Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing on Wednesday, China’s Xinhua news agency reported without providing further details.

Iranian state media had earlier reported that Araghchi would discuss bilateral relations, as well as regional and international developments, with his Chinese counterpart.

Araghchi visited Pakistan, Oman, and Russia last week.

His visit to Beijing comes one week before U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned trip to China, which was originally scheduled to take place earlier but was postponed due to the war with Iran.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Serbian counterpart, Marko Đurić, held a meeting on the margins of the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 forum in Yerevan.

According to the Foreign Ministry’s readout, the parties discussed opportunities to develop bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Satisfaction was expressed with the increased diplomatic presence in the capitals of both countries, and an agreement was reached to continue promoting mutually beneficial political dialogue through future visits. The ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments.

To mark the contributions of Armenians across various sectors in the United States and in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, a special reception titled “Armenians in America 250” was held at the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C.

The event was organized by the Embassy of Armenia in the United States in cooperation with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU).

The reception was attended by high-level officials from the White House, the National Security Council, and the Departments of State, Commerce, Energy, and War, as well as members of the Armenian-American community from various states, the Armenian Embassy said in a press release.

The event is part of a series of initiatives carried out by Armenia’s US representation within the framework of the USA250 celebrations, with the encouragement and support of the White House Office of Public Liaison.

Speeches were delivered by Narek Mkrtchyan, Armenia’s Ambassador to the United States; Jeffrey Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security; Keith Krach, CEO of Freedom250, the organization responsible for the official events celebrating the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence; and Sam Simonian, President of AGBU.

The event opened with the national anthems of the United States and Armenia, performed by students of the Shnorhali School of St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington, D.C. Opening prayers were offered by Rev. Fr. Untzag Nalbandian, who then presented welcoming remarks on behalf of Abp. Hovnan Derderian and Bp. Mesrop Parsamyan, Primates of the Western and Eastern Dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, respectively. AGBU Central Board member Haig Ariyan served as master of ceremonies.

As part of the program, a reissued edition of the commemorative book “Our Boys,” dedicated to Armenian World War II veterans, was presented by AGBU Vice President Arda Haratunian. Originally published in 1951, the book documents the service and contributions of Armenian-Americans during the war.

Copies of the reissued edition were gifted to Jaxon Croy, Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives at the White House, and Sonata Coulter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State overseeing Russia, the Caucasus, and European Security and Political Affairs.

Stories highlighting Armenian contributions across various sectors in the United States were also presented by Robin the Robot, an Armenian-developed robot that currently provides services in more than 40 hospitals and care facilities across the United States.

The evening concluded with performances of Armenian folk and traditional music by the “Marta and Folk Orchestra.”

A public inclusive playground titled “Armenian Inventors: Science from Inside Out” has been opened in Missak Manouchian Park in Yerevan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, accompanied by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan and other officials, visited the park—named after French-Armenian poet, World War II hero, and National Hero of France Missak Manouchian—to inspect the new playground on Wednesday.

Another shipment of fertilizer and grain will be sent from Russia to Armenia via Azerbaijan by rail on May 6, the Azerbaijani media outlet Report said, citing the country’s railway operator.

To date, more than 25,000 tons of grain, around 2,000 tons of fertilizer, and 68 tons of buckwheat have been transported from Russia to Armenia via Azerbaijani territory.

The cargo passes through Georgian territory, as the rail connection between Armenia and Azerbaijan has not yet been restored.

The export of petroleum products from Azerbaijan to Armenia is also continuing. So far, more than 8,500 tons of diesel fuel, 979 tons of AI-92 gasoline, and 2,955 tons of AI-95 gasoline have been supplied to Armenia.

President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs will arrive in Armenia on an official visit on May 7, Foreign Minister Baiba Braže has said.

“And tomorrow our president is coming on an official visit, something that we greatly celebrate and that also directly connects our leaders, politicians, people, and economies,” the Latvian Foreign Minister said at a panel discussion during the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 forum.

Braže noted that direct flights between Armenia and Latvia will be relaunched in June.

She underscored the close, respect-based relationship between the two countries.

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.