Tourism in Armenia grew significantly in April and during the January–April period of 2026 compared to the same periods last year, with notable increases alongside a diversification of tourist origins, according to data presented at a government meeting.

Speaking at the Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that in April 2026, the number of tourists visiting Armenia increased by 39 percent compared to the same period last year, while a 34 percent rise was recorded for the January–April period.

Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said that some diversification is being observed among tourists visiting Armenia.

“If in 2023, in the January–April period, visitors from the Russian Federation accounted for 52 percent of our total tourists, now they make up 36 percent. If in 2024 it was 42 percent, now it is 36 percent. That is, the share of a single country has decreased from more than 50 percent to around one-third,” Papoyan said.

Pashinyan emphasized that despite the decrease in share, it is important to note that the number of tourists from Russia has also increased.

According to Papoyan, the number of tourists from Russia this year reached 245,178, compared to 183,700 last year.

“In addition to those coming from Russia, the number of tourists has also increased from India, Italy, France, the United States, China, Germany, Ukraine, Iran, and Georgia. That is, the geography is quite broad,” the Economy Minister added.

According to him, while a few years ago the share of tourists visiting Armenia from Italy was 0.4 percent of the total number of tourists, it now exceeds 1 percent.

Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan has been awarded the rank of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour by decree of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Legion of Honour is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. It consists of five classes and was originally established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Grand Officier (Grand Officer) class is the second highest, after the Grand Cross.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan were awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour by Macron during his state visit earlier this week. Macron, in turn, was awarded Armenia’s Order of Glory for his significant contribution to strengthening bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has reiterated that water management will be among the government’s priorities for the next five years.

Speaking at a press briefing after the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Pashinyan was asked whether the authorities are considering a possible review of cooperation with Veolia Water, the country’s water supply operator, given the frequent supply interruptions.

According to Pashinyan, water-related issues in Armenia remain urgent despite investments made in the sector.

“To the wear and tear of our infrastructure is added climate change, and we must carry out active work in this direction,” the Prime Minister said.

He noted that, in his assessment, the potential of Veolia Water has not been fully utilized, and cooperation needs to be made more effective.

“In my opinion, we have not been able to fully utilize the potential of Veolia Water, and we need to make that cooperation more effective in order to solve water-related problems, primarily ensuring 24-hour water supply in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Vanadzor,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan also stressed the importance of increasing access to irrigation water, describing it as a strategic program.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that ongoing efforts to relaunch the railway between Armenia and Türkiye are continuing, but noted that it is too early to provide any timeline.

Based on the agreements reached within the Armenia–Türkiye Normalization Process, a meeting of the Joint Working Group on the rehabilitation and operationalization of the Gyumri–Kars railway was held on 28 April 2026.

The meeting took place in the Turkish city of Kars.

Pashinyan was asked at a press briefing to comment on the meeting.

“We are working in that direction, and at this point I cannot say anything about the timelines, because there are many technical assessment tasks. Even now, during the work, we are identifying technical issues that we were unaware of a month ago, two months ago, and so on, because for about 40 years we have not properly maintained this infrastructure. We need to assess the needs and get to work,” the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stressed the importance of holding the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 7, in line with international democratic standards, emphasizing safeguards for the free _expression_ of voters’ will and the prevention of illegal interference.

“Of course, up to this point our law enforcement bodies have carried out enormous work, but vigilance should not be reduced in order to exclude the impact of vote-buying and other illegal means on the election results,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing, also stressing the importance of law enforcement attention to ensuring the legality of the campaign process.

The campaigning period will start on May 8.

Pashinyan said that all prerequisites exist for the elections to be held properly and in line with all democratic rules and standards, ensuring the free _expression_ and recording of the will of all citizens of Armenia, as well as competition of ideas, concepts, and programs.

Armenia’s High-Tech Industry Minister Mkhitar Hayrapetyan has highlighted the country’s artificial intelligence strategy and plans for large-scale investment in AI infrastructure, emphasizing sovereign AI development, public–private cooperation, and the integration of advanced technologies across the economy during a panel discussion at Yerevan Dialogue 2026.

Hayrapetyan participated in the “AI Sovereignty and Scale: Governing Frontier Technologies in a Competitive World” panel discussion alongside Omran Sharaf, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology; Christos Harpantidis, Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Philip Morris International; and Arsen Babayan, Chief Technology Officer, Ineco Group.

During the discussion, issues related to the development and effective governance of artificial intelligence were addressed, as well as the importance of ensuring technological sovereignty amid global competition, in the context of technological progress, security, and the resilience of democratic systems.

During the panel discussion, Minister Hayrapetyan referred to Armenia’s initiative to establish an artificial intelligence factory in cooperation with NVIDIA and Firebird AI, noting that a roadmap has already been presented, which envisages more than $4 billion in investments. He emphasized that the program is aimed not only at creating computational capacity, but also at the comprehensive and phased integration of AI across all sectors of Armenia’s economy.

The minister also presented the concept of “Armenia as a garden of AI factories,” highlighting the country’s energy potential. He noted that the Government of Armenia encourages investments in the energy sector, ensuring the efficient use of generated energy for the operation of AI data centers as well.

According to Hayrapetyan, the development of sovereign AI requires not only computing power, but also protected data, model development, and the formation of language ecosystems. In this regard, the state and the private sector are working closely together with the aim of gradually realizing this vision.

The minister outlined three priority directions: investment in human capital development, support for the private sector, and public administration reforms. In education, emphasis is placed on the introduction of AI tools and access to high-performance computing resources through the AI Virtual Institute, which cooperates with Amazon Web Services and Firebird AI.

In the private sector, the government encourages innovation and research, supporting companies in transitioning from outsourcing to product development, while also ensuring access to computing resources. In public administration, the focus is on digitalization and the application of AI solutions to promote smart governance.

The minister also referred to the application of AI in scientific research and development, emphasizing that high-performance computing resources can significantly accelerate innovation processes.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated on Thursday that Armenia is not an ally of Russia on the issue of Ukraine.

Speaking at a press briefing after the Cabinet meeting, Pashinyan was asked to comment on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Yerevan for the EPC Summit on May 4 and the criticism surrounding it.

“As for the visit of the President of Ukraine, I have previously made statements on this topic. We have sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and I have said that on the issue of Ukraine we are not allies with Russia,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Alma-Ata Declaration is of fundamental importance for Armenia, and that Yerevan is also building the peace process with Azerbaijan on that basis.

The Alma-Ata Declaration is a key political document signed in 1991 at the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It confirmed the independence of former Soviet republics and stipulated that administrative borders from the Soviet era would become international borders.

“You know how important and fundamental the Alma-Ata Declaration is for us, and we rely on that declaration and build peace with Azerbaijan on that basis. This is our principled position,” the Prime Minister noted.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the public will see the scale of French President Emmanuel Macron’s support for Armenia on May 28, when the government plans to showcase recently acquired military equipment at a military parade in Yerevan.

“As for the question of what French President Emmanuel Macron has done, we will see on May 28 what he has done. What should I say? I will show it,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing when asked what Macron has done for Armenia.

The Armenian government will showcase military equipment acquired over the past few years during a May 28 Republic Day event in central Yerevan.

Pashinyan had earlier said that the event would be a “report to citizens” on his administration’s defense reforms.

Macron was on a state visit earlier this week in Armenia. He was awarded the Order of Glory for significant contribution in strengthening the friendly relations between the two countries.

Multiple cooperation agreements were signed during the visit.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that he will not attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow.

“During my visit to Russia in April, I informed the President of Russia that, due to the campaigning period, I would not be able to participate in the May 9 events,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing. 

The campaigning period for the June 7 election in Armenia will start on May 8.

The ruling Civil Contract party earlier said that party members, including Pashinyan, will be campaigning on May 8 and 9 in Syunik Province.

The 2026 Moscow Victory Day parade, marking the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, is scheduled to take place on May 9.