Category: News

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan plans to travel to Antalya, Türkiye, to attend the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31). He announced this during a briefing with journalists.

“Yes, I have plans to travel to Antalya to attend COP,” Pashinyan said.

The 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) will take place from 9 to 20 November in Antalya, Türkiye.

Armenia is not currently preparing to leave the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this during a briefing with journalists at the government headquarters, commenting on his statement in Brussels two days earlier that he considered it realistic to apply for European Union membership in 2027 or 2028. He had also noted that simultaneous membership of the EAEU and the EU was impossible.

“We have not begun preparations to leave the EAEU. We are preparing to offer our people alternatives, as we promised. Our people must have the opportunity to make a choice. We are not preparing to leave the EAEU, but you know that our partners in that organisation are raising the question of making a choice and holding a referendum. I have said that there are no grounds for holding a referendum at this stage. Before holding a referendum on leaving the EAEU and joining the EU, we need to go through certain procedures. We are following that path. It is clear to me that the process is leading towards us formally applying in 2027 or 2028 to begin the process of becoming a full member of the European Union,” Pashinyan said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has addressed recent deaths in the army under non-combat conditions, stressing that he will not accept the situation.

“It is clear to me that we cannot simply watch what is happening as observers. Yes, explanations are explanations; everything has an explanation, but that does not mean those explanations satisfy us. My message is clear: I, for one, am not prepared to accept this situation. I have conveyed this message very clearly to my colleagues,” Pashinyan said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed as unfounded opposition claims that the criminal prosecutions initiated against Strong Armenia party leader and businessman Samvel Karapetyan and 35 others are politically motivated and linked to the need to hold a referendum on adopting a new constitution.

The prime minister addressed the issue during a briefing with journalists.

“If Armenia’s law enforcement agencies have launched proceedings knowing that there would be such speculation, they must have at least some substantial grounds. We have seen this tendency in Armenia for quite a long time now — around 30 years or more: whenever a specific case is discussed, the looting is covered up and terms such as Azerbaijan, Aliyev, Türkiye and so on are brought up. We see that tendency.

“If there has been wrongdoing involving 64 billion, then what? What should Armenia’s law enforcement system do? Of course, it must take action. That is the people’s demand and condition. If there has been wrongdoing involving 64 billion, what does Aliyev have to do with it? Can someone explain that to me? Ultimately, we need to understand the origins of our so-called benefactors. And I think this is a very good opportunity for that understanding finally to come about,” the prime minister said.

On 4 November, the Investigative Committee initiated criminal prosecutions against Samvel Karapetyan and 35 others in a case involving particularly large-scale financial damage to Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), embezzlement of entrusted property and money laundering. According to the Investigative Committee, the total damage caused to the company exceeds AMD 64.585 billion. On 5 November, Samvel Karapetyan was remanded in custody for one month.

The Armenian authorities’ interest in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) has run its course.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this during a briefing with journalists at the government headquarters, responding to a question from Armenpress about how Armenia would react if the Collective Security Council, meeting in Moscow in November, decided to apply Article 25 of the CSTO Charter to Armenia. This would temporarily deprive Armenia of its voting rights in the CSTO and its ability to nominate candidates for posts allocated under its quota.

“I want us to state once and for all that our interest in the CSTO has run its course,” Pashinyan stressed.

CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov said on 5 November that there was no question of expelling Armenia from the organisation, but that the forthcoming Council meeting could decide to apply Article 25 of its Charter to Armenia. Under that article, Armenia could lose its right to nominate candidates for CSTO posts allocated under its quota, as well as its voting rights, until it paid its outstanding membership contributions.

Armenia has frozen its participation in CSTO activities since February 2024. It does not participate in events held within the CSTO framework and does not pay membership contributions.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has commented on a statement by several opposition political forces announcing plans to unite and coordinate their efforts in a number of areas.

During a press briefing at the government headquarters, Pashinyan was asked whether he thought opposition unity could generate a public movement against the government that would ultimately bring about a change of power.

Pashinyan stressed that the people of Armenia, rather than he, should answer that question.

“I think that is a question for the people of the Republic of Armenia to answer. It is not addressed to me, and I am not the one who should answer it.

“Our position is very clear: we propose, and are pursuing, the further institutionalisation of peace, replacing two years of peace with decades and centuries of peace. You know, without exaggeration, the question you are asking could be asked every week because, as I have said before, ultimately, the people of the Republic of Armenia make the decisions. Whatever the people of the Republic of Armenia decide is what will happen, and I have no further comment on that.

“But I am saying something else: look, there is a case involving the misuse of AMD 65 billion or AMD 64 billion [referring to the criminal proceedings concerning alleged abuses at Electric Networks of Armenia, in which businessman Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the Strong Armenia party, has been remanded in custody — ed.], and they come out and say, ‘Aliyev, Azerbaijan’. Whatever happens, they say, ‘Aliyev, Azerbaijan’.

“So, if our people go and vote in favour of a new Constitution, are they thinking about the political consequences of what they have said? This is also why I say these people are anti-state figures. Suppose the issue ultimately goes to a referendum and the people vote in favour. What will they do then? Will they once again direct at the people the insulting epithets they have used before? That is why I say these people are not only anti-government but also anti-state figures who merely want to cover up what they have plundered,” the Armenian Prime Minister said.

Commenting on the opposition meeting that preceded the unity statement, Pashinyan sarcastically remarked that one person had been missing whose presence would have greatly increased the group’s chances of success.

“Let me say that there is one component that I think would greatly increase this opposition grouping’s chances of success. I think one very important person was missing: I am referring to Ktrich Nersisyan. Had he been there too, the picture would have been complete. And I think this grouping could have brought about a revolution and a change of power in Armenia within just a few days. But it is still not too late. If, for example, they meet in this format this evening, I think there will already be a revolution by Sunday evening,” Pashinyan concluded.

Several political forces in Armenia’s opposition have announced a nationwide effort to unite despite their political differences. Following a meeting at Strong Armenia leader Samvel Karapetyan’s residence on the evening of 4 November, 13 political forces issued a joint statement outlining the main areas in which they intend to coordinate their efforts.

The opposition forces identified four priorities: “rejecting the imposition of an Aliyev-style constitution; peace without unilateral concessions or territorial losses; protecting national identity and the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church; and restoring democratic freedoms and rights”.

The signatories include Strong Armenia, the Armenia Alliance, Prosperous Armenia, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Republican Party of Armenia, the Armenian National Congress, the Hayakve initiative, Country to Live, Heritage, Democratic Alternative, New Era and other political forces.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received commissioners for diaspora affairs who are in Yerevan to attend the third Global Armenian Summit.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Pashinyan welcomed those present and said:

“In recent years, we have, in effect, been introducing a new institution and a new system together, and I want to thank you for your involvement. We must place the development of the Republic of Armenia, its state institutions, its statehood more broadly and its economy at the heart of our cooperation. The Republic of Armenia must become the epicentre of Armenian life. I must note that this process is, in fact, already taking place in parallel, because we see more and more members of the diaspora becoming more actively involved in developing Armenia’s economy and education. In these areas, we have well-known, even world-renowned projects. But it is also important that we convey our message to all sections of the Armenian people, to all citizens.”

The prime minister stressed the crucial role of the institution of commissioners for diaspora affairs in this work, under the leadership of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs.

Pashinyan also spoke about the draft of the new constitution, stressing that it addresses Armenia–diaspora relations.

“I want to draw your attention to another point. As you most likely know, we are working on the text of a new constitution, and the draft, which will undergo further revisions, will be published during November. It contains a very important reference to Armenia–diaspora relations and their purpose. Of course, these relations are multifaceted, but we considered it important to state clearly, including in the draft of the new constitution, what their ultimate goal is. There may be immediate goals, but there must also be an ultimate goal. And we have concluded that the ultimate goal is repatriation, so that people regard the Republic of Armenia as the centre of their lives and activities. It is important to us that Armenians identify with the Republic of Armenia as a very important and inseparable part of their identity, which will, of course, also be reflected in citizenship of the Republic of Armenia and in undertaking activities in the country.”

The meeting covered issues concerning Armenia–diaspora relations, including promoting effective coordination between the commissioners and diplomatic missions, and expanding systematic and effective cooperation between Armenia and the diaspora.

Citizenship should entail not only rights and privileges granted by the state, but also obligations towards it. Tightening citizenship requirements will not create a divide in Armenia–diaspora relations, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan said during preliminary discussions of the draft 2027 state budget at a joint sitting of the National Assembly’s standing committees, responding to questions from Armenia Alliance MP Artur Khachatryan.

Khachatryan asked whether linking citizenship to a requirement to reside in Armenia would weaken ties between Armenia and the diaspora. The MP stressed that citizenship itself creates a stronger bond between an individual and the state.

Sinanyan replied that he supported tighter requirements and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s approach to the issue.

“I unequivocally agree with tightening the requirements and with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s approach, because I believe citizenship should involve not only privileges granted by the state, but also duties on the part of citizens. When you grant people citizenship, naturally, as a state, you should expect them to have certain obligations towards the state,” the high commissioner said.

He said the state needed to clarify its relationship with those wishing to obtain citizenship, including their participation in the country’s life.

Khachatryan countered that his question concerned the conditions for acquiring citizenship. He expressed concern that making the process more difficult could weaken Armenia–diaspora ties.

“Citizenship clearly creates an even stronger bond, does it not? Now you are making it more difficult to obtain citizenship. If you make it more difficult, relations between Armenia and the diaspora become more complicated, and the bond becomes weaker,” the MP said.

In response, Sinanyan said the technical details of the legislation fell outside his remit, but that he supported the principle behind the proposed policy. He stressed that ethnic Armenians continued to benefit from preferential conditions compared with other applicants.

“Preferential status is maintained for Armenians, but the state does not hand out citizenship like sweets. Rather, it says: if you become my citizen, I expect certain obligations in return,” Sinanyan said.

The two-day Silicon Mountains Summit & Expo 2026 ICT conference in Yerevan concluded under the theme “Invest in Innovation”. Following first-day presentations by leaders in space, telecommunications and semiconductors, discussions on the second day focused on how next-generation chips are designed, the role of artificial intelligence in engineering, how women lead in technology and government, and how to invest in a rapidly changing world.

Among the conference guests, Kam Ghaffarian, the 2026 State Award laureate for Global Contribution to High Technologies and co-founder of X-energy, Intuitive Machines, Axiom Space and Quantum Space, met students from Armenian universities offering technology education. The conversation centred on what students should invest their time in.

Presenting his group of companies, Ghaffarian recalled their guiding motto: “Imagine, believe and achieve.”

“Find your passion, because when you find it, going to work every day is no longer work, but a pleasure. Have the courage to do it. Think without limits,” Ghaffarian said.

He also spoke about perseverance, determination and adaptability, stressing that these qualities were essential to achieving a major goal. Among his favourite quotations was Carl Sagan’s statement: “The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars.”

Representatives of leading international and local companies in microelectronics and semiconductors spoke at the forum. Their presentations shared a common theme: how next-generation systems are designed, tested and managed when their complexity exceeds the capabilities of conventional approaches.

Dr Katayoon Basharkhah, Distinguished Technologist at IMEC, presented the future of automotive computing platforms. She said the industry was moving towards heterogeneous, chiplet-based systems driven by demands for artificial intelligence, performance and scalability. She stressed the need for standardisation and interoperability, noting that the main question was no longer “Can we build this?” but “How do we design and validate the right chiplet system before first silicon?”

Dr Artur Jutman, founder and CEO of Estonia’s Testonica, said conventional testing was no longer sufficient given the complexity of high-performance and artificial intelligence systems. Under the approach he presented, test solutions should be reused throughout the silicon lifecycle, from manufacturing to in-field monitoring, while data collected on-chip should be translated into fault management, from diagnosis to autonomous recovery.

Siemens EDA Technical Account Manager Faïçal Chtourou outlined how artificial intelligence is changing design work. His three main points were that agentic systems flag risks before they become problems, AI agents explore several directions simultaneously, and expertise is embedded in the tool rather than remaining solely with individual specialists.

Professor Vazgen Melikyan, Director of the Educational Department at Synopsys Armenia, presented the results of the Synopsys educational programme. According to his figures, 100% of the programme’s graduates have found employment in microelectronics, with 77% joining Synopsys Armenia, while 56% of the company’s employees have completed the programme. The programme has trained 95 doctoral, 1,161 master’s and 1,588 bachelor’s graduates.

Arsen Manukyan, head of Cisco Armenia’s office, spoke about the evolution of AI networks, noting that it begins with silicon. He presented systems powered by the Cisco Silicon One G300 platform, featuring 100% liquid cooling and approximately 70% greater energy efficiency.

National Instruments representative Manouel Ohanian stressed that, in semiconductor validation, artificial intelligence primarily helps manage and improve existing workflows by accelerating the scaling of test code and anomaly detection, while human involvement remains central to product optimisation.

Sergey Ghahramanyan, Lead QA Engineer at Cadence Design Systems, presented the TimeVision AI Agent, part of the InnoStack AI Super Agent, which helps detect SDC errors before sign-off. Harutyun Harutyunyan, General Manager of Xsight Labs Armenia, presented the company’s open, programmable silicon solutions for AI data centres, from switches to DPUs, including a lightweight version of the E1L.

The conference also hosted a Women Leaders Club discussion entitled “Leadership Without Borders: Lessons from Tech, Government and Diplomacy”. Participants included the ambassadors of Canada and Switzerland; Armenia’s Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence, Tatev Aslanyan; Enterprise Armenia CEO Gohar Abajyan; Ani Safaryan, head of Microchip Technology’s Armenian office; and Safe YOU founder Mariam Torosyan. The discussion was moderated by Luiza Ayvazyan, CIPE’s Country Manager for Armenia.

The participants discussed the personal side of leadership: the boundary between personal and professional life, not compromising core values for a career, a lack of self-confidence and how to work through it. Ani Safaryan said consensus was important but should not become an obstacle, and that decisions had to be made and responsibility taken for them. She added that leadership was defined by values, character and experience rather than gender. Gohar Abajyan stressed the importance of honesty: being clear about both what can and cannot be offered.

The conference concluded with an investment discussion entitled “After AI: What Are Investors Actually Paying For?” Participants discussed how to plan and invest wisely in a world where technologies, markets and projects are changing rapidly.