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.

President Vahagn Khachaturyan said Thursday that Armenia highly values Latvia’s contribution to strengthening regional stability and security.

Speaking alongside his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkēvičs at a joint press conference in Yerevan, Khachaturyan said that regional and extra-regional issues were discussed during their meeting, including the situation in the Middle East.

“I also presented President Rinkēvičs with the latest developments in the South Caucasus, including the process of normalizing relations with our neighbors. Armenia highly values Latvia’s balanced approach to regional processes and its contribution to strengthening regional stability and security,” Khachaturyan emphasized.

Rinkēvičs arrived in Armenia on Thursday for an official visit.

President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs has lauded the Armenia–Azerbaijan initialed peace deal and expressed hope that the process would lead to regional stability and normalization between the two countries.

Speaking during his official visit alongside Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan at a joint press conference, Rinkēvičs said that the main goal of his visit is to support Armenia in ongoing reforms and the deepening of ties with the EU.

President Rinkēvičs also addressed the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, stressing that Latvia supports and highly values the steps taken by Yerevan and Baku toward peace.

“We highly value the peace agreement that Armenia and Azerbaijan are working toward, and I hope that this process will lead to the normalization of relations between the two countries, as well as greater stability and security in the wider region,” the Latvian President said.

He noted that Latvia considers Armenia a very important partner in the South Caucasus.

President Rinkēvičs stressed that, in addition to political relations, Armenia and Latvia should also take steps to promote economic cooperation.

The Latvian President expressed confidence that his visit would contribute to and further deepen cooperation with Armenia. He also praised the level of parliamentary ties between the two countries.

“Latvia highly values Armenia’s choice of the European path, and on that path we will help you as much as possible and look forward to finding new practical avenues for cooperation,” President Rinkēvičs emphasized.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan and Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs emphasized closer bilateral cooperation and a shared commitment to democratic values, sovereignty, and peace during talks in Yerevan, with discussions focusing on technology, cybersecurity, reforms, and Armenia’s partnership with the European Union.

“The Armenian–Latvian partnership is based on friendship, democratic values, and a shared commitment to ensuring a prosperous and more secure future for our peoples,” President Vahagn Khachaturyan said at a joint press conference with his Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkēvičs, who is visiting Armenia.

The President noted with satisfaction that in recent years Armenia and Latvia have taken active steps toward developing strong and dynamic cooperation.

“Armenia and Latvia are like-minded countries in promoting independence, sovereignty, democratic values, and peace, and are determined to further deepen cooperation in this regard,” the Armenian President said.

Khachaturyan noted that during the meeting with his Latvian counterpart, the sides thoroughly discussed various components of bilateral relations, emphasizing the promotion of trade and investment and considering the utilization of the significant potential in the high-tech sector to be promising and mutually beneficial.

“Taking into account Latvia’s significant achievements in the fields of information technology, digitalization, innovation, and cybersecurity, as well as the successful experience of Armenia’s innovation and technology centers and other important reforms implemented in both the public and private sectors,” the Armenian President said.

He added that during the meeting with the President of Latvia, the sides emphasized the need to implement more targeted cooperation programs in cybersecurity, air connectivity, education, and other areas of bilateral interest. In the context of advancing sectoral cooperation, they also stressed the importance of expanding the legal and contractual framework, which currently includes more than two dozen documents.

Khachaturyan stressed that he had expressed gratitude to the Latvian President for the support provided by his government to reforms being implemented in Armenia within the framework of development cooperation. According to the Armenian President, during the talks the sides also highlighted the importance of continuing cooperation between Armenia and the Nordic-Baltic (NB8) countries format established after 2024.

“In the context of our cooperation, of course, the dialogue carried out within the framework of the partnership between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union is of particular importance. First of all, I expressed gratitude to Mr. President for his contribution to advancing Armenia–European Union cooperation. I noted the importance of the continuation of Latvia’s support for programs of primary importance for Armenia, emphasizing their role in strengthening Armenia’s resilience. I also highly appreciated Latvia’s participation in the European Union civilian monitoring mission in Armenia. We hope that with Latvia’s support we will also be able to advance our reform agenda, which is a cornerstone for realizing Armenia’s aspirations for European Union membership in the future,” President Khachaturyan emphasized.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with the President of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium, Peter De Roover, on the margins of the Yerevan Dialogue 2026.

According to a readout from the Foreign Ministry, the sides discussed issues related to the development of the Armenia–Belgium bilateral partnership, in which the established ties between the parliaments of the two countries and their progressive agenda play a special role.

They also expressed satisfaction with the achievements recorded in Armenia–European Union relations and discussed Armenia’s prospects for European integration.

Views were exchanged on regional issues, and FM Mirzoyan presented steps aimed at the continued institutionalization of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Humanitarian issues were also addressed.

President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs invited his Armenian counterpart Vahagn Khachaturyan to pay a visit to his country to continue what he described as the “excellent dialogue.”

“During this political dialogue, I understood that you, Mr. President, have not visited Latvia. Therefore, it is a great honor for me to officially invite you and your delegation to visit Latvia to continue this excellent dialogue,” President Rinkēvičs told Khachaturyan at a joint press conference in Yerevan after their meeting.

The Latvian President arrived in Armenia on an official visit on May 7.

He earlier met with Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan. A meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is also expected.

Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan said he held talks with executives of a Polish defense company during his visit to the country.

Papikyan arrived in Poland on an official visit on May 5 and attended the Defence24 Days defense and security conference in Warsaw.

“I met with executives of the company and discussed a number of issues pertaining to cooperation,” he said on social media.

The Armenian and Finnish foreign ministries held political consultations on the margins of the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 forum. The meeting was co-chaired by Armenian Deputy FM Vahan Kostanyan and Sari Rautio, Director General for the Euro-Atlantic Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.

The foreign ministry officials praised the continuously expanding political dialogue between Armenia and Finland.

A number of issues related to the development of bilateral sectoral cooperation were discussed, including interaction in trade and economic affairs, security, high technologies, and water resources management, according to a readout from the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

The expansion of the Armenia–EU partnership and the deepening of cooperation between Armenia and Finland within the EU framework were emphasized.

Views were exchanged on a range of international and regional issues. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia presented the situation in the South Caucasus, addressing matters related to the institutionalization of peace and the development of connectivity.