The U.S.-Israeli joint attacks in Iran killed 3,483 people and wounded 40,000 others, SNN reported, citing Iranian Health Ministry representative Hossein Kermanpour.

The most recent death toll released by Iran before this report was 3,375.

The U.S. and Israel launched what they described as a pre-emptive strike against Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran was developing a nuclear weapon and posing a threat—an allegation Iran has denied. In response, Iran launched counterattacks, firing missiles and drones at Israel, as well as at U.S. assets and other targets across the Middle East.

Iran and the United States agreed to a ceasefire on April 8 following 40 days of fighting. Iranian and U.S. delegations later met for talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12 but did not reach an agreement. In recent weeks, the two sides have exchanged several draft proposals through mediator Pakistan as part of efforts to end the conflict.

Originally published by Moldpres

The parliamentary committee on foreign policy and European integration will propose that the Moldovan parliament denounce the Agreement on the Creation of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States, as part of the process of the Republic of Moldova’s withdrawal from several CIS cooperation mechanisms.

The initiative was put forward by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova, which argues that the agreement has not proven effective and has not brought benefits to the Republic of Moldova.

The document, signed in 2006, provided for the creation of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of CIS member states, intended to finance joint projects in areas such as culture, education, science, sports, tourism, mass media, and youth policy. According to the authorities, since the ratification of the agreement, the Republic of Moldova has not made payments and has not carried out financial activities within the fund.

The Ministry of Culture argues that the Republic of Moldova is currently orienting its international cooperation toward partnerships relevant to the process of accession to the European Union, including the “Horizon Europe” and “Creative Europe” programmes. According to the institution, these platforms offer more advantageous cooperation opportunities in the fields of culture, tourism, youth, sports, and science than those carried out within the CIS.

The authorities of Moldova note that the denunciation of the agreement is part of the process of reviewing treaties signed on the CIS platform and of efforts to align national policies with European standards and norms.

Serbia and NATO have launched their first-ever joint military exercise, Al Jazeera reported.

The two-week-long drills, which began on Tuesday and run until May 23, involve about 600 troops from Serbia, Italy, Romania and Türkiye. Military planners and observers from France, Germany, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States are also participating.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit, during which he will take part in the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on May 14-15, TASS reported.

On Wednesday, Lavrov is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the sides plan to discuss preparations for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow and a meeting of the intergovernmental commission.

The ministers are expected to focus primarily on the situation in the Middle East, as well as energy, trade, and technical cooperation.

The Slovak side closed all checkpoints on the border with Ukraine on Wednesday, Interfax reported, citing the Slovak Financial Authority.

“For security reasons, all checkpoints on the border with Ukraine are closed from today at 15:00 (16:00) until further notice,” the message reads.

Shots were fired inside the Philippine Senate during an attempt by security forces to arrest Senator Ronald dela Rosa on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.

The report was published by the Associated Press, which said it was still unclear who opened fire during the incident. There were also no immediate reports of casualties.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa was in the Senate at the time, alongside colleagues who were supporting him. Law enforcement officers attempted to detain the senator with the aim of later transferring him to the International Criminal Court.

Senate President Alan Cayetano briefly appeared before journalists and confirmed that the chamber’s security services had informed him about the shooting. Without providing further details, he quickly left, saying the situation was highly tense.

According to the report, the ICC issued a warrant for the arrest of Ronald dela Rosa on May 12. He is a former national police chief and was the first head of President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, which led to thousands of deaths, mostly of suspected drug dealers.

Under warrants issued as early as November, the senator is accused of crimes against humanity, including the killing of at least 32 people. The alleged incidents took place between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, during his tenure as police chief under Duterte’s administration.

Dutch former Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp considers the strategic partnership declaration signed between Yerevan and Amsterdam highly important for the development and deepening of bilateral relations.

According to him, the Netherlands is working actively to implement the document. He noted that the  both sides should continue advancing the provisions outlined in the declaration.

Speaking to Armenpress about the significance of the strategic partnership declaration signed between Yerevan and Amsterdam in 2025 and the prospects for further deepening bilateral ties, Veldkamp stressed the importance of continued cooperation.

The declaration on strategic partnership between Armenia and the Netherlands was signed on March 12, 2025, by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and former Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp.

“We signed the strategic partnership declaration between the Netherlands and Armenia about a year ago. We in the Netherlands are working hard to implement and expand it, and it is encouraging to see that the new Dutch government, in its coalition agreement, specifically mentions Armenia for its democratic development.

We see that since 2018 Armenia has been moving in the direction of democracy, and this is very important. It is important not only for relations between Armenia and the Netherlands, but also for relations between Armenia and the European Union,” Veldkamp noted.

According to him, promoting democracy, the rule of law and good governance is particularly important in the current geopolitical context, adding that it is essential to know which partners share common values.

Assessing the significance of the European Political Community Summit held in Yerevan on May 4 in terms of Armenia-EU relations, Veldkamp noted that Amsterdam has expressed unequivocal support in this regard.

“As your prime minister once told me, Armenia wants to improve its relations with the European Union. The Netherlands fully supports this. 

It is also very important that Europe has paid considerable attention to Armenia. The fact that the European Political Community Summit took place here, that an Armenia-EU summit was held for the first time, and that the President of France paid a state visit to Armenia should all be taken into account,” Veldkamp emphasized.

Speaking about the prospects for Armenia-Netherlands relations, Veldkamp noted that significant steps have already been taken.

“The Netherlands opened an embassy in Yerevan, and then we saw the launch of the strategic partnership. There are many areas where we can cooperate. In addition, the Netherlands, as a founding member of the EU with extensive experience in the Union’s technical processes, can also help Armenia in this regard.

Now, the Armenian Foreign Ministry has a Department for European Integration specifically focused on EU-related work and Armenia-EU relations,” Veldkamp said.

According to him, the strategic partnership document signed between Armenia and the Netherlands should now be fully implemented.

“I see that there is full support for it in the Netherlands as well,” the former Dutch foreign minister concluded.

Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Committee Arthur Nahapetyan held a meeting with the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), led by Damien Cottier, which arrived in Armenia on a two-day visit.

“The parties discussed the powers of the Anti-Corruption Committee in relation to the investigation of election-related crimes connected to the parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia,” the Anti-Corruption Committee said in a readout.

It added that particular importance was attached to the committee’s role in ensuring the transparency and legality of electoral processes, as well as to the effective coordination of efforts aimed at providing a swift and consistent response to existing risks.

Chairman Nahapetyan said that the Anti-Corruption Committee, as the only investigative agency also carrying out operational and intelligence functions, is actively and consistently working to prevent, deter, and uncover election-related crimes.

Referring to the recent findings recorded by the agency in connection with electoral processes, the chairman stated that they mainly concern cases of bribery, as well as violations of the ban on charity activities during the campaign period.

The PACE delegation earlier held meetings at the Armenian parliament, as well as with the Central Electoral Commission executives.

The European Commission has published the First Progress Report on the implementation by Armenia of the Action Plan on Visa Liberalisation, highlighting that the country has made “good progress.”

In line with the established methodology, the Commission has assessed the implementation of the visa liberalisation action plan (VLAP) by Armenia on the basis of the information and relevant legislative and policy documents provided by the Armenian authorities.

“The Commission also monitors the progress made by Armenia through the EU-Armenia Joint Visa Facilitation Committee, the EU-Armenia Joint Readmission Committee, the EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security, and the Human Rights Dialogue. In all of these frameworks there is an advanced level of dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Armenia. On the basis of the above, the Commission considers that Armenia has made good progress in the implementation of the benchmarks relevant for the first phase (legislative and policy framework) of the VLAP, considering that the VLAP was officially handed over to Armenian authorities only in November 2025. The first set of benchmarks under block 1(document security, including biometrics) and – within block 2 (on migration management) are already at an advanced stage of fulfilment. Armenia is also progressing well in the implementation of the first set of benchmarks related to the other policy areas covered under block 2 (integrated border management, asylum), block 3 (public order and security) and block 4 (external relations and fundamental rights) in the VLAP,” the report said.

“The findings of this first progress report by the Commission will be presented to the European Parliament and the Council. These findings will also be presented and discussed by the Commission with the Armenian authorities in the next Senior Officials meeting. The Commission will continue to support Armenia in the implementation of the VLAP including through dedicated technical and financial assistance from the Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia being rolled out. The Commission will actively monitor the fulfilment of all benchmarks under the four blocks of the VLAP, with the support of EU Member States’s experts. Additional EU evaluation missions will be organised in Armenia in the coming period in view of assessing progress made by the Armenian authorities in fulfilling all benchmarks under the first phase. The recommendations included in this report should guide the Armenian authorities in closing the gaps identified. This monitoring will inform forthcoming reports from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the progress made by Armenia in implementing the VLAP,” it added.

Türkiye has announced the completion of preparations to launch direct trade with Armenia.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that as of May 11, 2026, “all necessary bureaucratic procedures have been completed.” However, technical and bureaucratic work on opening the land border between the two countries is still ongoing.

Under the new regulations, goods transported from Türkiye to Armenia via third countries may now list Armenia or Türkiye as the final destination or country of origin. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara will continue to promote the development of economic ties and cooperation in the South Caucasus for the benefit of all countries and peoples in the region.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan revealed the expected procedural changes earlier on May 12.