Category: News

Armenian and Azerbaijan agree to ‘promote positive agenda’ amid tension

Edgar Tavakalian
OC Media
Sept 25, 2026
by Arshaluys Barseghyan

25 September 2026•3 min read

The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, have met on the margins of the UN General Assembly amidst a rise in tensions between the two countries. According to almost identical readouts, they ‘exchanged views on the possibility of promoting a positive agenda in various multilateral platforms’.

It remains unclear which ‘multilateral platforms’ the ministers were referring to or what exactly the ‘positive agenda’ would entail.

‘Both Ministers emphasised the importance of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, reviewing the progress achieved since the 2025 Washington Peace Summit Agreements. Particular attention was paid to unblocking the economic and transport infrastructure between Armenia and Azerbaijan’, the Armenian readout of the meeting said.

In this context, the sides underscored ‘trade and transit interactions’ between them ‘as practical examples of the benefits of peace’ and ‘agreed to continue their direct dialogue’.

That same day, Armenian authorities disclosed that the country had shipped aluminium foil to Azerbaijan in what appears to be its first export of products to the country since the two intensified peace talks in 2025. Azerbaijan has been regularly supplying Armenia with petroleum products since December 2025.

The Mirzoyan–Bayramov meeting came amidst renewed tension, sparked by a dispute over the origins of monasteries in Nagorno-Karabakh. There was uproar in Armenia after Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev gave a group of foreign diplomats a tour around Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas in mid-September, claiming that the monasteries were Caucasian Albanian rather than Armenian — a theory widely dismissed as pseudohistoric.

Azerbaijan further accused Armenia of ‘looting’ a monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh and reportedly decided to postpone a meeting of the Peace Bridge Initiative, which was due to bring Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society representatives together in Armenia, ‘until tensions subside’.

On Tuesday, Boris Navasardyan of the Armenian Press Club, which is part of the initiative, told RFE/RL that the Armenian side was ‘in favour of such planned meetings taking place rather than being postponed’.

Mutual visits of Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society representatives were launched following the August 2025 summit in Washington, which saw the initialling of a peace treaty that remains unsigned.

Days after the news of the postponement of the visit emerged, on Thursday, Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan said that Yerevan was ‘awaiting’ the visit of Azerbaijani non-governmental organisations’ representatives.

‘We would be very happy for that visit to take place; we follow and wait for them to come’, Simonyan said, adding that the Armenian side was ‘prepared to host them very well’, comparing Azerbaijan’s hosting of Armenians earlier in 2026.

Simonyan admitted the existence of ‘general tension’, but expressed confidence that the talks and visit would resume.

The bilateral tension was also touched upon in Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s address at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. In his speech, he highlighted the unresolved issues of demining, the unclarified fates of missing people, and the release of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan when discussing the peace process with Azerbaijan.

There are 19 Armenians, including former Nagorno-Karabakh officials, currently being held in Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan also stated that, alongside these unresolved issues, ‘another reason that fuels pessimists is the use of conflict rhetoric from time to time in certain circles of Armenia and Azerbaijan, sometimes at the official level’.

‘I think that we, I mean Armenia and Azerbaijan, have achieved more than sufficient results, which should be more valuable for us than the use of conflict rhetoric, whether it is about history or historical-cultural monuments or anything else’, Pashinyan concluded.

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Poll: 39.7% of respondents believe 102nd military base is necessary for Armen

Khondkarian Raffi
Aysor, Armenia
Sept 25, 2026

MPG LLC, the full member of the GALLUP International Association in Armenia, conducted a telephone survey between September 22 and 24, with 1,001 people participating.

Participants were informed that following the September 1 meeting between Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan, the Russian president said during a press conference that Russia could withdraw its 102nd military base from Armenia if Armenia so desired.

Respondents were asked which of the presented options best aligned with the interests of Armenia and its people.

According to the survey results, 39.7% of respondents believe that Russia’s 102nd military base is necessary for Armenia to ensure the country’s security. Another 24.7% said the military base should remain in Armenia, but that the terms of its deployment should be revised.

At the same time, 28.9% of respondents believe that Russia should withdraw its 102nd military base from Armenia.

Another 6.8% found it difficult to answer.

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Giving up Russian gas would be more painful for Armenia than for European coun

Vanyan Gary
Aysor, Armenia
Sept 25, 2026

Alexey Shevtsov, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, has said that giving up Russian gas would be far more painful for Armenia than for Germany or other European countries.

“There is no doubt that giving up Russian gas would be much more painful for Armenia than for Germany or other European countries,” Shevtsov said, according to the Russian Security Council’s press service.

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Pashinyan’s UN General Assembly speech had nothing to do with the interests o

Karagyozian Lena
Aysor, Armenia
Sept 25, 2026

Artak Zakaryan, a member of the RPA Executive Body, wrote:

“Although the UN, as an international institution, has lost its influence, it remains important as a platform for propaganda purposes.

I follow the speeches of leaders from countries that are at the center of international events. Each leader’s remarks are structured around the logic of their state’s vital interests, a unique interpretation of existing conflicts, and a clear presentation of their positions, aspirations, and demands.

What does Armenia want from the world? This should have been evident in Nikol’s speech.

In effect, Nikol traveled all the way to New York to speak from the podium of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly about the interests of Azerbaijan and Turkey. He went there to reiterate and indirectly confirm that Armenia is currently a state dependent on Azerbaijan and Turkey, and that whatever they desire becomes Armenia’s de facto foreign policy.

He went there to assure that Armenia would ‘move away’ from its natural and genuine ally, Russia, and integrate into the West-Caucasus-Central Asia axis – that is, into the ‘Turkic world,’ which serves as a new instrument of anti-Russian sentiment.

It is particularly farcical when the head of a ‘government’ that has trampled upon Armenia’s vital interests and failed so miserably speaks of ‘strategic relations.’ I imagine those present were especially impressed by the ‘strategic relations’ between Armenia and Luxembourg, Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria. Even those countries are likely surprised to learn that they hold such strategic importance in the life of the Armenian people.

From the UN podium, Nikol presented yet another special gift to Azerbaijan by voicing the following sentiment: ‘…although Armenians and Azerbaijanis have centuries of experience in peaceful coexistence.’

One wonders: where exactly did Nikol see Azerbaijanis dating back centuries? Which historical source indicates that any Azerbaijani ever lived alongside Armenians in the South Caucasus? Why does he provide a new opportunity for Baku to continue advancing its aggressive policy of appropriating Armenian territories based on a false and fabricated history? Where is the Armenian interest in all of this? After all this, how can there be any talk of peace?

In summary, we can say that Nikol Pashinyan’s speech at the UN General Assembly had, by and large, nothing to do with the interests of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people.”

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The Russian Security Council reacted to gas supplies to Armenia from Azerbaija

Mary Lazarian
Eurasia Daily
Sept 25, 2026
Today
13:31

Moscow welcomes the resumption of energy cooperation between Yerevan and Baku, but to supply gas to Armenia from Azerbaijan, it will be necessary to build a gas pipeline and sign long-term contracts. This was pointed out by Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Alexei Shevtsov.

“We have paid attention to recent statements by Armenian and Azerbaijani officials about the possibilities of gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Armenia. We welcome the fact of the resumption of Armenian-Azerbaijani cooperation in the energy sector, which may indicate a positive step in restoring peaceful life in the region,” Shevtsov told reporters.

He also drew attention to the direction of diesel fuel and gasoline from Azerbaijan to Armenia after a long-term break.

Speaking about the possibility of gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Armenia, the Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council stated that ” the parties do not deny that it is difficult to carry out at the moment of its delivery — it is necessary to build a new gas pipeline”.

” And this, in turn, is justified only on condition of long—term contracts and stable demand, ” Shevtsov said.

As reported by EADaily, “Gazprom” resumed the supply of Russian gas to Armenia.

Подробнее:https://www.eadaily.com/en/news/2026/09/25/the-russian-security-council-reacted-to-gas-supplies-to-armenia-from-azerbaijan

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Armenpress: Trump hosts state dinner for Xi

Chmshkian Vicken
U. S.10:09, 25 September 2026
Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Thursday evening attended a state dinner held by U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, at the White House.

Xi and Trump delivered remarks respectively after the dinner began.

“President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems but the ties between our people endure,” Trump said at the start of the state dinner. “Together we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations,” The New York Times quoted Trump as saying.

Xi noted that Trump paid a successful visit to China in May, and that the two heads of state exchanged state visits within six months, making history in bilateral engagement, according to Xinhua news agency.

Xi said common understanding on many issues have been reached during his visit this time, adding new substance to the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, and providing fresh strategic guidance for bilateral ties.

Xi stressed that over 200 years ago, soon after its independence, the United States turned its eyes to China. The two countries started trading with each other, exchanging goods to meet each other’s needs and drawing on their complementary strengths.

Xi noted that bilateral exchanges have helped promote heart-to-heart communication between the two peoples and cemented public support for China-U.S. friendship and cooperation.

Today, China-U.S. relations have come to another historical juncture, Xi said.

Trump’s pledge to make America great again and China’s commitment to achieving great national rejuvenation are both ambitious goals that can surely be mutually reinforcing, he said.

He said China and the United States must act as responsible major countries, meet the expectations of the two peoples, keep pace with the trend of the times, and explore a new approach for major countries to get along with each other.

The state dinner brought together senior officials, prominent tech billionaires and heads of some of the U.S.’s most recognizable companies.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos were among the corporate elite invited to attend the dinner, according to a guest list released by the White House.

The heavy presence of technology executives, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, came as competition over AI and advanced computer chips loomed over Xi’s visit, according to The Hill.

Published by Armenpress, original at

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Abraham Accords countries hold first official meeting since Oct. 7 attacks

Lilit Nahapetian
Near East14:40, 25 September 2026
Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский

The first official meeting of the Abraham Accords countries — the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco — since Oct. 7, 2023, when the Hamas attacks on Israel derailed the expansion of the Accords to more countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has been held in New York, CBS News reported.

The Abraham Accords countries were joined Thursday for the first time by officials from Kazakhstan, which expressed an interest in joining the Accords last year.

The U.S. delegation was led by a senior State Department official, Under Secretary of Political Affairs Allison Hooker.

“Nearly three years after October 7, the Abraham Accords countries are back together,” Hooker said, adding that President Trump brokered the historic agreements during his first term, and Thursday was an important signifier that the accords are “moving forward again.”

The meeting was hosted by the N7 Foundation, a U.S.-based organization that has convened multilateral meetings of the Abraham Accords countries since 2021.

“The next phase is about deepening the relationships that already exist and identifying practical opportunities for countries to work together,” said Jeffrey Talpins, founder of the N7 Foundation, who chaired the meeting. 

Another senior administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly told CBS News that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s team and Steve Witkoff, the White House Special Envoy for Peace Missions, “are clearly prioritizing this effort.”

Also present at the meeting were Aryeh Lightstone, special adviser to the Board of Peace, an international coalition dedicated to peace and reconstruction in Gaza, Ryan Arant, chief of staff to Under Secretary Hooker at the State Department, and Oren Eisner, president of the N7 Foundation. 

The Abraham Accords are a set of agreements that normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and several Muslim countries. The first of a series of agreements was signed in 2020, toward the end of Mr. Trump’s first term. 

The UAE and Bahrain became the first two Gulf Arab countries to formally recognize Israel. Morocco soon followed.  

Before the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, momentum was building for Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries to join the accords, but the attack and the wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran that ensued stalled further expansion.

President Trump announced Kazakhstan’s intention to join the Abraham Accords during an Oval Office meeting with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in November 2025. 

“We will soon announce a Signing Ceremony to make it official, and there are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.

An official with the Kazakhstan embassy told CBS News that Thursday’s gathering was a tangible step in the direction of expanding the accords.

Participants discussed next steps to formalize cooperation among Abraham Accords countries, according to a person familiar with the meeting.

Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский

Published by Armenpress, original at

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Iranian President meets Qatari PM in New York

Liana Toganian
Iran17:16, 25 September 2026
Read the article in: Հայերեն

President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian met in New York on Friday with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.

“Discussions during the meeting focused on the latest developments in the region, along with efforts to de-escalate tensions and create a conducive environment for dialogue, thereby contributing to the enhancement of regional security and stability,” the Qatari foreign ministry said on X.

Read the article in: Հայերեն

Published by Armenpress, original at

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Netanyahu lambasts Erdogan in UNGA speech, mentions Armenian Genocide denial

Bedik Zaminian
Politics11:06, 25 September 2026
Read the article in: العربيةՀայերենРусский

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his speech at the 2026 United Nations General Assembly, accused several countries of spending billions to spread what he described as lies about Israel, singling out Qatar and Türkiye in particular.

Netanyahu also accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of denying the Armenian Genocide, among other allegations against the Turkish leader.

“Several foreign countries have spent untold billions to spread lies about my country,” the Israeli PM said, according to the official transcript published by his office.

“The first to do so was Qatar. Decades ago, it started massively funding American universities and toxic media outlets like al-Jazeera. They did the same in Europe, by the way. Their goal was clear. Brainwash young minds to hate Israel, hate America and hate the West. This is the same Qatar that hosts the Hamas butchers of October 7th. The latest country to become a super-spreader of antisemitic lies is Türkiye. Erdogan is a tyrant who also hosts the Hamas terror chiefs. He has murdered thousands of Kurdish civilians. He denies the Armenian Genocide. He jails journalists and opposition leaders. In fact, I think he holds the world record on this, and that’s a tough call. But I think he’s number one. He illegally occupies Northern Cyprus, an EU member, and he regularly transgresses against Greece, a NATO member. Now he wants to take over Syria. That’s not surprising, because he calls for Israel’s destruction almost every single day. He says he’s going to be the ruler of Jerusalem. No, Sir. You won’t. This is our country, our city, our eternal capital. Tyrants of the world over seek to threaten us, they seek to undermine our resolve with their campaign of lies. But ultimately, as on the military battlefield, the Jewish people will prevail. It will take time. It will take time to vanquish the lies. It will take time for the world to acknowledge what is so plain to see. That Hamas used Palestinian civilians as human shields. That it used hospitals, schools and mosques as terrorist command posts. That it stole much of the food we let into Gaza,” he said. 

The Israeli government had unanimously approved a proposal in late June to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. Following that step, the issue was to be submitted to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, for approval. However, according to the JNS news outlet, the Knesset has suspended the vote on the issue, postponing it until after the elections scheduled for October 27.

Read the article in: العربيةՀայերենРусский

Published by Armenpress, original at

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Delegates walk out as Israel’s Netanyahu begins UNGA address

Jagharian Tania
World Sep 24, 2026 3:51 PM EDT

Allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza are not only false but “the biggest lie of the century,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders Thursday in a defiant speech that asserted his nation’s right to wage war against Iran — and was not heard by scores of delegates who trooped out before he started speaking.

Watch Netanyahu’s address in the video player above.

Netanyahu, his voice rising in emphasis, said attacking Iran “was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make” and denounced as “moral cowards” a mass of delegates who walked out of the U.N. General Assembly when he took the podium to speak.

WATCH LIVE: Day 3 of the 2026 United Nations General Assembly

“In defending itself, Israel is also also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall,” Netanyahu said. “In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran’s nukes.”

When Netanyahu walked to the rostrum, a mix of cheers, boos and mass walkouts erupted. Scores of delegates marched out and a majority of visible seats sat empty afterward. “Order in the hall, please,” General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said repeatedly.

“If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu said.

His remarks — which at times sounded like a stump speech as Israel gears up for elections — came after a week filled with speeches by world leaders accusing Israel of genocide and war crimes in Gaza.”

Palestinians had called for a mass walkout

The Palestinian Mission to the U.N. said in a message to many of the 193 U.N. member nations to bring as many staff as possible to the assembly hall and “collectively walk out of the assembly” once the Israeli prime minister is announced.

“This will send a clear message to Netanyahu and his government that no one is willing to aid, abet, or be complicit in its genocide and war crimes and illegal occupation, which all peace-loving states and peoples demand must come to an end,” the message said.

Israel rejects allegations that it committed genocide and war crimes and is illegally occupying Palestinian territory. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, but the Israeli government insists they are legal.

Netanyahu, who is prone to using visual aids during his General Assembly speeches, at one point held up a pager while reminding the audience of Sept. 17, 2024, when Israel remotely detonated thousands of pagers that had been distributed to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. The pager attack wounded more than 3,000 people and killed 12, including two children.

He reminded the assembly of the scale of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in which Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people. “This is equal to 40,000 innocent Americans slaughtered in less than 24 hours,” he said, or 16 times the death count on the 9/11 attacks that left nearly 3,000 people dead in New York.

Netanyahu thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for taking decisive action against Iran, and he insisted Israel would prevail: “We will continue to win because we have no other choice.”

Netanyahu followed the Palestinian president’s remote speech

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also addressed the U.N. General Assembly earlier Thursday, delivering prerecorded remarks from his office in Ramallah after the United States denied him and other top Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for the second year in a row.

WATCH: Palestinian President Abbas addresses 2026 UN General Assembly

The 90-year-old leader’s popularity at home and relevance abroad have both waned. But in his remarks, Abbas made clear he did not intend to quietly accept being sidelined.

“We will not leave our homeland. We will not accept displacement. And we will not allow anyone to decide our future on our behalf,” Abbas said.

Though world leaders have repeatedly invoked the plight of Palestinians in speeches throughout the week, Abbas urged the international community to take more tangible action against Israel.

“How long will some countries continue to remain silent about Israel, or continue supplying it with weapons that it uses against our people? The world has witnessed the enormous cost in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” Abbas said. “What, then, is the international community waiting for before it acts to protect the Palestinian people?”

Netanyahu is in the city of a mayor who wants him arrested

In past years, Netanyahu has used his General Assembly speech to both denounce the United Nations as biased and make Israel’s case to world leaders. His address — scheduled for prime time in Israel — is the cornerstone of an abbreviated trip to the United States unfolding under the shadow of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling him a “war criminal” and pushing for his arrest.

Mamdani has acknowledged that New York does not have the authority to execute an International Criminal Court warrant but urged federal authorities to do so.

Israel has grown increasingly isolated throughout the war in Gaza. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. At least 73,922 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent offensive, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government whose numbers are generally considered reliable by the international community.

A ceasefire agreed to by Israel and Hamas last October halted the heaviest of the fighting and led to the release of the remaining hostages yet further steps have since stalled. Israel maintains control of most of Gaza and continues to carry out airstrikes on Palestinians near military-held zones. Hamas not disarmed or relinquished power and there has been no progress toward reconstruction in the mostly destroyed territory.

Netanyahu has said no Palestinian state will be established while he is Israel’s leader and has argued that the Palestinian Authority is not a partner for peace.

Netanyahu dismissed incidents of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank as a “handful of young juvenile delinquents” throwing stones, chopping down olive trees and lighting fires.

“I can’t stand that. I won’t stand for vigilantism,” the prime minister said before accusing foreign leaders and the international press of distorting the scale of violence in the West Bank.

Netanyahu’s government is dominated by settlers and their allies, including the Cabinet minister who oversees the police. There have been few arrests of settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians.

Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 war, and the Palestinians want both as part of their future state. The Palestinians and much of the international community view the settlements as illegal and as an obstacle to creating a viable, contiguous Palestinian state.

Associated Press reporters Jennifer Peltz and Edith M. Lederer contributed.



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