our heads. Steep slopes and a poisonous plant called giant hogweed should be avoided. Then a storm came… We camped in the shortest grass we could find and hunkered down in a bit of shock. These were no longer perfectly maintained American or European trails.
That night our tent was blown down 3 times due to strong winds. We finally braved the storms and looked for rocks to complement our tent stakes. There seemed to be rocks everywhere except the open meadow where we were camped. We found some rocks and that solved the problem and we tried to sleep. Then Jetpack blew a small hole in his neoair mattress and had to re-inflate it every few hours… Let’s just say it was a rough first 24 hours on the road.
We woke up to a beautiful day. The second day was much better. All day the route was clear even when it was overgrown. The giant hogweed was more prominent and we had to avoid it and walk through it more often than I would like (we are walking in pants for this reason). We were very happy to take a gravel road for the long 3,500 foot climb up Mount Khustup (10,531). It was getting late and it looked like there was going to be a storm, so we skipped the last 500 feet to the top. The trail down was perfect and we saw a herd of bezoar goats.
That night we camped in the trailhead parking lot and a group of guys who were enjoying the trail gave us some magic. They recognized excellent English and said that we had already seen more Armenian nature than most Armenians do in their entire lives. They fixed our air mattress and, despite a small storm, we slept well. Despite camping right above the city, it was 30km of trail to get there. That stretch of trail was excellent. Well maintained and very well flamed. We both needed it. The big downside of day 3 was the accumulation of ticks. Each grassy section left us pulling 5 to 10 ticks out of our pants. Instead of camping, we decided to drive the 7km to the good-sized town of Kapan and get a hotel. Two brothers, Arthur and Roman, took us. Roman turns around after a minute of driving and says, «Do you like to go fast?» And without response he accelerates the engine. The next thing we know, we are going 120 km/h in a zone of 40 cars passing despite the incoming traffic. We arrived at the town shaken but fine. We found a decent hotel room and worked to dry things off. Somehow, in just 3 days our store was already stinking. I won’t tell you how bad my only pair of socks smelled. I went on a sock hunting mission and discovered my options were cotton or cotton… We got resupplies on food we didn’t need but wanted and had a wonderful dinner.
The next 3 days on the trail have improved significantly with great blazes and a much higher percentage of obvious trails. We have been seeing monasteries and old fortresses. Eat good food and generally not see anyone on the trails. On day 5 we saw our first hikers with 2 Armenian hikers, then 2 nice hikers from the Swiss section. There are still quite a few overgrown trail sections with lots of ticks, but I think that’s to be expected in these remote areas. This trail needs a lot more regular hiking traffic to complete. Everyone we meet is friendly and tries to talk to us despite the language barrier. Yesterday, a man chased us just to ask our names, where we were from and just to say hello. He seemed so excited to have people from America visit his small town. That type of interaction has been a common experience. Many are now familiar with the trail and seem surprised that people are coming to hike it all over the country.
Today is day 7 for us and we are going to get zero in a pension in Sisian. It is another 160 kilometers to the next largest city, Yegheghadzor, with a few small towns in between. We hope for good trails and to be able to pick up the pace and arrive in 4 days. But we will still resupply as if it were the fifth day…
We were looking for an adventure and this is definitely an adventure!
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Welcome to Armenia
120mi update from the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT)
Having never been to Armenia, Jetpack and I wanted to spend a few days exploring the capital city before heading out on the trail. After our 3 days, I’ve got to say that I was pleasantly impressed by the city. We had a lovely hotel with great breakfasts included for cheap. The city is very walkable with many great museums and art installations. Plenty of inside and outdoor markets with shopping of all forms. The food that we had was all excellent and affordable. We did some wine tasting as this region is the birthplace of wine (Armenia has been making it since 4100 BCE). The people were kind and talkative.
While in the city, I got a haircut and we did some last minute resupplying. Yes, mainly buying local junk food and snacks for our long bus ride south. They have excellent selections of dried fruits and nuts plus all flavors of fruit leather. Ice cream bars are cheap and plentiful so I’m setting a goal of sampling all of them!
To get to the southern terminus we scheduled a seat on the 7:30 daily minibus to Meghri. Here almost all public transportation is done via Sprinter vans. We showed up at 7:10 and started wandering around. Quickly a guy came over to “help” but then tried to sell us a private van ride there for a lot more. No thanks. Others pointed us in the right direction. We found our bus despite the number on the front being wrong. Nobody spoke English but they nodded to “Meghri”, so what could go wrong. Somehow they had seats for 21 people in the Sprinter, but no luggage area. We then learned that as everybody got seated, the isle was filled with stacked luggage. We stopped twice on the 8hr drive and we realized that the two of us were the only non smokers. The highway crossed the TCT a few times so we got to see a little of what we were in for.
Upon arriving in Meghri, we walked the kilometer to our guesthouse. Marietta, our host, was wonderful and offered to make us a local dinner from her garden for $12 each. It was beyond excellent and much more than we could eat. Breakfast was similarly wonderful. We then met the only other guest, a very kind and talkative Iranian man. We chatted for quite a while. It was a great reminder that people are just people and we can all get along. As a result of the morning, we got a lazy 9a start to the trail.
The trail starts off on the Armenia/Iran border. It’s arid and mountainous at an elevation of about 2,100ft. We started with a 10mi climb up to 8,000ft. Soon we were in beautiful green forests and grasslands. We were seeing bear scat and it felt totally different than the start. The trail was marked but proceeded to get more overgrown. Despite almost stepping on a viper we made it to the high point without much drama. From there the drama started. First, I realized I left my extra pair of socks drying on the line at the guest house. After a bit longer, the trail just stopped and we were bushwhacking to follow the GPS line. The next 4 miles took us hours to complete. To be fair, the TCT just officially opened the Armenia section in 2022 and they did warn us some sections are not well maintained. So we were warned, but didn’t realize the extent of it. This was grass over our heads at times. Steep slopes and a poisonous plant called giant hogsweed to avoid. Then a thunderstorm rolled in… We set up camp in the shortest grass we could find and hunkered down a bit shell shocked. This wasn’t perfectly maintained US or European trails any longer.
That night our tent blew down 3 times due to the strong winds. Finally we braved the storms and searched for rocks to supplement our tent stakes. Rocks seemed to be everywhere but the open meadow we were camped in. We found some rocks and it solved the problem and tried to sleep. Then Jetpack got a small hole in her neoair mattress and had to blow it back up every few hours… Let’s just say it was a rough first 24hr on the trail.
We woke up to a beautiful day. Day two was much better. The whole day the route was obvious even when overgrown. The giant hogsweed was more prominent and we had to work around it and walk through it more often than I’d like(we are hiking in pants for this reason). We were quite happy to hit a gravel road for the long 3500ft climb to Mt Khustup (10,531). It was getting late and looked like it might storm so we didn’t do the last 500ft to the summit. The trail down was perfect and we saw a herd of the bezoar goats.
That evening we camped at the trailhead parking lot and got some trail magic from a group of guys out joyriding. They spot great English and said we had already seen more Armenian nature than most Armenians did their whole lives. We got the air mattress fixed and despite a small storm slept well. Despite camping right above town, it was 30km of trail to get there. That section of trail was excellent. Well maintained and very well blazed. We both needed it. The big downside of day 3 was hoards of ticks. Each grassy section left us knocking 5-10 ticks off our pants. Instead of camping we decided to hitch the 7km into the good sized town of Kapan and get a hotel. We got a ride with two brothers Arthur & Roman. Roman turns around after a minute of driving and says “You like go fast?” And without an answer guns the engine. Next thing we know we are going 120km/Hr in a 40 zone passing cars despite incoming traffic. We got to town shaken but ok. We found a decent hotel room, and worked to get things dry. Somehow in only 3 days our tent was already stinking. I won’t tell you how bad my lone pair of socks smelled. I went on a sock finding mission and learned my choices were cotton or cotton… We got food resupplies we didn’t need but wanted and ate a wonderful dinner.
The following 3 days on trail have improved significantly with great blazing and a much higher percentage of obvious trails. We have been seeing monasteries and old fortresses. Eating great food and generally seeing nobody on the trails. Day 5 we saw our first hikers with 2 Armenian day hikers, then 2 nice Swiss section hikers. There is still quite a bit of overgrown trail sections with plenty of ticks but I think that is to be expected in these remote areas. This trail needs a lot more regular hiking traffic to pack it down. All the people we meet are kind and try to talk to us despite the language barrier. Yesterday, a man chased us down just to ask our names, where we were from and just to say hi. He seemed so excited people from America would visit his little village. That type of interaction has been a common experience. Many are now familiar with the trail and seem blown away people would come to walk across the country.
Today is day 7 for us and we are taking a zero at a guesthouse in Sisian. It’s another 100mi to the next bigger town of Yegheghadzor with a few small villages in-between. We are hoping for good trails and to be able to pick up our pace and get there in 4 days. But we’ll still resupply as if there will be a 5th day…
We were looking for an adventure and this is definitely an adventure!
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Armenia explains redesign of army emblem
The Armenian Ministry of Defense has explained why it changed the army emblem and its heraldic symbolism.
In a video, the Ministry said that the old version, adopted in 2001, contained a number of “heraldic, morphological, and ideological shortcomings”; therefore, in the context of the army’s transformation, a process of modernizing and refining the emblem has been initiated.
“The main figure of the previous emblem—the eagle—has significant heraldic and aesthetic shortcomings. The eagle is depicted with a closed beak. In heraldry, a closed beak is considered to indicate a calm, non-combat state and is often perceived as a lifeless image, which contradicts the essence of the military. The main body of the eagle—the torso—is missing; it is merged into the overall surface, creating an image composed only of feathers forming an eagle-like figure. The eagle’s claws, which serve as its weapon, are also absent. This creates the impression of a dismembered, powerless, and vulnerable creature, which is unacceptable for a military symbol,” the Ministry of Defense said in a video statement.
It is noted that in the previous emblem, the sword is placed behind the shield, which in heraldry signifies a lack of readiness for defense.
“However, the mission of the Armenian Armed Forces is to remain constantly ready to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. In the previous version of the emblem, there is a major error in the depiction of the state flag: it is not shown as a single whole but is fragmented into separate ribbons or pieces. Such distortion of the flag can symbolically be interpreted as a divided, fragmented, or incomplete statehood,” the Ministry explained.
The Ministry of Defense states that the central figure of the new emblem of the Armenian Armed Forces—the eagle—has been reinterpreted and is depicted in a fully realized and complete form. Its head, body, wings, and claws are clearly visible, addressing the shortcomings of the previous emblem.
“The eagle’s beak is open, which in heraldry symbolizes vitality, readiness, vigilance, and the right of speech and power. As an apex predator, the eagle’s clear and dynamic posture directly symbolizes the Armenian Armed Forces’ alertness and combat spirit. It embodies the army’s mission to defend Armenia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. In the new emblem, the eagle is reinforced by a radiant golden sun behind it, with its rays clearly spreading in a circular pattern. The sun here serves as a symbol of light and vitality, embodying the idea of the Armenian people’s endurance. The chosen golden color is not accidental; it represents eternity, prosperity, and power,” the statement in the video said.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the placement of the sun behind the eagle emphasizes the sacred values that are under the protection of the state and the eagle’s guardianship. On the eagle’s chest, there is a round golden shield decorated with the Armenian eight-pointed sun cross, and at its center is a seed, serving as a core symbol of the Armenian Armed Forces.
“The seed reflects future soldiers who are shaped by the call of duty, grow into trees and fruit, and, through the symbolism of eternal continuity, once again produce new seeds. The shield on the eagle represents protection. The eagle holds historically significant weapons in its two talons: in the left, a golden sword, and in the right, the sacred cross of Ashot II the Iron, Patron of the Armenian Army, serving as the army’s military symbol. The sword in the eagle’s claw symbolizes constant readiness. At the top of the emblem are the Armenian national tricolor flag and a map of Armenia. This element harmoniously connects the emblem to Armenia, emphasizing that the army is one of the guarantors of security,” the Ministry of Defense said.
It is noted that reforms under the transformation concept of the Armenian Armed Forces are ongoing.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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Armenpress: Chinese FM calls for advancement of U.S.-Iran talks
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for the advancement of negotiations between the United States and Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.
China has been making efforts to resolve the current conflict, Wang Yi told reporters after presiding over a high-level open debate of the Security Council on upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centered international system.
China has maintained communication and coordination with the main parties involved, as well as important regional and international partners, the Chinese FM said.
“We believe that the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of all countries in the region must be respected, that civilian and non-military targets must be protected, that the security of passages and energy infrastructure must be safeguarded, and that the provisions of the nuclear non-proliferation regime must be implemented,” he said.
The key issue concerning the Iran situation is the negotiations between Washington and Tehran, he said.
“We support the active mediation by Pakistan and other countries, and also support efforts made by the United States and Iran, respectively,” he said.
A longstanding issue cannot be resolved overnight, the foreign minister said. However, every step forward in the negotiations brings more hope for peace, he said, adding that the earlier the conflict ends, the fewer civilian casualties there will be.
“We hope that the parties concerned can stay committed to pursuing a ceasefire and continue to meet each other halfway, so that peace can return to the Middle East as early as possible,” the Chinese FM added.
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