Author: Emil Lazarian

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa ahead of the first-ever Armenia–EU Summit on Tuesday in Yerevan.

Pashinyan welcomed the EU leaders and hailed the “historic moment” marking the inaugural summit. The Prime Minister added that holding the first Armenia–European Union summit implies that a second summit is expected, and that it now only remains to reach an agreement on its organization.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the inaugural Armenia-EU Summit in Yerevan, said that Armenia could become a hub for new trade routes in the region.

Aside from von der Leyen, the EU side was represented at the meeting by European Council President António Costa and top diplomat Kaja Kallas, among others.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired the meeting on the Armenian side, which also included Cabinet ministers.

The President of the European Commission emphasized that the shortest route from Europe to Central Asia and the Caspian Sea passes through Armenia, but noted that this route had been closed due to war.

“Now you are changing this, thanks to a courageous choice in favor of peace and greater integration into European networks. As a result, Armenia can become a regional hub for new trade routes,” von der Leyen stated.

She also added that the European Union is ready to deepen cooperation with Armenia in the energy sector as well as in digitalization.

Von der Leyen noted that there has always been a special bond between Armenia and Europe. “But we are united not only by our shared history and culture, not only by our ancient ties, but also by the opportunities that lie ahead of us,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

She stressed that Armenia and the European Union are now closer than ever, highlighting that positive progress is being made in the EU visa liberalization process for Armenian citizens.

Von der Leyen recalled that, under the EU’s “Global Gateway” strategy, €2.5 billion in investments for Armenia has already been planned.

“From Ukraine to Iran, the entire region is being shaken by wars, while here in the South Caucasus there is a different story, a different situation. In an era of new conflicts, you are healing old wounds, and we want to support you by showing that peace leads to prosperity,” said Ursula von der Leyen. She pointed to the example of the European Union’s formation, noting that countries that were once enemies were able to build friendship and bring peace to the region through the establishment of trade relations.

Ameriabank press release 

Lion Finance Group (LFG) marked its inclusion in the FTSE 100 Index by ringing the closing bell at the London Stock Exchange.

Ameriabank as part of LFG, has been included in the FTSE 100 index of one of the world’s leading stock exchanges in March, making it the first company from Armenia to join the top 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The Bell Ringing Ceremony is a symbolic and long-standing tradition at the London Stock Exchange, attended by representatives of financial institutions, investors, and key stakeholders.

Leadership of Lion Finance Group, Ameriabank, Bank of Georgia, and government representatives both from Georgia and Armenia, including Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan and Governor of the Central Bank of Armenia Martin Galstyan, and other guests attended the ceremony.

The LFG’s entry into the FTSE 100 reflects strong international investor trust in its long-term strategy and consistent growth trajectory.

This milestone marks a new phase of growth for the Group and its subsidiaries, built on a long-term strategic vision and a commitment to delivering value to their customers.

Having been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2006, the Group’s inclusion in the FTSE 100 index has taken place within two years after Ameriabank joined LFG. This testifies to the strategic importance of Ameriabank’s inclusion in the Group and to its significant contribution to the Group’s overall development. During the visit, representatives of Ameriabank and Bank of Georgia were also hosted at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in the United Kingdom, where they met with His Excellency Varuzhan Nersesyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

About Lion Finance Group

Lion Finance Group is a London Stock Exchange-listed banking group that brings together leading, customer-focused and digitally enabled universal banks across the region and operates through its principal subsidiaries, Bank of Georgia in Georgia and Ameriabank in Armenia.

About Ameriabank

Ameriabank is a leading financial and technology company in Armenia, a major contributor to the Armenian economy. In pursuit of digital transformation, the Bank has implemented unique products, services and innovative platforms designed to meet the diverse financial and non-financial needs people have today and keeps on improving them.

Being a dynamically developing fintech environment, Ameriabank offers comprehensive solutions to improve the quality of life.

The Bank is supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized on Tuesday that Yerevan has made a sovereign choice to pursue a balancing foreign policy based not on dependence on a single center, but on the formation of substantive and mutually beneficial partnerships across different directions.

Speaking at the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 forum, he noted that the United States, France, Kazakhstan, China, and an expanding group of European countries are today part of Armenia’s strategic partnership landscape—not as alternatives to one another, but as diverse and cooperative pillars of its foreign policy architecture.

“Our commitment to peace, cooperation, and development guides our approach toward our neighbors. The process of normalizing relations with Türkiye reflects our belief that open borders and good-neighborly relations will best serve the interests of our people. With Georgia, we continue to deepen our strategic partnership based on mutual interests, and with Iran, we have consistently maintained friendly ties and close cooperation,” he said.

Mirzoyan stressed that diplomacy alone is not sufficient to sustain peace.

“When we share trade routes, energy networks, and digital connectivity, we also share risks and benefits. Therefore, by jointly building infrastructure with our neighbors that connects East to West and North to South, we create a reality in our region where every actor has a vested interest in their neighbor’s stability,” the minister said, adding that this is the foundation of the “Crossroads of Peace” initiative and the TRIPP project.

The European Commission has highly praised Armenia’s progress in implementing the Visa Liberalization Action Plan.

The first progress report on Armenia’s implementation of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan was formally handed to Armenia during the first Armenia–EU summit in Yerevan on Tuesday.

The report, according to the Armenian authorities, notes the clear political commitment of Armenia to implement the necessary reforms aimed at visa liberalization with the EU.

“The Armenian authorities have demonstrated strong political commitment to implementing the reforms envisaged under the Visa Liberalization Action Plan. Despite the fact that the VLAP was only recently handed over to Armenia, many reforms have already been initiated or are being planned by the Armenian authorities,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs quoted a part of the report as saying.

Analyzing all the steps taken by Armenia under the first set of benchmarks of the Action Plan (legislation and policy framework), the European Commission concluded that Armenia is at an “advanced stage of fulfilment” in the areas of document security, borders, migration management, and asylum, and has made “good progress” in the areas of public security and fundamental rights.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 5 May, USD exchange rate down by 0.34 drams to 370.44 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.51 drams to 432.9 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.0372 drams to 4.9006 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.24 drams to 501.65 drams.

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

Gold price up by 1318 drams to 55225 drams.

Europe must exist in historical and geographical terms, not only within institutional frameworks, and Armenia has a European history.

French President Emmanuel Macron said this at a press conference following his meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in response to a journalist’s question about Armenia’s prospects for EU integration and becoming part of a greater Europe.

“Of course, the EU plays an important role when we speak about Europe, with its power, its complexity and its degree of integration. But that does not define everything. Europe is also geography, history and civilisation. We can note that Armenia has a European history. And the European Political Community is precisely the recognition of that greater Europe,” the French president said.

According to him, the key issue is building common foundations. Macron expressed the view that when it comes to defence, security, the fight against trafficking, energy and the protection of democratic regions, this is where the full meaning of the European community lies.

“Both Europe and the South Caucasus were in the past victims of empires. With the creation of the EU, Western Europe seemed to gain immunity against this, and since the 1990s, Central European countries have also joined it. And now this is a shared emancipation. Must there necessarily be integration or EU enlargement? That depends on the choice of each country. This is a very demanding process. I am convinced that we should not wait for it. That is to say, from this very moment, taking into account the situation in the world, we must act. And this is exactly what we have done in recent years. We built a greater Europe, and Armenia has followed this path with us. A European future is the only path that can guarantee peace and balance for Armenia. Europe is a common project,” Macron concluded.

French President Emmanuel Macron has made a post in Armenian on his social media page.

Macron published a video from his speech at Vardanants Square in Gyumri with the caption “France loves you.”

In the video, the French president thanks the Armenian people for the warm reception and embraces Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The French president attended the 8th European Political Community summit in Yerevan on 4 May. His state visit to Armenia took place on 5 May.

On 5 May, a meeting took place between the special representatives for the Armenia–Turkey normalisation process — Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan and Ambassador Serdar Kılıç — within the framework of the third “Yerevan Dialogue” conference.

The sides exchanged views on the current progress of the normalisation process and welcomed the recent meeting of the joint working group on the restoration and operation of the Gyumri–Kars railway.

In that context, they underlined the mutual interest of Armenia and Turkey in ensuring the railway’s earliest possible launch.

In addition, the special representatives noted the signing of a protocol on the joint restoration of the historical Ani (Silk Road) bridge. They stressed that this initiative would activate bilateral cooperation, expand institutional ties and make a significant contribution to regional tourism.