Author: Chalian Meline

Yesterday it became known that RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeihun Bayramov. According to the press release of the RA Foreign Ministry, the ministers noted with satisfaction the positive developments in the further settlement process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeihun Bayramov also discussed issues of cooperation on regional and multilateral platforms,” ​​the message states.

It is also noteworthy that this is the second Mirzoyan-Bayram phone conversation this month. Earlier, on March 5, Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Jeihun Bayramov. According to the RA MFA, during the conversation, the ministers exchanged ideas on the latest developments in the region. “The parties expressed concern and noted the importance of refraining from actions aimed at further escalation of tension, emphasizing the need to ensure stability and security.

The ministers noted with satisfaction the importance of stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and exchanged ideas on issues of mutual interest,” the message said. By the way, this phone call took place a few days after the war started by the USA and Israel against Iran.

The recent telephone conversations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeihun Bayramov, take place at a stage when the regional security environment has changed dramatically and is still changing. The escalating situation around Iran and the US-Israeli military operations against Iran are turning the South Caucasus into a broader geopolitical competition zone, which inevitably affects the logic of the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations as well.

In this situation, the contacts of the two ministers can at first glance be perceived as a continuation of the so-called peace process discussion, but in reality they seem to have a deeper content. First, the parties are trying to maintain the already achieved negotiation dynamics. Continuity of contacts seems to be important for the parties to show that even a wide regional crisis does not stop the bilateral process, because obviously the situation created in the immediate neighborhood can freeze, abort or delay many processes in the South Caucasus.

The second important direction is the discussions on regional risks. The developments around Iran are sensitive both for Armenia and especially for Azerbaijan, which has already faced incidents in Nakhichevan. Thirdly, the discussions refer to interaction on multilateral platforms. Contacts with Mirzoyan-Bayram are also an attempt to “coordinate” further negotiation and cooperation formats. The most important thing is that at the current stage, the Armenia-Azerbaijan process in the South Caucasus, being part of a wider geopolitical game, continues to be under the influence of international developments.

Russian analyst Alexander Khramchikhin 168.amtold that Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be without concerns in the background of the war against Iran, because it directly affects the process that started months ago in the White House.

First of all, in his opinion, the terms of the process started with the mediation of the US and the implementation of some practical issues will be extended, because the White House is busy in other directions.
“Besides, the tension around Iran can both speed up the process, forcing the parties to rush to an agreement, and, on the contrary, freeze it, if the opposition of the great powers deepens. This duality is currently the key factor that pushes the parties to contacts and global caution.

These ministerial telephone conversations are not just contacts. They are an attempt to maintain negotiation progress, manage new security risks and realign positions in a changing geopolitical environment. The South Caucasus has entered a stage where the peace process is no longer determined only by the logic of developments between Yerevan and Baku, but also between Tehran, Washington and Tel Aviv.

As we have discussed many times, the change in Tehran’s positions can play an equally important role in all of this. Currently, Iran maintains its positions, this also extends to the trends of the South Caucasus, the same applies to the USA as well,” he said.

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The government announces that the universal health insurance system has been launched since January 1, 2026, 58 legislative packages have been adopted, about 1.6 million citizens have been included in the first phase, and significant successes have been recorded in the health system. However, there are questions in the same data that cannot remain unanswered.

About this 168TV’s “Healthy Decision” spoke during the program Anush Poghosyan, president of “Right to Health” NGO.

“First, it is announced that the availability and quality of medical services have improved, but at the same time, child mortality rates have worsened. the mortality of children under 1 year in 2025 was 6.8 per thousand, while in 2024 it was 6.2 per thousand. The mortality of children under 5 years old has also increased, from 7.4 to 8.2 per thousand. In other words, in the field where the state should be more sensitive, the statements about improvement are not confirmed,” the healthcare expert presented the situation.

The latter added that, regarding the program to overcome infertility, numbers are presented again, which raise more questions than they answer. 7,722 beneficiaries, 1,307 pregnancies were registered, but only 561 children were born.
“If this is presented as a success, then it should be clearly explained how many treatment cycles were carried out, how many ended with birth, and why the final result is so low compared to the total number of beneficiaries,” said Anush Poghosyan.

The expert noted that the picture is also ambiguous in terms of oncology and screenings.

“Breast cancer screenings increased, but colorectal cancer pilot screenings decreased, from 5,187 to 4,404 in 2024. In other words, even in the field of prevention, there is no progress in all directions. I will list the following:

Fourth, in terms of cardiovascular surgical services, the government talks about expansion, but according to the data presented, total surgical services have decreased from 15,305 to 13,940 in 2024. Yes, the Stent for Life program has grown, but the overall picture shows that instead of overall growth, we have piecemeal progress and overall decline.

Fifth, organ transplant services also decreased, from 83 to 71. If the system has really become more accessible and developed, why are the numbers of some highly specialized services declining?

Sixth, it is announced that the construction or reconstruction of 14 institutions has been completed in 2025, and the process has started in 40 institutions, but again it is not mentioned what these institutions are, where they are located, what kind of work has been done, how much funding has been allocated to each, and what measurable results are expected from them. Without these details, the wording “14 completed” and “40 in progress” are just numbers that create an impression.

Seventh, in terms of universal health insurance, it is presented that the system includes different social groups and high-income earners, but the most important thing is not clearly presented: how much money was actually collected, how much was the state subsidy, how much was paid for services, how much was the administrative cost, and whether the system is financially stable or just started without a long-term balance.

After all this, it is clear that the government is trying to present a big set of numbers as an indisputable success, while the same numbers show that there are serious contradictions in the health system, incomplete accountability and areas where there has been deterioration instead of progress.

The citizen has the right to hear clear answers, not general advertising statements. if everything is so successful, why have the infant mortality rates increased, why have the volumes of services in some key programs decreased, why do the final results of the infertility program continue to raise questions, and why is the true financial picture of universal health insurance not fully published,” concluded Anush Poghosyan.

Details in the video.

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EU High Representative Kaya Kalas stated that the European Union will send a “hybrid rapid response team” to Armenia “to help counter threats before the country’s elections.”

As a result of these processes carried out by the EU, what will Armenia gain or lose?

Head of YSU Political Institutes and Processes Chair, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor Garik Keryan speaking about this issue, he said: if there is an achievement, it should be Armenia’s membership in the EU, which, of course, can make any serious political scientist laugh.

“Armenia has no chance of becoming a member of the EU, it is simply impossible, in all aspects: economic, geographical, etc. In addition to this, the EU does not have an expansion plan in its strategic plans, the only expansion is planned in the Western Balkans: Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, these countries want to take to the EU in order to complete Europe and thus close the circle. I can’t say how long it will take for the EU to succeed, but one thing is clear: the EU has no plans to expand to another region.” 168.amGarik Keryan mentioned in a conversation with

According to the political scientist, even Ukraine has no chance of becoming a member of the EU, despite the fact that it continues to suffer territorial, material and human losses and will continue to suffer for the sake of this great goal.

“Today, processes are taking place within the EU as well, which give many political scientists the right to say that the EU is on the verge of collapse, that is, the views regarding the future of the EU are not united, they are divided. It is not clear what the future of that structure will be, we see processes of division there, the first “swallows” are the positions of Hungary and Slovakia, and before that, Great Britain left with great noise. It is not excluded that other countries will leave the EU, all this shows that our benefit from the EU will be zero.

Of course, nobody is against trade and economic ties, but they cannot be so essential for the development of Armenia, they are small in terms of volume, they cannot give us energy resources, because they need it, etc., Garik Keryan added.

Speaking about the negative impact of these processes, the political scientist noted that Armenia will lose the neighborliness of neighboring countries, referring to both Iran and Russia. Both of these countries are radical anti-Western countries today, the events show why they take that position.

“It is childish to think that the European vector of Armenia can be kindly accepted by Russia. If it was in the 90s, then anything could have happened, because the Yeltsin government was cooperating with Europe and the United States, now the situation is different.

We do not know how the war in Iran will end, if the Islamic regime is preserved, then it will constantly “remind” all those who during this time took an anti-Iranian position or allied with Western countries. This will be a big loss for Armenia,” Garik Keryan emphasized.

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