Category: News

Armenia’s Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan has granted a request from the competent authority of the People’s Republic of China.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Y.P., a wanted person accused of organising the illegal crossing of the state border by others, has been extradited to the competent authorities of China.

FlyOne Armenia is expanding its international network by launching new direct Yerevan–Berlin–Yerevan flights.

The new route will start on 3 June 2027. Flights will operate twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays.

Staff from Armenia’s Investigative Committee attended a training course entitled “Combating Cross-Border Crime for Armenia in 2026” at the Shanghai International Cooperation and Legal Training Centre in the People’s Republic of China.

According to a statement issued by the committee, the course covered efforts to combat cross-border cybercrime, human trafficking and illicit drug trafficking.

The committee noted that a memorandum of understanding was signed between Armenia’s Investigative Committee and China’s Ministry of Public Security in Lianyungang on 10 September 2026. Under the memorandum, committee representatives will regularly attend similar training courses, providing fresh impetus for expanding partnerships between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 5 November, USD exchange rate up by 0.28 drams to 360.4 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.37 drams to 404.66 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.0187 drams to 4.4134 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.28 drams to 485.13 drams.

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

Gold price up by 1208 drams to 46787 drams. Silver price up by 35.02 drams to 602.41 drams.

A closed discussion was held at the National Assembly on 5 November concerning the incident involving an Azerbaijani serviceman in Shaki village, in the Sisian municipality of Syunik Province, on 1 October.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence and Security, which organised the discussion, announced this.

Defence Minister Suren Papikyan, Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan, National Security Service Director Andranik Simonyan and Investigative Committee Chairman Artur Poghosyan had been invited to the meeting.

The committee’s statement provided no details about the substance or outcomes of the discussion.

On 1 October, Azerbaijani serviceman Nasimi Musayev unlawfully entered a house in Shaki and opened fire after being discovered. An Armenian citizen born in 1987 was wounded. His two children also sought medical treatment for injuries: one had a fractured right wrist and the other had soft tissue bruising. On 2 October, the Investigative Committee announced that Musayev had been remanded in custody for two months.

The Shaki incident does not indicate a systemic problem with border control, but problems in the border area must be analysed and addressed to reduce the risk of similar incidents, Vilen Gabrielyan said.

The chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence and Security was speaking to journalists on 5 November following a closed discussion on the incident.

“No, this incident does not indicate that there is a systemic problem concerning Armenia’s border. Nevertheless, we certainly have problems in the border area. Our colleagues in the relevant agencies acknowledge that we have problems. Our task is precisely to identify the problems revealed by this incident, analyse them and address them so that we can prevent similar incidents or manage the risks as effectively as possible,” Gabrielyan said.

The committee chairman did not rule out the possibility of similar incidents recurring. In his assessment, the border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan is also important for reducing risks.

“Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan has not been fully delimited, and I think our main effort should be directed towards resuming the delimitation process as soon as possible and bringing it to completion,” he said.

Gabrielyan stressed that border control was being carried out and that joint efforts were needed to resolve the existing problems.

According to him, the closed meeting focused exclusively on the Shaki incident, including the circumstances of the border crossing and the actions taken by state bodies after receiving information about it.

The defence and interior ministers, the National Security Service director and the Investigative Committee chairman attended the discussion.

On 1 October, Azerbaijani serviceman Nasimi Musayev unlawfully entered a house in Shaki, a settlement in the Sisian municipality, and opened fire after being discovered. An Armenian citizen born in 1987 was wounded. His two children also sought medical treatment for injuries: one had a fractured right wrist and the other had soft tissue bruising. On 2 October, the Investigative Committee announced that Musayev had been remanded in custody for two months.

A closed-door discussion of the Shaki incident also addressed whether local residents had been adequately informed. The explanations provided allayed the concerns of Vilen Gabrielyan, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence and Security.

Gabrielyan said this during a briefing with journalists on 5 November, following a meeting attended by the heads of law enforcement and security agencies.

“My question concerned precisely the issue of public awareness that you mentioned: how adequately the local population had been informed. This was a matter of concern to me, but I received a comprehensive answer from my colleagues,” the committee chairman said.

Journalists asked whether there had been an oversight, given that the Azerbaijani side had provided advance notice that a serviceman had left his post, and the incident in Shaki had subsequently occurred.

Gabrielyan declined to discuss possible failings publicly, saying that doing so would require him to disclose the content of the closed-door discussion. He nevertheless said his colleagues had given him well-founded answers about how well informed the population had been.

He said the incident had been examined comprehensively, starting from the moment information was received from the neighbouring country. The discussion focused on the circumstances of the border crossing and the subsequent actions of state bodies.

On 1 October, Azerbaijani serviceman Nasimi Musayev unlawfully entered a home in Shaki, a settlement in the Sisian municipality, and opened fire after being discovered. An Armenian citizen born in 1987 was wounded. His two children also sought medical treatment for injuries: one had a fractured right wrist and the other had soft-tissue bruising. On 2 October, the Investigative Committee reported that Musayev had been remanded in custody for two months.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has said that Armenian citizens are one step closer to being able to travel to the European Union without a visa.

Kos made the remarks on her Facebook page.

“Armenians are one step closer to travelling to the European Union without a visa.

“With EU support, Armenians will now be able to get new biometric passports, making border checks faster and travel easier.

“Armenia is choosing closer ties with Europe and we are making that choice count for its people,” Kos wrote.

Armenia launched its biometric passport issuance system on 1 November. The introduction of the biometric system is an important component of EU visa liberalisation for Armenian citizens. Armenia is currently the only country engaged in a visa liberalisation dialogue with the European Union.

Chairman of Armenia’s Supreme Judicial Council Artur Atabekyan received the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos.

According to a statement issued by the council, Atabekyan expressed his appreciation for the European Union’s continued support for judicial and legal reforms in Armenia, strengthening the rule of law and the institutional development of the judiciary.

Atabekyan stressed the importance of further deepening cooperation in line with the judiciary’s priority needs.

The meeting covered various issues concerning the judicial system, including its performance and improving the quality and efficiency of justice.

The discussions also addressed strengthening safeguards for judicial independence and accountability, as well as developing mechanisms to improve the efficiency of court operations.

The council chairman outlined priority areas for cooperation, highlighting the importance of studying European experience in using artificial intelligence tools while upholding safeguards for human rights and judicial independence.

The participants also discussed the need to continuously strengthen the professional skills of judicial staff.

The two sides agreed to hold working meetings in the near future to discuss potential areas of cooperation and next steps in detail.

Armenia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia, Gurgen Arsenyan, met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.

The Armenian Embassy in Russia announced this in a statement on its Facebook page.

“During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on current issues in bilateral relations and the regional agenda. For his personal contribution to developing and strengthening Russian–Armenian relations, Gurgen Arsenyan was awarded the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ‘For Cooperation’ badge,” the statement reads.