President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan has received NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, Kevin Hamilton, the Presidential Office said.

Congratulating Hamilton on his appointment, President Khachaturyan highly appreciated the ongoing development of Armenia’s relations with NATO.

He noted that Armenia and NATO have established a solid foundation for a stronger partnership, maintaining active dialogue and cooperation with NATO  and its member states, and expressed hope that joint initiatives and programs would further expand.

Hamilton thanked the President for the reception and expressed readiness to make efforts to advance Armenia-NATO cooperation, as well as to contribute to strengthening regional stability and security.

During the meeting, the sides discussed prospects for effective cooperation in various formats, emphasizing the positive dynamics of high-level political dialogue.

They also exchanged views on the importance of joint efforts to protect democratic values, highlighting cooperation in institutional development, strengthening the rule of law, and increasing transparency in governance. The sides stressed the importance of sharing best practices and ensuring the continuous development of relevant programs.

President Khachaturyan noted that Armenia’s cooperation with individual NATO member states continues to expand across political, defense, and military spheres, playing a significant role in enhancing the country’s capabilities, advancing reforms, and strengthening regional security.

The parties reaffirmed their willingness to continue constructive dialogue and further develop partnership aimed at promoting peace, stability, and security in the region.

A week after Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan condemned fare evasion in public transport and called for stronger oversight, City Hall staff briefed him that tap-ins had increased by nearly 30%, generating an additional 235 million drams in revenue.

The Head of the Technology Management Center of Yerevan, an agency responsible for installing and maintaining management and information systems in the municipal sphere, Sargis Manukyan, said at a City Hall executive meeting that over the past two weeks, from April 6 to 19, 5,997,277 ticket validations were registered in public transport, marking a 29.9% increase compared to 4,657,751 in the previous two-week period.

Manukyan credited the increase to oversight measures in public transport.

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan said that during the reporting period, an additional 235 million drams were collected compared to the previous two weeks.

“This shows that, although our new method may create certain inconveniences, it is nevertheless quite effective in terms of collection and discipline. In fact, within two weeks we have collected enough funds—thanks to payments from previously non-paying passengers—to cover the cost of around eight new buses,” the mayor said.

He added that fare evasion in public transport is also one of the reasons why it has not been possible to expand the public transport fleet.

Despite this, according to Avinyan, 45 newly purchased trolleybuses will arrive in Yerevan in the near future, and a procurement request will be prepared for 170 buses.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has mentioned the relationship with Armenia in his address to the eighty-second session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

“Since 2021, when I first addressed this distinguished body, the South Caucasus has undergone profound transformation. Azerbaijan has fully restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity and initiated a peace agenda with Armenia. At the Washington Summit last August hosted by President Donald Trump of the United States of America, historic progress was achieved in the normalization between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Today, we are witnessing the dividends of peace. Trade relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have commenced, and Azerbaijan is now facilitating transit access for Armenia. Reciprocal visits of civil society representatives are contributing to confidence-building,” the Azerbaijani APA news agency quoted Aliyev as saying.

Ministry of High-Tech Industry press release 

On April 17, the third phase of the startup support program of the international company Plug and Play officially launched in Yerevan, implemented with the support of the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia.

The opening event was attended by the Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, Deputy Minister Ruben Simonyan, as well as representatives of the tech sector, international mentors, and key players of the startup ecosystem.

Welcoming the participants, the Minister congratulated them on the launch of the program and emphasized the importance of such initiatives for the development of Armenia’s technology ecosystem.

Within the program, 18 selected startups will take part in a three-month pre-acceleration phase aimed at developing their ideas and preparing for entry into international markets. Participants will have the opportunity to work with experienced international mentors, gain practical knowledge and connections, and access Plug and Play’s global network.

The startups participating in the pre-acceleration phase include Bleenk, FIGURINGS, Empy.ai, Tedly, abda AI, Inc., SafeGround Technologies, Salute AI, LexAI, Uray Technologies, Ethery Tech, JAN DIGITRUST, RUXEN, Megaladata, AgenticFi, BeeSync, Dhomie, Muvia Inc., and BeautyFlo B.V.

Since 2024, two phases have already been implemented within the cooperation between the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of Armenia and Plug and Play, involving around 40 startups. The initiative is aimed at developing Armenia’s startup ecosystem, strengthening international cooperation, and increasing the competitiveness of local teams.

Armenia’s weightlifting team has won its first medal at the 2026 European Weightlifting Championships, which are being held in Batumi, Georgia.

Armenia’s Garnik Cholakyan competed in the men’s 60 kg category and delivered a strong performance across both disciplines.

In the snatch, Cholakyan successfully lifted 120 kg and 124 kg, securing the silver medal in the exercise. In the clean and jerk, he lifted 145 kg and 150 kg, earning the bronze medal.

With a total of 274 kg in the combined event, Cholakyan became the silver medalist of the European Championships.

The European title in the total went to Bulgaria’s Angel Rusev, who finished first with a combined lift of 275 kg.

Armenian food safety authorities have seized and destroyed 9,700 kilograms of Nestlé NAN infant formula products amid concerns over possible hazardous toxins in the batch.

The Food Safety Inspection Agency said the reason for the seizure was laboratory analysis results received from Russia indicating the possible presence of hazardous toxins in the dry, instant milk-based and fermented milk infant formula products. It did not elaborate. 

Pursuant to safety protocols, the authorities seized the batch imported into Armenia and destroyed it.

Shirak Avia airline launched round-trip flights from Yerevan to Astana, Kazakhstan, on April 20.

The Armenia International Airports administration said in a press release that the airline will operate the Yerevan–Astana–Yerevan route once a week, on Mondays.

YEREVAN, 20 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 20 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.49 drams to 372.85 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.47 drams to 438.88 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.0651 drams to 4.9588 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.96 drams to 503.98 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 76 drams to 58385 drams. Silver price down by 1.25 drams to 950.84 drams.

Armenia’s Ambassador to the State of Eritrea, Armen Sarkissian (residence in Cairo), presented his credentials to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki at the presidential palace in the capital Asmara, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a readout.

During the private conversation following the credential presentation ceremony, Ambassador Sarkissian conveyed the warm greetings and best wishes of the President of Armenia to the President of Eritrea, expressing Armenia’s readiness to develop bilateral relations with Eritrea and to form a multi-sectoral agenda between the two countries.

President Afwerki welcomed the decision of the Armenian government to accredit the first Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the State of Eritrea and noted that the launch of the diplomatic mission is an important and significant beginning in the formation of interstate cooperation, as well as the development of friendly relations between the peoples of the two countries.

Armenia’s Alexandra Grigoryan has won a silver medal at the 2026 European Weightlifting Championships held in Batumi.

Competing in the 58 kg weight category, Grigoryan lifted 88 kg and 91 kg in the snatch. In the clean and jerk, she lifted  115 kg and 119 kg, finishing third in that discipline.

With a total of 210 kg, Grigoryan secured the silver medal, becoming a European vice-champion for the second time in her career.

The gold medal was won by Ukraine’s Kamila Konopov with a total of 221 kg.

Earlier, Armenia’s Garnik Cholakyan also claimed silver at the championships, registering a total of 274 kg in the combined event.