Category: News

The formation of a parliamentary friendship group with Armenia was marked by an official ceremony at Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies.

Legislator and Chair of the group Maria Luisa Gonzalez Estevarena, along with other members, representatives of the Chamber of Deputies’ Department of International and Institutional Relations, Armenia’s Ambassador to Argentina Hovhannes Virabyan, and other officials participated in the ceremony, the embassy reported.

Ambassador Virabyan thanked MP Maria Luisa Gonzalez Estevarena for assuming the responsibilities of Chair of the Argentina-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group and the other MPs for joining the group. He also expressed special gratitude to the group’s former chair, MP Lilia Lemoine, for the effective and close cooperation over the past two years.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the prospects for developing Armenian-Argentine interparliamentary cooperation, emphasizing the important role of parliamentary diplomacy in further strengthening bilateral relations. In particular, they discussed opportunities to expand cooperation within the framework of the Parliamentary Friendship Group and outlined future joint programs and initiatives.

The sides also highlighted the significant role of the Armenian community in Argentina as an important bridge for strengthening friendship, mutual understanding, and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

The parties reaffirmed their readiness to continue close cooperation, contributing to the further strengthening of interparliamentary ties between Armenia and Argentina and the deepening of friendly relations between the two countries.

On August 4, 2026 the second meeting of the Armenia-Türkiye joint working group on the reconstruction of the historic Ani bridge took place in Yerevan.

At the meeting, the Parties emphasized the importance of signing of the Protocol on the joint reconstruction of the historic Ani bridge on May 4, 2026 in Yerevan.

The Parties agreed to continue efforts toward the earliest implementation of the signed Protocol.

The protocol was signed in Yerevan on May 4 within the framework of the European Political Community Summit.

As the process of normalising relations between Armenia and Türkiye progresses, discussions have also intensified over the sectors in which the two countries could begin economic cooperation once their border is opened and diplomatic relations are established following the negotiations.

Alongside the political dialogue, there has already been some movement towards economic cooperation. In particular, representatives of Armenian and Turkish business circles met in Kars on June 2, 2026, to discuss potential areas of cooperation.

The venue and date of the next meeting have already been set. A second meeting between Armenian and Turkish business representatives will take place in Yerevan in early September 2026.

In an interview with Armenpress, Güven Sak, economist and Executive Director of the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Türkiye (TEPAV), discussed the prospects for economic cooperation between Armenia and Türkiye.

Sak stressed that Turkish goods had already had access to the Armenian market via Georgia, while Armenian goods could likewise reach the Turkish market through the same route. However, he said the possible opening of the border between the two countries would usher in a new stage of economic cooperation, enhancing the competitiveness and diversification of Armenia’s economy while also benefiting Türkiye’s economy.

“We are now looking for sectors where cooperation can be established. At present, we are considering two or three main areas.

The first is tourism cooperation between tour operators in the two countries.

The second, I believe, is logistics cooperation, because the TRIPP route is not only about that 40-kilometre section. On one side, it will extend eastwards through the Caspian Sea to Central Asia, and on the other towards Europe. That is why cooperation on logistics infrastructure is needed.

We are also looking at cooperation in the field of information and communication technologies. Armenia has certain potential in this area. We are seeking cooperation between Turkish and Armenian companies.

We can also talk about cooperation in the food industry because there are agricultural areas just across the border crossing. Armenia has extensive agricultural land. So it may also be possible to identify areas of cooperation in that direction, but we will see. There is no need to rush,” Sak said.

From the perspective of promoting tourism cooperation, the Turkish economist highlighted the restoration of the historic Ani Bridge, for which Armenia and Türkiye signed a protocol in May 2026.

Sak expressed the view that the bridge could become not only a symbol of connectivity but also of tourism exchanges, allowing visitors to cross the border from one side to the other.

The Turkish economist also addressed discussions in Armenia suggesting that opening the border with Türkiye could harm Armenia’s economy and domestic producers.

“I first visited Armenia around 2008. At that time, this argument appeared in Armenian newspapers. We had similar discussions in Türkiye when the country concluded a customs union agreement with the European Union. Until 1996, people were saying that Turkish industry would collapse because of it. They claimed European goods would flood our market, our companies would close, and so on. But that did not happen.

The customs union agreement greatly improved the competitiveness of Türkiye’s economy.

I believe the same will happen in Armenia because there are sectors where Armenian companies and the Armenian workforce have greater potential. There are also sectors where Turkish companies can perform well.

The important issue is bringing those competitive partnerships together. That is what we are looking for.

It will benefit both countries,” the TEPAV director said.

Sak also commented on connectivity in the South Caucasus and the wider region, including whether the fact that Armenia’s railway network is operated under a concession by Russian Railways, through the South Caucasus Railway company, could become an obstacle to regional connectivity.

According to the TEPAV executive director, Russian concession management of Armenia’s railway network is not an obstacle to connectivity. He said the more important issue is the need to modernise and strengthen Armenia’s railway infrastructure, as the network is incomplete and some sections are currently out of service.

“The important thing is to hold discussions with South Caucasus Railway on whether it is willing to make new investments. If it is not prepared to make those investments, then a mechanism should be found to complete Armenia’s railway infrastructure.

The key issue is having transport links in place. That includes not only links with Türkiye and within Armenia, but also links with Azerbaijan, and ultimately with Moscow and Iran,” Güven Sak said.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of Defense, Lt. Gen. Edward Asryan, visited troops at an army corps post.

The Defense Ministry said that the general met with sergeants and senior enlisted personnel at the undisclosed military station.

The ministry said that the general highlighted the need to improve discipline and uphold the code of conduct.

“During the meeting, a number of issues related to improving discipline in the armed forces, maintaining statutory relations, and efforts to eliminate harmful practices within the army were discussed,” the ministry said.

On August 4, Director of the Rescue Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aram Ghazaryan received Masahiro Ueki, Resident Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Georgia Office, and Ruzan Khojikyan, JICA Program Coordinator in Armenia.

The JICA Georgia Office also covers the entire South Caucasus region.

According to a readout from the ministry, Ghazaryan emphasized the importance of effective cooperation with JICA, noting that programs implemented with the agency’s support have made a significant contribution to the technical modernization of the Rescue Service, the development of personnel’s professional capacities, and the improvement of the disaster risk management system.

Expressing gratitude for the warm reception, JICA Georgia Office Resident Representative Masahiro Ueki noted that the Armenian side highly values Japan’s long-standing experience in the field of disaster risk management.

The sides discussed the technical upgrading of the Rescue Service, the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

The parties reaffirmed their readiness to further strengthen the partnership and continue joint initiatives in targeted areas.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan received Aryeh Lightstone, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions.

Konstantin Sokolov, President of the Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund, also attended the meeting.

According to the readout, the sides highlighted the significant developments and achievements recorded since the Washington Peace Summit of August 8, 2025. Emphasizing the importance of the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan for fully realizing the region’s development potential, the sides also discussed possible steps aimed at further strengthening peace.

The parties expressed satisfaction with the recent momentum in high-level reciprocal visits and agreements, as well as with the tangible achievements in the development of the Armenia–U.S. comprehensive strategic partnership, which have also resulted from the implementation of three memoranda signed in Washington on August 8, 2025.

Among a number of initiatives, the sides highlighted the rapidly developing cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence and the launch of the first phase of the data center being built as part of Firebird AI’s megaproject.

Ararat Mirzoyan and Aryeh Lightstone also discussed opportunities and programs for expanding trade and economic cooperation, as well as cooperation aimed at strengthening Armenia’s economic and energy resilience.

The meeting included detailed discussions on promoting regional connectivity and leveraging competitive advantages along this path. The parties addressed ongoing efforts to implement the TRIPP program, with both sides emphasizing their interest in ensuring the program’s implementation on the ground as soon as possible.

They also exchanged views on prospects for Armenia’s most effective integration into international transportation and infrastructure systems.

The sides further discussed other issues of mutual interest.

Armenian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Abisoghomonyan met with Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Nairobi, Kenya.

According to a statement by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting focused on preparations for the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), which will be held in Yerevan this October.

The two sides underscored the importance of ensuring high-level participation in the Leaders’ Summit and the High-Level Ministerial Segment to provide political momentum for the global biodiversity agenda and strengthen the conference’s outcomes.

They also exchanged views on the ongoing negotiations and other work taking place during the meetings of the Convention’s subsidiary bodies in Nairobi, namely the 28th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-28) and the 7th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-7).

Deputy Foreign Minister Abisoghomonyan presented the priorities of Armenia’s COP17 presidency, reaffirming the country’s commitment to delivering an inclusive, results-oriented conference with the full participation of all stakeholders.

Armenian Deputy Minister of Environment Aram Meymaryan also attended the meeting.

A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has discussed the draft programme of the Government of the Republic of Armenia for 2026–2031.

According to the Information and Public Relations Department of the Prime Minister’s Office, the discussion focused on the programme’s priorities, expected performance indicators across various sectors, planned measures and other related issues.

During the meeting, the heads of government agencies presented proposals and observations.

The prime minister instructed officials to finalise the draft within a short timeframe. Once approved by the government, it will be submitted to the National Assembly.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan has received Aryeh Lightstone, Senior Adviser to the U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions.

The meeting was also attended by Konstantin Sokolov, founding chairman of Trans-Caspian Enterprises, and David Allen, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States in Armenia.

Welcoming the guests, Grigoryan highlighted the significance of the agreements reached on August 8, 2025, for ensuring peace and stability in the region.

The sides discussed the TRIPP project and the importance of its implementation, while also highlighting the ongoing efforts towards its implementation.