Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

Armenian, Omani FMs sign MoU on political consultations

Emil Lazarian

Armenia20:12, 17 March 2026
Read the article in: العربيةفارسیFrançaisՀայերենRussianTürkçe中文

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi signed a memorandum of understanding on political consultations between their foreign ministries, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said.

On March 17, during an official visit to Oman, Mirzoyan met Albusaidi in Muscat.

The ministers discussed a wide range of issues related to the development of cooperation between Armenia and Oman.

Read the article in: العربيةفارسیFrançaisՀայերենRussianTürkçe中文

Published by Armenpress, original at 
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No influx of Iranian-Armenians, says Diaspora Commissioner

Emil Lazarian

Iran12:57, 17 March 2026
Read the article in: العربيةEspañolPersianFrançaisTurkish

There is no “unusual” influx of Iranian-Armenians into Armenia, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan said on Tuesday.

At the same time, he did not provide the exact number of Iranian-Armenians who have arrived in Armenia amid the war in Iran.

“But there is no unusual flow of Iranian Armenians to Armenia compared to previous periods. As such, there is no significant movement of Iranian Armenians to Armenia,” Sinanyan said at a press briefing. 

He said that authorities are constantly trying to stay in contact with the Armenian community in Iran, and sometimes they are able to establish communication.

“People are trying to stay away from dangerous areas, remaining in their homes, and hoping that all of this will end soon,” Sinanyan noted.

According to him, there are unconfirmed reports of two lightly injured Iranian Armenians.

“There were reports about two Iranian Armenians who sustained minor injuries, but it is very difficult to verify this information,” Sinanyan said.

Published by Armenpress, original at 
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The Fourth Doing Digital Forum to be Held Under the Theme “Bridging Platforms

Emil Lazarian

High Technologies14:16, 17 March 2026
Read the article in: Armenian:

On April 8, Yerevan will host the Doing Digital Forum (DDF), the premier event for digital transformation and financial technology, for the fourth consecutive year. Under the theme “Bridging Platforms and Economies,” the forum will bring together top local and international experts, business leaders, and public sector decision-makers.

The special guest of the DDF26 is Leiming Chen, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International. During the forum, Leiming Chen will share his vision for the future of the digital economy and global financial inclusion.

Keynote speeches will be delivered by Matias Undurraga, Head of AI Europe at Amazon Web Services (AWS); Dirk Ohlmeier, CEO of Just Better; Oleksandr Yablunivskyy, VP and Head of Products and Solutions at Visa CISSEE.

“Modern digital economy is no longer shaped by isolated technological solutions, but through interconnected ecosystems and platforms. In a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, new economic ties and pathways for cooperation are emerging. In this year’s agenda, we aim to showcase the opportunities arising from the formation of links between diverse economic platforms. The Doing Digital Forum connects Armenia to the global technological agenda, positioning it as an important bridge for collaboration between the region and various world economies,”said  Tatevik Simonyan, Founder of DDF.

The discussions at DDF26 will focus on four strategic pillars: the harmonious collaboration between Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents and human potential, the effective interconnection of financial capital and technological platforms, leapfrog growth through innovation and regulatory development, and the strengthening of links between global markets to integrate regional economies into the worldwide system.

This year’s Forum features an extensive lineup of distinguished speakers, including Varlam Ebanoidze, Head of Financial and Supervisory Technology Development Department at the National Bank of Georgia; Martin Galstyan, Governor of the Central Bank of Armenia; Armen Nurbekyan, Deputy Governor of the CBA; Eduard Hakobyan, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (SRC); Arusyak Mirzakhanyan, Director of the SRC Training Center, Ruben Simonyan, Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia, Karen Mkoyan, CEO of imID, Laura Aydinyan, Head of Interoperability and Data Governance at the Information Systems Agency of Armenia (ISAA), Sadyk Azimov, Vice President for Digital Transformation, Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine and others.

Annually, the Doing Digital Forum features the latest technological developments and economic trends, sharing them with the audience and creating a platform for future-oriented dialogue. Since its launch in 2023, DDF has brought together over 60 prominent speakers and more than 3,000 participants from Armenia, the United Kingdom, the United States, the UAE, Germany, Australia, and the CIS countries.

The forum is organized by SPRING PR Company, with Visa serving as the Innovation Partner, imID as the Digital Identity Partner, aeda as the Blockchain Partner and Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine as the Industrial Transformation Partner.

Read the article in: Armenian:

Published by Armenpress, original at 
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Northern Europe-Baltic countries cooperation format MFA presentation

Emil Lazarian

On March 17, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Ruben Rubinyan, received the directors of the Eastern European Departments of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Northern Europe-Baltic Eight cooperation format and ambassadors accredited to Armenia.


Welcoming the guests, Ruben Rubinyan emphasized cooperation with the Nordic-Baltic countries.


Issues related to regional developments were discussed.


The guests were also interested in the process of regulating Armenia-Turkey relations.

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Armenian Bar Association Repudiates Pashinyan-Imposed Resignation of AGMI Dire

Emil Lazarian
by Contributor

 

 March 17, 2026

 

in Latest, News, Top Stories

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has gone on record to confirm that he required the termination of Dr. Edita Gzoyan as the Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.

Dr. Gzoyan is an expert of Armenian Genocide studies who has devoted her professional life to the vindication of historical records and who is held in the highest regard by her peers in Armenia and throughout the world. She has been a longtime collaborator of the Armenian Bar Association’s Genocide Reparations Committee and an essential ally in the Armenian Bar Association’s work under its Memorandum of Understanding with the AGMI.

According to the Prime Minister, the reason for his directive was that Dr. Gzoyan had the poise to mention Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh) to U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance during their visit to the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex as part of their official visit to Yerevan in February. He indicated that Gzoyan’s mere reference of Artsakh to the Vice President amounted to an outrageous act of defiance requiring her dismissal from AGMI.

The Prime Minister also indicated that he found to be inexcusable Dr. Gzoyan’s gesture of gifting written literature about Artsakh’s history to her American guests and showing them nearby memorials to the victims of the Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku pogroms of Armenians conducted by Azerbaijan in the late 1980s-early 1990s.

The historical facts and academic research surrounding Artsakh and the Pogroms of Armenians are not political issues, they are historical facts. They are facts that need to be documented and researched under the leadership of academic institutions such as the AGMI and should not be silenced or buried. Moreover, they are the cornerstones of legal rights surrounding the right of return of Artsakh citizens to their native homes, the preservation of Artsakh’s cultural and religious heritage, and the pursuit of related claims in international courts.

The Armenian Bar Association has in recent years maintained a formal working relationship with AGMI and its staff on a broad range of topics and projects. During this time, representatives of the Association have met with Dr. Gzoyan on a monthly basis and partnered with her and her team on initiatives dedicated to preserving historical truth, advancing genocide scholarship, and documenting the lived experiences of Armenians who have survived persecution.

Among the most significant initiatives is the Armenian Bar Association’s Pogroms Project. A group of the Association’s members from across the country interview Armenians who arrived in the United States as refugees from Azerbaijan, following the anti-Armenian pogroms in cities such as Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku. These interviews document first-hand accounts of violence, displacement, and survival. The recorded testimonies are then transmitted to AGMI for archival preservation and scholarly use so that these histories may be studied by researchers and preserved for future generations.

The Armenian Bar also supports AGMI’s academic initiatives, including its Moot Court program for teams of students from law schools in multiple countries. This program engages mostly non-Armenian students and scholars in examining legal questions related to genocide, crimes against humanity, accountability, and reparations. These collaborative programs are a testament to the vital role AGMI plays as a global center for research, documentation, and education concerning the Armenian Genocide and subsequent anti-Armenian violence.

The independence of institutions devoted to genocide research is not merely an administrative matter—it is a fundamental requirement for credible scholarship and the preservation of historical truth. Any action that appears to subject the leadership of such an institution to political pressure raises serious concerns about academic freedom and institutional integrity.

AGMI is not simply a national institution; it is a cornerstone of global genocide scholarship. Its credibility depends on the ability of its scholars and leadership to pursue historical truth free from political interference. Attempts to pressure or remove leadership for political reasons risk undermining the institution’s reputation and weakening international efforts to combat genocide denial and distortion.

The Armenian Bar Association therefore calls upon the authorities in Yerevan and the responsible governing bodies to rethink and reconsider the forced departure of the Director and that they ensure that AGMI remains independent and protected from political interference. The AGMI’s ongoing projects are of utmost importance to the preservation of Armenian history, and any political effort to derail that work is unacceptable. The safeguarding of historical memory—particularly concerning genocide and crimes against humanity—must remain beyond the reach of short-term political considerations.

In light of these developments, the Armenian Bar Association joins the growing number of scholars and experts who have raised alarm.

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RFE/RL – EU To Send Hybrid Rapid Response Team To Armenia Ahead Of Elections

Emil Lazarian
March 17, 2026


EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (file photo)

The European Union will deploy a Hybrid Rapid Response Team to Armenia ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections as part of a broader effort to counter foreign interference, the 27-nation bloc’s top diplomat said on March 16.

“Following the request from Armenia, the EU will deploy a Hybrid Rapid Response Team to help counter the threats ahead of the country’s elections,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told a press conference after a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

“Supporting democratic resilience in our neighborhood remains essential. We will not leave Armenia to face foreign interference alone. Democracies under pressure can count on Europe,” she added.

RFE/RL’s Armenian Service had earlier reported that the EU was considering such a deployment following a request from Yerevan outlined in a letter by Armenia’s foreign minister seen by RFE/RL.

The EU first announced in December that it was preparing to allocate 12 million euros (about $13.8 million) to Armenia to help it “counter Russian disinformation ahead of the elections.” Kallas later said that the assistance had been requested by the Armenian government.

According to a document seen by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, the EU will deploy a team of between 9-14 experts in Armenia in late March/early April for the duration of 10-15 working days to help Yerevan counter hybrid threats and Foreign Interference and Manipulation of Information (FIMI).

The team will provide advice to the offices of the Armenian Prime Minister and the Security Council “on crisis management plans” and support “in shaping future crisis management protocols, including on cyber and FIMI.” The Central Election Commission, the Interior Ministry, and tax authorities will also be among the beneficiaries of the assistance.

The EU believes that Armenia has been facing “intense hybrid activities, with concerns over an intensification of actions taken by adversaries to undermine democratic institutions, processes and societal trust.”

“These threats are highly likely to escalate further in the run up to the elections on 7 June 2026,” the document approved by the Council of the European Union states.

The document makes it clear that Armenia appealed to the EU last November, after which an assessment mission was organized in January, and that “these efforts provided valuable insights into the country’s vulnerabilities to hybrid threats.” It does not mention specific examples.

The planned deployment has drawn criticism from Armenia’s opposition, which has described the move as interference in the country’s domestic political affairs.

Russia has also criticized the EU’s plans. Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, claimed earlier this month that the EU was gearing up for a repeat of “the Moldovan scenario” in Armenia.

The EU previously sent a similar mission to Moldova during parliamentary elections held there last September. In those elections, two opposition parties described as pro-Russian were barred from running, while authorities reportedly blocked Russian or pro-Russian websites accused of spreading election-related disinformation.

Armenian officials have rejected the criticism, saying the request for EU assistance is intended to ensure the proper conduct of the elections rather than influence their outcome.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s ruling Civil Contract Party is seeking to retain its strong majority in parliament in the elections scheduled for June 7. Several opposition groups, including the newly established Strong Armenia party led by Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetian, say they aim to unseat the ruling party and form the next government.

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Indian Students Returning From Iran Hit Roadblock As Azerbaijan Denies Entry

Emil Lazarian
India – Mar 17 2026

Dr Momin Khan, president All India Medical Students Association said that the evacuated students were not allowed to cross the border.

By Moazum Mohammad

Published : March 17, 2026 at 6:40 PM IST

Srinagar: With the first few batches of Indian students returning home from war-torn Iran due to safety concerns, the repatriation of students via Azerbaijan is in limbo after Baku closed the border crossing.

This has left over 200 students from Iran University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University and Tehran University of Medical Sciences stranded at the Astara land border checkpoint at the Iran border.

Since last week, the students were transported by bus to the Azerbaijan and Armenia borders to exit Iran due to safety concerns, as Israel and the US have pounded the country with aerial strikes since February 28.

“But now, students are not allowed to cross the border,” said Dr Momin Khan, president All India Medical Students Association (AIMA), which alongside Jammu and Students Association (JKSA) is coordinating and overseeing the repatriation of students with Indian authorities.

“The Indian embassy instructed students to book tickets and visas from Azerbaijan to India. However, Azerbaijan border authorities are seeking some exit code from students at the checkpoint. We have taken up the issue with external affairs but there appears to be a lack of coordination between the Indian embassy and Azerbaijan,” he said.

Since last week, according to the ministry of external affairs, around 640 Indian nationals have exited Iran via Armenia and Azerbaijan. Unlike previous Operation Sindhu last year when India evacuated its citizens from Iran during a 12-day war, this time it facilitated bus travel for students to the borders so they could fly their citizens out at their own expense.

India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that 90 Indian nationals were facilitated by the Indian embassy in Iran to cross over to Azerbaijan.

However, students who reached the border from Urmia Medical University said the border has been effectively closed since the initial batches crossed.

“Many have missed their scheduled flights since March 15 because border authorities are seeking a 16-digit exit code at the border,”said the student. “But we lack it and have been seeking help from the Indian Embassy.”

Back home, many parents in Srinagar are worried as their children studying MBBS missed their flights home.

“This situation has increased the worries of our children,” said Naseema Bano. “My daughter and her fellow students have been waiting at the border since March 13. The tickets and visa cost us about Rs 60000 but now these tickets stand cancelled. We will be unable to afford them again,” she said, requesting the Indian Embassy to take up the matter with their counterparts in Azerbaijan for smooth facilitation of their wards.

Another mother Asifa is worried her son who is a fifth-year student at IUMS will face the same trouble as his ticket is scheduled for March 18.

“They should have crossed the border today to reach hotels and catch their flight scheduled for 9 pm tomorrow for New Delhi. But they lack a code which has to be given by the Indian embassy to enter Azerbaijan,” she has told ETV Bharat. “Many students are sick as it is cold there. Also some are facing panic attacks. We request authorities to help us in bringing back our children.”

According to Asifa, this is the second time she had to face cancellation of tickets since the war began last month.

“I booked tickets costing Rs 60,000 from Tehran to New Delhi on March 5. But that was cancelled as the airspace was closed. This time, the ticket and visa cost another 60,000. We followed the instructions passed by the ministry of external affairs by booking tickets and visa,” she said, seeking answers for their fault.

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Robert Kocharyan named prime minister candidate: will he become represent oppo

Emil Lazarian
JAM News
Mar 17 2026

Former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan will run as a candidate for prime minister from the Armenia bloc in the parliamentary elections scheduled for June.

At the end of January, Kocharyan said no one could “lead the country out of this situation” better than him. At that time, however, he did not say that he himself would be the candidate for prime minister.

“We will conduct a sociological survey and decide who will lead the bloc. If the poll shows that it is me, I will take the lead. If it is someone else, then they will lead. I will be very glad if it is not me. A great burden will fall from my shoulders,” he said.

At a ceremony held the day before in Yerevan, organisers confirmed that Kocharyan will take part in the elections together with the ARF Dashnaktsutyun party and the Forward party as part of the bloc.

Experts now say Kocharyan and his bloc risk failing to enter parliament. Armenian political analysts point out that electoral blocs must clear an 8% threshold. They say this will be a difficult task for a force led by the former president.

Below, we look at which political forces plan to take part in the elections, whom they have named as prime ministerial candidates, who could become the “face” of the opposition, and what experts and social media users say.

  • Poll: Will Armenia’s ruling party win June election?
  • Pension rise in Armenia: economic growth or voter handout?
  • ‘Kocharyan’s views are hopelessly outdated,’ – Pashinyan in response to ex-president’s remarks

Political forces taking part in the elections and their candidates for prime minister

Here is a list of political forces that have announced they will take part in the parliamentary elections:

  • The ruling Civil Contract party (prime ministerial candidate — Nikol Pashinyan)
  • Strong Armenia (prime ministerial candidate — businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who is under house arrest on charges of calling for a seizure of power)
  • Prosperous Armenia (has not yet named a prime ministerial candidate; party leader, businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, says he does not seek the post)
  • Armenian National Congress (prime ministerial candidate — Levon Zurabyan)
  • Republic (prime ministerial candidate — former prime minister Aram Sargsyan)
  • Wings of Unity political initiative (prime ministerial candidate — former ombudsman Arman Tatoyan)
  • DOK party (prime ministerial candidate — blogger Vardan Ghukasyan, who is in a US prison)
  • “I Am Against All” movement (has not yet announced its prime ministerial candidate)

The Republican Party of Armenia, led by former president Serzh Sargsyan, has not yet decided whether to take part in the elections. The Homeland party, led by former National Security Service chief Artur Vanetsyan, initially announced it would participate. However, in late February, it decided not to run. Vanetsyan called on his supporters to vote for “any genuinely opposition force.”

Ruling party suggests opposition is betting on Kocharyan

Representatives of the ruling party highlight shifts within the opposition camp ahead of the elections. They point out that some members of former president Robert Kocharyan’s team have joined the Strong Armenia party, led by Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan. They believe the new party aims to help Kocharyan become prime minister.

Samvel Karapetyan himself cannot run for the post. Armenia’s constitution does not allow it, as he holds citizenship of Armenia, Russia and Cyprus.

His nephew, Narek Karapetyan, a member of the party’s political council, gave an evasive response when local media asked about possible cooperation with Kocharyan’s bloc. He said he had never met Robert Kocharyan.

“According to all polls, Strong Armenia, Samvel Karapetyan’s party, is the leading opposition force,” Narek Karapetyan said.

He added that Samvel Karapetyan would go all the way, overcome poverty and ensure security in the country.

“Having started this process in Armenia and spent seven months in an NSS detention centre, he will see it through and personally deliver these changes.”

Robert Kocharyan: “Our goal is victory”

Kocharyan delivered a keynote speech to his supporters. Organisers invited him onto the stage as “the first president of the Republic of Artsakh [the former unrecognised NKR] and the second president of the Republic of Armenia”.

When he reached the podium, he stressed that becoming a candidate for prime minister was “not a promotion, but a step down” for him, but said he was ready to do anything for the sake of the country.

“We are determined, our goal is victory. I am sure that the evil represented by this government will be defeated. I have fought them since their first day in power and will not rest until they are gone,” he said.

Kocharyan said one of Armenia’s main tasks in the coming years is to ensure security. He added that this requires “a combat-ready army, a strong leader and a powerful ally”. Kocharyan has long held pro-Russian views, so his remark likely referred to Russia.

On the peace process with Azerbaijan, he said he supports peace but only with “real security guarantees.”

Expert opinion

Political analyst Robert Ghevondyan commented on the chances of Kocharyan’s Armenia bloc entering parliament:

“In fact, there was some intrigue over whether Kocharyan would run as part of a bloc or lead the list of the Dashnaktsutyun party to try to pass the electoral threshold.

By choosing to lead the Armenia bloc, Kocharyan is taking a risk. He needs to secure 8%, which is quite a difficult task. Samvel Karapetyan’s force has taken a large share of the votes that Kocharyan received in the 2021 elections.

If he gains 6–7% and finishes third, he still will not enter parliament under the current law. Prosperous Armenia, led by Gagik Tsarukyan, would become the third force to pass the threshold after securing more than 4%.

In essence, Kocharyan has to take this risk if he wants Russian circles, which brought Samvel Karapetyan into Armenian politics, to continue seeing him as an important figure. […]

The forecast looks like this:

  • First place will go to the ruling Civil Contract party, which will most likely form the government.
  • Second place will go to Strong Armenia, which could win 20–30% of the vote.
  • Third place will go to the Armenia bloc, with 6–8%. Whether it enters parliament will depend on whether it reaches the 8% threshold.
  • Fourth place will go to Prosperous Armenia, which could win 5–7% and enter parliament, as it is a party rather than a bloc. [The threshold for parties is 4%.]

Other political forces have much lower chances of passing the threshold.”

Social media reactions

Users in the Armenian segment of social media are actively discussing the decision by the Armenia bloc to nominate Robert Kocharyan as its candidate for prime minister. Most reactions are critical.

Here are some of the comments:

“I don’t want to burn in that fire a second time.”

“Congratulations, and I wish you victory in the elections, Robert Kocharyan.”

“Hey, mothball-smelling relic, don’t you realise there is no way back, even if you tear yourself apart?”

“Most people clearly understand who your candidate is — the governor of your hearts and of Russia. He will never become the prime minister of Armenian hearts.”

“It’s like in fairy tales: you cut off a dragon’s heads, and they grow back again.”

“This man lost Artsakh, his ancestral home and family grave. If he does not fight for Artsakh, then who will?”

“Change the name of the bloc. What does it have to do with Armenia?”

“This alliance will not be elected again. It is outdated and rotten, and we have changed. We have already lived through our fears, we have seen everything and gone through it all. But this self-confident leech, this parasite, still cannot understand that his time has passed. That is his problem.”

https://jam-news.net/robert-kocharyan-named-prime-minister-candidate-will-he-become-represent-opposition-in-armenias-upcoming-elections/



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Armenia and Turkey explore boosting energy connectivity

Emil Lazarian
Eurasianet
Mar 17 2026

Taking steps towards economic normalization.

David O’Byrne Mar 17, 2026)

Energy interests are helping to fuel fresh efforts aimed at normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations.

Meeting on the sidelines of a gathering sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA), Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, along with his minister for infrastructure, Davit Khudatyan, talked with Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar to explore a variety of energy-related connectivity issues. 

“We discussed infrastructure and energy issues that will contribute to lasting peace and stability in our region; within this scope, we addressed areas of cooperation, primarily electricity interconnection, nuclear energy, and natural gas,” Bayraktar stated in a social media post.

The March 10 meeting marked the highest-level contact between Armenian and Turkish officials since Pashinyan’s visit to Istanbul for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last June.

That meeting has been widely viewed as kick starting a new reconciliation and rapprochement initiative. A previous effort to normalize relations stalled in 2010. 

The Istanbul visit was also seen as consistent with Pashinyan’s “Real Armenia“ strategy, under which his government strives to focus on economic development while setting aside historical grievances that have impeded the establishment of full diplomatic relations with Turkey, including an insistence that Ankara recognize the Ottoman-era mass killings of Armenians as genocide. 

None of the three ministers shared details of their March 10 discussions, although Bayraktar’s mention of energy and infrastructure issues suggested a focus on practical cooperation, without necessarily addressing the historical and ideological topics that have dominated bilateral relations since Armenia regained independence in 1991.

Speaking to journalists in Istanbul in February, Bayraktar said, “We support the normalization of economic relations with Armenia. We can realize cooperation in energy. This is an opportunity for both countries,” he said. 

While the meeting took place at the IAEA summit, nuclear cooperation was not likely a major subject of the Armenian-Turkish discussions. Both countries have nuclear power plants, but talks more likely to focused on integrating Armenia into regional power and natural gas transmission networks, as well as exploring new cooperation opportunities created by the Armenian-Azerbaijani provisional peace deal, and the landmark agreement to create the TRIPP corridor. 

For most of the post-Soviet era, Turkey and its strategic ally Azerbaijan maintained an economic blockade of Armenia as part of the decades-long conflict over the Nagorno Karabakh territory. Azerbaijan completed its reconquest of Karabakh in 2023 with Ankara’s help. Ankara has long signaled readiness to end the blockade – action that could boost the economic fortunes of poor regions bordering Armenia – but has hesitated out of a sense of loyalty to Baku. 

Armenia has few energy resources of its own and has been dependent on Russia and Iran for supplies of natural gas and petroleum products. Yerevan has also depended on Russia for nuclear fuel for its Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, which meets up to 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity needs. 

Those supplies are now threatened by the ratcheting up of sanctions on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, and more immediately by the US-Israeli war in Iran. Armenia, which needs to replace the aging Metsamor plant, signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States in February.

Although primarily expected to be a road and rail transport route, plans for the TRIPP corridor through southern Armenia also envisage the laying of a power transmission line and a gas pipeline.

Azerbaijan has already started laying 330 kilovolt (kV) lines on both sides of the corridor in anticipation that the envisioned US-run TRIPP Development Company will begin work on the route across Armenian territory.

Armenia already has a functioning 220 kilovolt (kV) connection with Turkey which, to date, has seen little use. Ankara is expected to upgrade and expand the connection as part of a wider program to increase power connectivity with Turkey’s near neighbors. 

Turkey completed construction of a gas pipeline link in 2025 to Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave, which is expected to be extended through the TRIPP corridor to the Azerbaijani mainland. That pipeline could potentially be used to supply Armenia with gas from either Azerbaijan or Turkey. It would also be relatively straightforward for Ankara to extend a separate gas pipeline into northern Armenia from an existing line that runs through Kars province near the Armenian border.


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The flight of the Algerian Air Force to Baku through the territory of Armenia was for diplomatic purposes.

Emil Lazarian

The Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft of the Algerian Air Force made a diplomatic flight through the territory of Armenia to Azerbaijan. This was reported by the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to Sputnik Armenia’s inquiry.


“According to the information provided by the executing party, the flight of the C-130J aircraft on the Bufarik-Baku route through the airspace of Armenia took place for diplomatic purposes,” the Foreign Ministry emphasized.


It should be noted that the plane used Armenian airspace to fly from Ankara to Baku and from Baku to Boufarik (Algeria) in February.

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