The White House believes it is getting ‌close to an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations, Axios reported, citing two U.S. officials and two other sources briefed on the issue.

The U.S. expects Iranian responses on several key points in the next 48 hours, according to the report.

The report said ⁠that nothing has been agreed yet but added this was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.

Armenia has reduced its political, economic, and energy dependence on a single center in recent years and diversified its partnerships with other countries, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has said.

Speaking at a panel discussion during the Yerevan Dialogue 2026, Mirzoyan touched upon the long-standing mindset of Armenia’s political elites and society and how they have perceived the world.

He pointed to the failure of the CSTO and Armenia’s treaty ally Russia to respond to pleas for support when the country was attacked in September 2022 by Azerbaijani military forces.

“For decades, if not centuries, we have always thought that in this hostile environment we need one strong ‘big brother,’ a friend who can protect us. This perception has now changed, because when the time came and we truly needed that big friend’s protection, that help did not arrive. And this has greatly changed the perception of foreign policy among our citizens and the broader public, not to mention the political elite.

Now, it seems that we have somehow managed to reduce our political, economic, and energy dependence on a single center and diversify the number of our friends,” Mirzoyan said.

He noted that Armenia has established strategic partnerships with the United States, the European Union, China, and Kazakhstan, maintains close relations with India, and continues to uphold strong ties with Russia.

“Our goal is to diversify these connections,” Mirzoyan said.

Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatyan held a meeting with a delegation led by Almassadam Satkaliyev, Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Nuclear Energy Agency.

The minister emphasized the importance of close Armenia–Kazakhstan cooperation within the CIS framework in the field of the peaceful use of nuclear energy, according to the ministry’s readout.

“During the meeting, the parties discussed current trends in the energy sector, as well as prospects for the development of nuclear and solar energy. The sides expressed readiness to continue cooperation in this field and to exchange experience and information,” the ministry said.

On May 5, on the sidelines of the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 forum, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan met with Kaveh Zahedi, Assistant Director-General and Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of the FAO in strengthening Armenia’s legal and institutional capacities in the fields of agriculture and food security, noting that the organization is one of Armenia’s most active partners, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

The Deputy Minister briefed Zahedi on the efforts undertaken by the Government of Armenia to promote sustainable and smart agriculture, as well as to build resilience against contemporary challenges related to the environment and climate change.

During the meeting, they also discussed the potential scope of cooperation and engagement with the FAO within the framework of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), which is set to be hosted in Armenia.

A senior Armenian official has said that relations with the EU have never been stronger, describing recent developments as a “revolution” in the ties.

“In recent years, Armenia–EU relations have undergone tremendous changes. I would even go so far as to say that a revolution has taken place in Armenia–EU relations,” Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said at the “Europe Between New Forms of Power and Dominance: Geopolitical Agency in a Fragmenting World” panel discussion during the Yerevan Dialogue 2026.

“We consistently say that Armenia–EU relations are stronger than ever, and we will continue to work in this direction and make efforts,” Grigoryan said, adding that Armenia has currently adopted a balanced and diversified policy.

According to him, one of the revolutionary changes is that during this period it has been possible to transform perceptions of the region as a conflict zone into a perception of greater peace, as a result of which the EU has called on investors at a high level to come to Armenia.

“We hope and are confident that we will continue to work in this direction, first of all by institutionalizing peace with Azerbaijan, while at the same time turning the region into an ‘island’ of stability,” Grigoryan emphasized, adding that along this path Armenia views the European Union as a very important partner.

At the first Armenia-EU Summit held on May 5 in Yerevan, the European Commission launched a Call for Expressions of Interest aimed at identifying concrete investment opportunities across key sectors in Armenia—such as transport, energy, and digital—and accelerating their implementation. This call will help translate the recently announced Connectivity Partnership between Armenia and the EU into tangible outcomes.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has said that diaspora perspectives do not always coincide with those of Armenians living in Armenia. At the same time, he underscored that he sees more and more signals from diaspora Armenians that they are beginning to understand what real Armenia needs.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the Yerevan Dialogue 2026, Mirzoyan was asked to what extent the Armenian government takes into account the opinions of diaspora Armenians in foreign policy decision-making.

“Yes, we have a large Armenian diaspora, yes, it is an important tool, they are our compatriots, but we must all understand that they are citizens of different countries, and their views may not directly coincide with the opinions of Armenians living in other countries. For example, I am not sure that the interests and concerns of Armenians living in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States can coincide with the interests and concerns of Armenians living in Russia. And one thing that is even more important is that I am not sure that the interests and concerns of Armenians living abroad can coincide with the interests, concerns, and needs of Armenians living in Armenia.

We have very honest discussions, I will be frank: we must understand that a significant part of the diaspora are descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide; they had to flee, seek refuge, and secure their livelihoods far from these places. Therefore, many diaspora Armenians want to see a greater Armenia, a historical Armenia, an Armenia that had a glorious and rich past, but today that is a dream; that is not the real Armenia. Today we live in this specific region, with these specific neighbors, and we do not want to spend our next decade, century, or millennium fighting with our neighbors, suffering more casualties on the battlefield, and losing more people who, due to conflict, will leave Armenia and find solutions in other countries,” Mirzoyan explained, noting that in this regard the views and needs of Armenians living in Armenia may differ from those of Armenians living abroad.

He said the matter is an interesting and important issue that needs to be discussed in depth, understood, and addressed.

“I am more than confident that this solution is coming. I see more and more signals from diaspora Armenians that they are beginning to understand what real Armenia needs, and we are hearing more voices of support from the diaspora,” the Armenian FM said.

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan held a meeting on Wednesday with the President of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium, Peter De Roover, and his delegation.

“I welcomed the delegation’s visit to Armenia and expressed satisfaction with the positive dynamics in the development of Armenia–Belgium bilateral relations,” Grigoryan said on social media.

Grigoryan said they exchanged views on Armenia–Belgium bilateral relations, the inaugural Armenia–EU summit and its outcomes, as well as the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process and the broad economic opportunities arising from it.

The President of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium, Peter De Roover, expressed gratitude for the warm reception and emphasized that he was pleased to be in Yerevan during this historic period for Armenia.

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan held a meeting with Magdalena Grono, the European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia.

“We noted with satisfaction the importance of the EPC Summit and the inaugural Armenia–EU summit, recently held in Yerevan, and highlighted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s encouraging remarks addressed to European companies regarding investments in Armenia,” Grigoryan said on social media.

He added that they also discussed the regional security situation.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier said during a press conference after the inaugural Armenia–EU summit in Yerevan that the European Union wants to make Armenia an attractive country for investment.