Category: News

In his address at the NVIDIA GTC (GPU Technology Conference) in Berlin, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang discussed the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure and the role of new cloud companies in this process. A delegation from Firebird is also attending the conference.

According to a statement issued by Firebird, Huang spoke about AI factories being built in different regions, emphasizing that developing AI models first and foremost requires adequate computing infrastructure. In this context, he mentioned Firebird as a company building a new cloud platform in Central Asia.

Firebird was also featured in the “Neoclouds” section of Huang’s presentation, alongside CoreWeave, Nebius, Lambda, and other cloud companies specializing in AI computing.

GTC is a major international platform for the artificial intelligence industry, bringing together executives from technology companies, researchers, and developers to showcase new technologies and their potential applications.

Firebird is developing an international network of AI factories. Its first factory in Armenia was launched with 6,144 NVIDIA Blackwell B200 GPUs. The company’s expansion plan also envisages deploying NVIDIA Vera Rubin systems and bringing the total number of GPUs to approximately 70,000.

The company is also developing AI infrastructure in Kazakhstan and exploring the possibility of implementing a similar project in Nepal. The project launched in Armenia is helping strengthen the country’s position in the global AI landscape and opening up new opportunities for international cooperation for local companies and specialists.

Armenia is cooperating with Costa Rica on developing a database for the management of biological resources, an environmental official has said.

Tatevik Kirakosyan, acting head of the Biological Resources Management Department at Armenia’s Ministry of Environment, told Armenpress in an interview during COP17 that one of the main challenges for Armenia in this field is data accessibility.

“The most urgent issue for Armenia in terms of biological resources is data accessibility. This is the essential information on the basis of which decisions must be made, and those decisions must be sound, inclusive, and effective,” she said.

The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is being held in conjunction with the 12th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-12) and the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (NP-MOP-6).

COP17 marks the first global review of collective progress toward implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). The conference is expected to bring together around 15,000 representatives from 196 countries, as well as representatives of international organizations, the scientific community, civil society, and the private sector. The events are taking place in Yerevan from October 19 to 30.

Kirakosyan noted that COP17 provides an opportunity for representatives of 196 countries, international organizations, and civil society organizations to discuss shared challenges and ways to address them on a common platform.

She highlighted the Nagoya Protocol, which concerns the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.

“Armenia has recently ratified the protocol, which entered into force in September. We need the best examples of international practice that can be applied in countries like Armenia, which are rich in biodiversity. We have held several meetings with international organizations in this regard, and they are ready to help Armenia develop the database and the necessary systems, alongside improvements to the legislation,” Kirakosyan said.

According to her, an agreement has also been reached with Costa Rica on this issue.

“Costa Rica’s experience could be useful for Armenia, as the country has considerable experience in developing databases and legislation,” she said.

Addressing the significance of hosting COP17 in Armenia, Kirakosyan noted that it helps raise public awareness and increase the country’s international visibility.

“By hosting COP, Armenia contributes to discussions on global issues and the process of reaching agreement on solutions to them,” she said.

Addressing Lake Sevan’s fish stocks, Kirakosyan said their recovery was progressing quite well.

According to her, the results of studies showing an increase in fish stocks make it possible to raise the allowable catch quota.

“The quota of 550 tons approved at the beginning of the year is expected to be increased to 720 tons, which will be allocated. The increase in the quota is based on additional studies by scientists, which show that fish stocks have increased. It is good that there are stocks available that we can allocate,” she added.

Yerevan Brandy Company press release

Yerevan Brandy Company is participating in the UN Biodiversity COP17 Summit, hosted in Armenia, in various formats. Throughout the summit, the company’s pavilion is operating in the Green Zone at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex.

On October 21, a panel discussion was held during which specialists from Yerevan Brandy Company presented Pernod Ricard’s biodiversity conservation initiatives under its “Good Times from the Good Place” Sustainability and Responsibility framework.

Particular attention was given to successful projects involving closed-loop water circulation systems, regenerative viticulture, and the reuse of by-products (secondary raw materials).

Shushan Khachatryan, Quality, Safety and Environment Manager at Yerevan Brandy Company, presented the closed-loop water circulation system, one of the company’s key initiatives aimed at improving the efficient use of water resources.

Thanks to the system implemented at the distillation facilities of the company’s Aygavan and Armavir branches, water heated during the production process is used to heat buildings and workspaces. It then undergoes a specialized treatment process before being returned to the production cycle.

This approach helps reduce the need for fresh water, save energy, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Since the system was introduced, the company has managed to reduce water consumption by 70% and cut CO₂ emissions by 40 tonnes annually.

The investments made to implement the project exceeded €2 million, reflecting the company’s long-term commitment to conserving natural resources and operating in an environmentally responsible manner.

Meanwhile, Sirun Hayrapetyan, Project Manager in the Grape Procurement Department at Yerevan Brandy Company, spoke about the Regenerative Viticulture Program.

The program aims to restore soil health, improve the resilience of vineyards, and promote biodiversity. Launched in 2024 in collaboration with international experts, this long-term initiative includes research in experimental vineyards, professional training, and ongoing monitoring of soil and plant health.

By exploring ways to preserve soil fertility and moisture, introduce cover crops, and reduce reliance on conventional pesticides, the company seeks to develop a science-based viticultural approach tailored to Armenia’s conditions and focused on nature restoration.

The panel discussion participants also addressed production waste management and presented a successful example of applying circular economy principles: using vinasse – the liquid residue generated during the distillation of wine material – to restore saline and semi-desert soils.

The team from the Gyumri Development Laboratory (GDL) took first place in the senior age group of the Future Innovators category at the 2026 World Robot Olympiad (WRO) Open Championship Europe. The young Armenian innovators achieved this result with an innovative robot designed to promote accessibility and education.

Angela Baltayan, co-founder of the educational non-governmental organization Contests Lab and competition manager, told Armenpress that around 250 teams from countries around the world participated in the competition held in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, on October 13–16. Armenia was represented by six teams. Two competed in the Future Innovators category, while four competed in RoboMission. All participants had won their respective categories at Armenia’s national stage.

The Gyumri Development Laboratory team presented a robot for automatic book scanning. It scans a book and converts its contents into different formats, including video, audio and slide presentations. The project is designed to assist people with reading and visual difficulties, as well as students preparing for examinations who have to study large volumes of literature.

According to Angela Baltayan, the idea did not emerge by chance. After noticing the difficulties faced by a visually impaired classmate at school, the teenagers decided to develop a solution to help overcome barriers to reading.

“This exceptional achievement is the result of our young innovators’ knowledge, engineering skills, creative thinking, team spirit and consistent work. In the future, if the children wish, the robot they have created could be developed into a startup and patented,” Angela Baltayan said.

This is not the young innovators’ first international success. In 2024, they also won a gold medal at an open competition in Italy with a waste-sorting project.

The team comprises Silvi Khachatryan, Elen Khachatryan and Davit Petrosyan, aged 15–16. Their coach is Ashot Zilfimyan.

The Gyumri Development Laboratory was founded in 2021. It promotes the development of children’s technological knowledge, engineering skills and innovative thinking.

The educational non-governmental organization Contests Lab is the official representative of the World Robot Olympiad in Armenia. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the organization’s hosting of the Olympiad in Armenia.

Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan met with Czechia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade, Karel Havlíček, in Prague.

The defense ministry said in a readout that the two sides discussed issues related to military-technical cooperation.

Armenian Ambassador to Czechia Ashot Hovakimyan and Military Industrial Committee Chairman Aram Jivanyan also attended the meeting.

Armenia’s government has approved a new employment support program that will provide vocational training vouchers worth up to AMD 250,000, reimburse part of the income tax paid by employers who hire program beneficiaries, and offer financial incentives to workers who remain employed.

Presenting the program at the Cabinet meeting, Minister of Labor and Welfare Arsen Torosyan said it would consolidate three existing programs targeting able-bodied members of socially vulnerable families, discharged military servicemen and people displaced from Karabakh.

Under the new program, eligible beneficiaries will receive a one-time electronic voucher worth up to AMD 250,000 to cover vocational training. The voucher must be used within six months at organizations offering modular non-formal education programs endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. Beneficiaries will receive certificates upon completing their training. Training providers will be paid within 10 working days after confirmation that a beneficiary has received a completion certificate, with reimbursement capped at the voucher’s value.

Employers who hire voucher-trained beneficiaries in their respective fields will be eligible for income tax reimbursements. For the first three months of employment, the reimbursement will cover 50% of the income tax calculated and paid on the employee’s salary, up to AMD 25,000 per month. For months four through six, it will cover 100%, up to AMD 50,000 per month. Employers must sign employment contracts for at least three months, generally on a full-time basis, subject to exceptions provided by law. Public service bodies and organizations in which the state or a municipality holds at least a 50% stake are not eligible for this component of the program.

Workers will also receive direct financial support if they remain employed by the same employer: AMD 100,000 after three months and an additional AMD 200,000 after 12 months.

The program will be available to unemployed citizens discharged from compulsory military service less than two years earlier, people displaced from Karabakh in 2020 and 2023 who are unemployed in Armenia, and able-bodied members of socially vulnerable families whose per-capita monthly household income is below 130% of the threshold for qualifying for social assistance. The first two groups must also have received no salary or equivalent payments in the preceding three months.

Restrictions will also apply based on participation in previous employment programs and previous employment relationships with the same employer.

Applications and eligibility checks will be processed digitally through the e-work.am platform.

The government expects to support 1,500 beneficiaries in 2027, with funding estimated at AMD 862.5 million, to be allocated from funds earmarked for the three existing programs. Payments for beneficiaries who maintain employment for 12 months are planned for the 2028 budget.

The program will enter into force on January 1, 2027.

The merger is partly prompted by low participation in the existing programs. As of October 1, 2026, the program for discharged servicemen and participants in military operations had enrolled 129 people against a target of 500 for the year, while the program for displaced people had enrolled 306 against a target of 1,000. As of July 1, the program for able-bodied members of socially vulnerable families had enrolled 64 people against a target of 679.

The number of registered jobs in Armenia in September increased by around 15,000 compared to August and by 39,751 compared to the same month last year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting, describing the growth as another record.

“We should note that we have another record in September. Compared to the previous month, the number of jobs increased by around 15,000, meaning that there were 15,000 more jobs in September than in August. Compared to September last year, the number increased by 39,751, or around 4.9%,” Pashinyan said.

According to the data he presented, the average salary increased by 28,418 drams, or around 7%, compared to September last year. Compared to September 2017, the number of registered jobs increased by 311,480.

The Prime Minister said that economic activity in Armenia is also visible in everyday life. At the same time, he emphasized that challenges remain alongside the positive economic indicators.

In this context, Pashinyan addressed relations within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), noting that work would be carried out in this direction in the near future. He said the Government’s entire policy would be aimed at ensuring economic momentum and strengthening the country’s sovereignty, independence, and statehood. The Prime Minister emphasized the interconnectedness of these objectives.

Pashinyan also highlighted the ongoing diversification of Armenia’s economic ties.

“I should note with satisfaction that the diversification of our country’s economic ties is also progressing quite well. The data we have at this point give us hope that these ties will be further strengthened and deepened in the near future. We must remain focused on this issue,” the Prime Minister said.

Pashinyan stressed the importance of continuing efforts to maintain economic activity and creating conditions for citizens and businesses that would enable them to work, produce results, and pay taxes as required by law.

Addressing the employment support program approved at the meeting, the Prime Minister drew the attention of Minister of Labor and Welfare Arsen Torosyan to the need to inform potential beneficiaries about the program. He stressed the importance of ensuring that citizens know about the program and that the training programs endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports are also visible, allowing people to develop their professional skills through vouchers.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan led a working group visit to Syunik Province as part of preparatory work for the implementation of the TRIPP project to examine on-site issues related to the design of railway, road, and energy infrastructure.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of opening regional communications as soon as possible to enhance Armenia’s economic resilience at the Cabinet meeting on October 22.

“To increase our economic resilience, it is very important that we be able to achieve the opening of regional communications as soon as possible,” the Prime Minister said.

Pashinyan also noted that the ratification process for the agreement signed between Armenia and the United States concerning the TRIPP project had begun in parliament. The bill has already been approved by a parliamentary committee ahead of the plenary session.

Presenting the results of the visit to Syunik, Grigoryan said that the on-site studies had been conducted to prepare for the launch of design work. At this stage, the work concerns three infrastructure components: the railway, the road, and power transmission lines.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the railway route has been determined, while the visit was intended to allow the team to examine the condition of existing structures on site once again.

As for the road, Grigoryan said there are sections that are difficult to traverse, and the final design solutions must ensure the road’s competitiveness.

“We are talking about transit, and a transit road will be competitive and our costs will be efficient only if it has an operational advantage at the regional level,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

He said that there are also issues concerning the power transmission lines that still need to be finalized, and possible solutions will be modeled.

Grigoryan considered it advisable to begin design work without waiting for the establishment of the TRIPP Development Company to be completed. According to him, the work carried out will subsequently be transferred to the company once it is established and begins operations.

“To avoid wasting time, we believe it is right to start the design work today,” the Deputy Prime Minister said, adding that more specific sketches would soon be presented for discussion, after which the actual design work would begin.

Pashinyan, in turn, noted that the project was entering the implementation phase, describing it as important for maintaining and sustaining Armenia’s economic momentum.

“Now, essentially, we should note that we are entering the implementation phase,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister recalled that the Armenian-American TRIPP Development Company is expected to be established in the near future.

“We are now essentially in the final stage of establishing the company, and once it is established, the work carried out, including as our contribution, will be transferred to the company,” Pashinyan said.

Member states of the Eurasian Economic Union have no right to expel any other member state from the organization, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said when asked to comment on the report by representatives of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan at the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council on the possible consequences of suspending the application of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union with respect to Armenia.

“It is obvious that member states have no right to expel a member state from the organization. Such a possibility exists in the CSTO, given that the member states overlap. It is interesting why Armenia is not being expelled from the CSTO. As for the EAEU, this is the first time in our history that the metropolis is not pulling us toward itself but is indirectly telling us, ‘We will expel you from us,’” the Prime Minister said.

Nikol Pashinyan added that the restrictions imposed on Armenia by Russia in the preceding period had not produced the economic and political consequences sought by circles both in Armenia and abroad.

“This will be the third attempt to change the government in Armenia. The first was the events of 2023, when, in Karabakh, in the presence of Russian peacekeepers, the aim was to direct the flow of people toward Armenia, while calls were simultaneously being made to change the political authorities. The next was the regular parliamentary elections in June 2026. Now a third attempt is being prepared. There is no economic component here; we are dealing with a political component. The goal is to provoke domestic political instability in Armenia and, de facto, and subsequently de jure, deprive Armenia of its independence. The Armenian state is sufficiently resilient and will overcome this situation as well,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian Prime Minister also addressed the economic consequences presented in the report.

“As for those data and forecasts, we will live and see. Our main focus is Armenia’s continued development, protecting our independence and sovereignty, and diversifying our relations. We will continue along that path,” Pashinyan said.

The prime ministers of Russia and three other Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states have effectively recommended suspending the application of the bloc’s treaty to Armenia, citing Yerevan’s efforts to join the European Union. In a joint report to EAEU leaders on the “possible consequences” of suspending the treaty’s application to Armenia, released on October 20, they said the proposed suspension could remain in place until an Armenian referendum on EU membership. The report, posted on the Russian government’s website, says that Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan “have the right to consider” suspending the EAEU Treaty’s application to Armenia because of a 2025 Armenian law declaring the start of a process of accession to the EU. The report also claimed that the suspension would have severe economic consequences for Armenia.

The Armenian government, meanwhile, has said that it has no intention of leaving the bloc and that its current EU integration efforts in no way undermine its membership in the EAEU.

Efforts to open the Armenia-Türkiye border are ongoing, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.

He told reporters that Armenia is working with both Türkiye and Azerbaijan on the matter.

“Azerbaijan has certain reservations regarding this issue, and that is where the process stands today. But we continue to work with both Azerbaijan and Türkiye to reach certain solutions,” Pashinyan said.

Türkiye unilaterally closed its land border with Armenia in 1993. The two countries have intensified normalization efforts in recent years, and Armenia has said it stands ready for Türkiye to open the border at any time. The border checkpoints have been upgraded and are ready to operate.