Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan has held a meeting with Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Robert Kaliňák.

The meeting took place in Warsaw during Papikyan’s official visit to Poland, where he also attended Defence24 Days, the largest conference in Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to defense and security.

During the meeting, the parties discussed issues related to Armenia–Slovakia cooperation in the defense sector and prospects for further cooperation, according to the Defense Ministry’s readout.

“Both sides emphasized the importance of military education, professional training, experience exchange, exercises, and military-technical cooperation. An agreement was reached to put the cooperation into practical effect in the near future,” the ministry said.

The meeting was also attended by Armenia’s Ambassador to Poland, Alexander Arzumanyan.

A senior Armenian lawmaker has said that strong democracy depends on effective communication between politicians and citizens.

Speaking at a panel discussion during the Yerevan Dialogue 2026, MP Sargis Khandanyan from the ruling Civil Contract party and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs said that politicians often fail when they treat people only as voters rather than as the source of their legitimacy.

The moderator of the discussion, Gayane Abrahamyan, addressing Sargis Khandanyan, noted that past experience has shown that countries choosing the path of democracy end up facing war. She cited the example of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, asking Khandanyan what role parliaments play in protecting democracy.

“That narrative was proven wrong, that democracy brings war,” the Armenian MP said.

“And the best democracy is good communication. We need to provide people with better communication. And sometimes politicians fail treating citizens as electorate. But they are source of our legitimacy, and we need to go down and talk to the people. And those politicians, those political parties who are able to go to listen to people and to talk to people, they are successful, and this will be also proven in a month in Armenia. So I think it is very important sometimes to go out from the digital space and talk to the people physically. And I would like to narrow down one specific group of people which is the most challenging now, it is young people. Not only in Armenia, everywhere else young people are getting more disintegrated from politics, from decision making, so it is very important also to talk to young people to see what they are thinking about their lives, their future and to adapt our policies and adapt our narratives to their priorities. That is, I believe, the most challenging part, because in Armenia we have many young politicians, as you can see, but me as a young politician, I blame the previous generations of politicians for leaving the conflict and the problems as a burden on our shoulders to solve. And now we do not have the right to do the same, I do not want to be blamed by future politicians for leaving problems unsolved for them.”

Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan has attended the opening ceremony of the Defence24 Days defense and security conference in Warsaw during his official visit to Poland, the Defense Ministry said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa ahead of the first-ever Armenia–EU Summit on Tuesday in Yerevan.

Pashinyan welcomed the EU leaders and hailed the “historic moment” marking the inaugural summit. The Prime Minister added that holding the first Armenia–European Union summit implies that a second summit is expected, and that it now only remains to reach an agreement on its organization.

President of France Emmanuel Macron visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan during his state visit to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan accompanied the French president. The two leaders placed wreaths at the memorial and, together with members of their delegations, laid flowers at the Eternal Flame. Macron then signed the guestbook at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan and Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan also accompanied the delegation. The French president is expected to hold a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the state visit. The leaders will deliver statements to the press after a document signing ceremony. Macron and Pashinyan will also visit Gyumri.

The Armenian parliament is holding a confirmation hearing on the re-election of incumbent Central Bank Governor Martin Galstyan. His candidacy was put forward unopposed by the ruling Civil Contract faction.

Galstyan has served as governor of the Central Bank of Armenia since June 13, 2020.

Central Bank Governor Martin Galstyan was re-elected on Tuesday after passing a parliamentary confirmation hearing.

Only 69 MPs in the 107-seat parliament took part in the vote following the hearing, and all voted in favor of Galstyan, who was nominated unopposed by the ruling Civil Contract party.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the inaugural Armenia-EU Summit in Yerevan, said that Armenia could become a hub for new trade routes in the region.

Aside from von der Leyen, the EU side was represented at the meeting by European Council President António Costa and top diplomat Kaja Kallas, among others.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired the meeting on the Armenian side, which also included Cabinet ministers.

The President of the European Commission emphasized that the shortest route from Europe to Central Asia and the Caspian Sea passes through Armenia, but noted that this route had been closed due to war.

“Now you are changing this, thanks to a courageous choice in favor of peace and greater integration into European networks. As a result, Armenia can become a regional hub for new trade routes,” von der Leyen stated.

She also added that the European Union is ready to deepen cooperation with Armenia in the energy sector as well as in digitalization.

Von der Leyen noted that there has always been a special bond between Armenia and Europe. “But we are united not only by our shared history and culture, not only by our ancient ties, but also by the opportunities that lie ahead of us,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

She stressed that Armenia and the European Union are now closer than ever, highlighting that positive progress is being made in the EU visa liberalization process for Armenian citizens.

Von der Leyen recalled that, under the EU’s “Global Gateway” strategy, €2.5 billion in investments for Armenia has already been planned.

“From Ukraine to Iran, the entire region is being shaken by wars, while here in the South Caucasus there is a different story, a different situation. In an era of new conflicts, you are healing old wounds, and we want to support you by showing that peace leads to prosperity,” said Ursula von der Leyen. She pointed to the example of the European Union’s formation, noting that countries that were once enemies were able to build friendship and bring peace to the region through the establishment of trade relations.