Month: April 2026

Originally published by Moldpres

President Maia Sandu today paid an official visit to Kyiv, where she had talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Iulia Svyrydenko. The discussions focused on bilateral cooperation in energy, transport and trade, regional security and the process of accession to the European Union. The visit coincided with the commemoration of 40 years since the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

The Moldovan head of state conveyed a strong message of solidarity with Ukraine: “I want to tell the Ukrainian people: we see you; we stand with you.” President Sandu stressed that Russia’s threats do not stop at Ukraine’s borders, also pointing to the direct impact on Moldova: the attack on the Novodnistrovsk power plant, which polluted the waters of the Dniester and left 300,000 Moldovans without drinking water for almost a week, disruptions in electricity supply and repeated infringements of its airspace. “The security of Moldova and the security of Ukraine are interconnected,” Maia Sandu said. “By defending itself, Ukraine is also defending us.”

At the same time, the Moldovan president advocated for the formal opening of EU accession negotiations, emphasizing that both Moldova and Ukraine had fulfilled all the conditions. “When the EU granted Ukraine the 90-billion-euros loan and adopted new sanctions against Russia, it acted with unity and determination. The EU should bring the same unity to the enlargement process—and officially open negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine without delay.”

The visit’s agenda also includes a trip by the two presidents to Chernobyl, in order to pay tribute to those who had sacrificed their health and lives to limit the consequences of the nuclear disaster 40 years ago.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran is considering the possibility of negotiations with Washington following an offer from US President Donald Trump.

Speaking in an interview with Pavel Zarubin of Russia’s Vesti programme, Araghchi argued that the United States had failed to achieve any of its objectives in its standoff with Iran – and that this is precisely why it is now seeking dialogue.

“It is clear that Iran has been standing up to the world’s greatest superpower, and they have not achieved a single one of their goals,” he said.

“That is why US President Donald Trump is asking for negotiations, and we are now weighing that option.”

On 8 April, Washington and Tehran announced a two-week ceasefire.

Subsequent talks held in Islamabad, however, produced no result. 

On 21 April, Trump announced an extension of the ceasefire, pending the submission of proposals from Tehran on resolving the conflict and the conclusion of negotiations.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has congratulated the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten, on the country’s national day, King’s Day.

“Warm congratulations and my sincere best wishes to you and the friendly people of the Netherlands on the occasion of the national holiday, King’s Day,” Pashinyan said in a letter published by his office.

“I am pleased to note the unprecedented recent dynamism in Armenia–Netherlands cooperation, greatly facilitated by the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership signed between our friendly countries.

We highly appreciate the political support provided by the Netherlands for the ongoing democratic reforms in Armenia, as well as for the process of European integration.

I wish you every success, and peace and prosperity to the friendly people of the Netherlands.”

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered an address on Monday on the National Security Service Border Guard Day.

Addressing the NSS border troops, Pashinyan highlighted that border delimitation with Azerbaijan will soon continue.

He said the finalization of the delimitation of the border with Georgia, which is not formally delimited, is also on the agenda.

Pashinyan highlighted the current “historic situation” pertaining to the newly established peace and emphasized the demarcated and delimited 12-kilometer border section with Azerbaijan.

“Today, your service in the Republic of Armenia is taking place in an exceptionally historic situation, when for the first time since the independence of the Republic of Armenia, all border crossing points of the Republic of Armenia are under control, and service there is carried out by the border troops of the Republic of Armenia. The next important development regarding the borders of the Republic of Armenia is that for already two years we have had a demarcated and delimited 12-kilometer border section with Azerbaijan, where the border troops of the Republic of Armenia are serving. This is also a very important and exceptional situation, and I must note that this 12-kilometer section is the only part of the Armenia–Azerbaijan border where representatives of the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan serve without helmets, without bulletproof vests, and with their rifle magazines not attached to their rifles, but kept in their bags,” noted Pashinyan.

The Prime Minister emphasized that this took place by an agreement reached between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as between their border guard troops.

“This forces us to notice the obvious: border guard troops are usually a symbol of peace. Where border guards stand at the border, in most cases peace prevails along that border. Our desire and goal is for all borders of the Republic of Armenia to be under the responsibility of border guard troops, and we are moving in that direction.

In the near future, of course, we will continue and, within reasonable timeframes, complete the delimitation of the border between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. We also have on our agenda the process of finalizing the delimitation of our border with Georgia, and we already have agreements on this with our Georgian partners.

In this way, essentially, the delimitation and demarcation of Armenia’s borders will be completed, and our state will be able to focus more confidently on its development agenda within its internationally recognized territory,” said Nikol Pashinyan.

According to the Prime Minister, the border guard is also “one of the most important symbols of the state, sovereignty, and independence.”

“When it is said that the border will be delimited and demarcated, our desire is for our military personnel to have the opportunity to carry out their service in permanent deployment locations. For decades, our army has spent much of its service in trenches and positions, the conditions of which, due to well-known circumstances, are not the best.

We are now also carrying out fortification work along the borders, implementing large-scale engineering works. But our goal is that at a certain point, we will also hand over those fortified areas to the border guard troops, so that the border guards will also carry out service there.

Of course, this will take place under conditions of full peace, toward which we are moving with increasing confidence with each month, each week, and each day. Our region is undergoing historic changes, and these changes are undoubtedly positive. Our task is for the functional role of the border guard troops in the Republic of Armenia, as well as the scale of their service, to gradually expand,” noted Pashinyan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed his gratitude to the border guard troops, noting that the new missions assigned to them require a higher level of professionalism and greater responsibility.

The My Step Foundation says it will continue its charity programs during the pre-election period despite legal concerns raised by a civic group that questions its political neutrality.

My Step Foundation Executive Director Anna Hakobyan, the ex-wife of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with whom he recently announced his reconciliation, said there are no grounds for suspending or postponing the Foundation’s programs during the pre-election period, emphasizing that its activities fully comply with Armenian legislation.

“There is no reason to postpone any programs, because no provision of Armenian law is being violated by My Step Foundation in its activities,” Hakobyan said when asked about the matter at a press briefing.

“We cannot suspend our programs, as we have obligations and signed contracts. Our cooperation with international partners is extremely important. We have agreements, timelines, and clear divisions of responsibilities. We are obliged to respect both our partners and the commitments we have undertaken.”

She added that halting programs would be impossible given the contractual framework and ongoing cooperation with partner organizations, which provide funding and participate in joint initiatives.

On April 22, the civic initiative Independent Observer filed a lawsuit with the Administrative Court of Armenia, arguing that the Foundation’s charitable activities during the election period could have legal implications. The group noted that the name of My Step Foundation is widely associated with the ruling Civil Contract Party, suggesting that its activities during the election period should be subject to administrative review.

The My Step Foundation has rejected these allegations, insisting that neither the Foundation nor its programs have any institutional connection to the ruling political force.

Hakobyan also announced that the Foundation’s legal team would examine the possibility of filing counterclaims against the Independent Observer and its representative, Daniel Ioannisyan, in response to the accusations.

A senior member of the Strong Armenia party, Artur Avanesyan, has been arrested, law enforcement agencies confirmed on Monday.

The Anti-Corruption Committee confirmed the arrest to Armenpress but did not elaborate.

Avanesyan is a retired colonel in the Armenian Armed Forces and a war veteran known by his callsign “Kandaz.”

The law enforcement body said it would provide additional information if necessary.

Avanesyan has made numerous appearances at Strong Armenia party rallies led by Samvel Karapetyan and has spoken about the party’s election manifesto concerning the military and security.

Four members of the same family are under criminal investigation in connection with allegedly offering money to individuals, including minors, to attend a political rally organized by the “Strong Armenia” alliance, investigators announced on Monday.

According to the Investigative Committee, during the investigation of a criminal case handled by its Shirak Regional Investigative Department, investigators obtained data indicating that four individuals—whose identities are withheld amid the ongoing probe and are referred to only by initials, A. Kh., M. Kh., N. Kh., and K. Kh.—allegedly acted with the aim of ensuring a high turnout at a rally organized by the “Strong Armenia” alliance on April 11, 2026.

Investigators say the group allegedly offered monetary payments to encourage participation in the rally, promising each participant 10,000 drams (around $26) after attending the event, including minors.

On April 11, the family members reportedly organized transportation from the village of Pokr Mantash in the Artik community of Shirak Province to Yerevan using a rented taxi service vehicle arranged by A. Kh. Participants then attended the rally organized by the “Strong Armenia” alliance and later returned to Pokr Mantash, where they allegedly received the promised payments.

Investigators did not say how many people were paid.

Public criminal prosecution has been initiated against A. Kh., M. Kh., N. Kh., and K. Kh. under Article 236, Part 2 of the Criminal Code, which covers offering material incentives for participation in assemblies.

House arrest and a travel ban were imposed on A. Kh., administrative supervision and a travel ban were applied to M. Kh. and N. Kh., while educational supervision was imposed on the minor K. Kh.

The investigation is ongoing.

At the time of publication, there was no public comment from the alliance.

The “Strong Armenia” alliance held a rally in Yerevan’s Freedom Square on April 11.

Authorities announced Monday that several streets will be temporarily closed to traffic from May 3 to 5 for organizational and protocol events as part of the 8th European Political Community Summit in Yerevan.

“Please follow the instructions of the police. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. Additional information about traffic restrictions will be provided,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a press release.

The 8th Summit of the European Political Community will take place on May 4, 2026, in Yerevan, Republic of Armenia, under the motto “Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe.”The Summit will bring together European leaders and heads of international organizations at a pivotal moment of shaping and strengthening Europe’s collective path. It will serve as an inclusive forum for open dialogue, strategic coordination, and shared reflection on Europe’s priorities, fostering collaboration, mutual understanding, and tangible initiatives that support a more resilient and forward-looking continent.

Armenian authorities have described Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan’s participation in the G7 Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Paris as an “important milestone” in terms of deepening the country’s engagement in international environmental matters.

The meeting took place in Paris from 23 to 24 April as part of the French G7 presidency.

In a statement, the Ministry of Environment said that Armenia’s presence in this format not only testifies to the growing trust in the country but also highlights Armenia’s increased role in the global environmental agenda.

“The G7 brings together key actors in global political and economic processes, and our participation in this platform provided an opportunity to present Armenia’s priorities and contribute to shaping international discussions around them. Our country’s participation was also of particular importance because Armenia is the upcoming host country of COP17, the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. This circumstance places a high responsibility on us to actively engage in international processes, strengthen partnership ties, and develop coordinated approaches aimed at biodiversity conservation and addressing climate challenges,” the ministry’s statement said.

According to the press release, during the meetings, Minister Matevosyan reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness to act as an initiator and a reliable partner, and presented Armenia’s priorities in the context of ensuring the effective implementation of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and strengthening interaction among multilateral processes.

The partnerships formed and the agreements reached within the framework of this meeting will make a significant contribution both to the successful organization of COP17 and to ensuring the long-term impact of its outcomes, the ministry said.