Category: News

A fire has broken out at Egypt’s Damietta Port, involving several gas carriers and dry cargo vessels, with authorities currently assessing the extent of the damage, RIA Novosti reported on July 29, citing the Al Nahar newspaper.

“A fire broke out near the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Damietta Port, engulfing several LNG carriers and dry cargo ships. Civil defence forces and the relevant authorities immediately began firefighting operations to prevent the blaze from spreading to other parts of the terminal,” the newspaper reported.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he does not plan any further changes to his government beyond the appointments already required to fill vacant positions in the cabinet and within his party.

“I believe the current composition of the government is the right one to address the challenges we face over the next two and a half years,” Merz said after an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary group, according to TASS.

He added that, for this reason, he sees no grounds for considering any further personnel changes.

A parliamentary candidate who ran for office in the June 7 elections on the Armenia Alliance ticket has been arrested as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged vote-buying, authorities confirmed Wednesday.

The Anti-Corruption Committee confirmed Ara Nakhshkaryan’s arrest to Armenpress.

“We confirm that A. N., a parliamentary candidate from the ‘Hayastan’ Alliance electoral list, was arrested today as part of a criminal investigation launched by the Anti-Corruption Committee into alleged cases of offering and receiving electoral bribes,” the Anti-Corruption Committee said.

The Armenian government plans to introduce new regulations that would establish stricter oversight of foreign adoption agencies operating in Armenia, including approval requirements, monitoring, reporting obligations, and possible suspension of authorization.

A bill establishing rules for the authorization, supervision, suspension, and termination of activities of accredited foreign organizations operating in the field of international adoption has been published online.

The regulation will apply to accredited organizations from countries that are members of the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention), as well as their representatives and offices operating in Armenia.

If the draft is adopted, organizations seeking to operate in Armenia will need to obtain authorization from the central authority. They will be required to submit documents regarding their accreditation, experience, staff qualifications, planned activities, services provided, service fees, and other expenses.

Information about the organization, its representative, and the staff of its Armenian office will be sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Police and the National Security Service to check for possible violations or circumstances that could prevent the organization from carrying out adoption-related activities.

Organizations will be required to submit annual reports at the end of each year detailing their activities, services provided, fees charged, and expenses incurred. After each adoption process is completed, a separate report will also be required on the work carried out and funds transferred.

For three years following an adoption, the organization, its office, or its representative must submit annual reports to the central authority on the adopted child’s post-adoption situation.

The reports will also be reviewed by the Police and the National Security Service to verify that the organization’s activities comply with Armenian legislation and the international convention, including whether expenses are justified.

In case of violations, an organization’s authorization may be suspended. If the violations that led to the suspension are not corrected within six months, the authorization may be terminated.

The city of Stepanavan in Armenia’s Lori Province is gearing up to host the highly anticipated 13th Pan-Armenian Barbecue Festival.

The 13th edition of the festival comes after a four-year hiatus, with organizers hoping it will help boost tourism in the region.

“The Barbecue Festival has been held since 2008. As many know, it was previously hosted in the community of Akhtala in Lori Province. Our goal there was to promote the region, support balanced regional development, boost tourism, and promote Armenian cuisine. We believe we achieved that and now aim to do the same in Stepanavan. In our view, Stepanavan’s tourism potential has not yet been fully realized, and we hope to contribute to its promotion,” Sedrak Mamulyan, president of the Armenian Cookery Traditions Development and Preservation NGO, said at a press conference.

The festival will officially open at 12:00 p.m. on August 1. 

Approximately 50 booths will feature chefs presenting their original barbecue creations. Visitors will have the opportunity to sample a wide variety of dishes before a professional jury evaluates the competitors’ work.

Awards will be presented in the following categories: Best Taste, Best Presentation, Most Creative Concept, Special Prize, and the Grand Prix.

Mamulyan noted that every edition of the festival showcases innovative barbecue creations.

“There’s always a chef who surprises everyone with something unusual. Last time, for example, one participant created an entire barbecue menu using only fruit, including grilled watermelon. So, visitors can expect new surprises this year as well,” he said.

Festival organizer Vladimir Gevorgyan highlighted the many attractions Stepanavan and the broader Lori region have to offer.

“Visitors can explore Lori Fortress, which is currently undergoing major restoration, as well as the Dendropark and the Water Lily Pond. The Surb Nshan Chapel is another must-see destination. And, of course, all of this comes with the region’s exceptionally clean, oxygen-rich air.”

According to Diana Karapetyan, head of the Marketing and Promotion Department at Armenia’s Tourism Committee, the festival plays an important role in promoting Armenian cuisine and developing gastronomic tourism.

“The festival also generates significant tourist traffic for the host community. When the Tourism Committee supports a festival, one of the requirements is that it attracts at least 3,000 visitors. According to last year’s figures, the festivals we supported each welcomed more than 5,000 visitors,” she said.

The festival will also provide 20 free booths to residents of local communities, who will showcase their agricultural products and handmade crafts.

A live concert program will accompany the event throughout the day.

To make attendance easier, the organizers will provide round-trip transportation from Yerevan. Buses will depart from Republic Square at 10:00 a.m. on August 1 and return from Stepanavan at 8:00 p.m. Interested participants can register in advance through the festival’s social media pages.

Admission to the festival is free.

As part of COP17—the Seventeenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)—to be hosted in Yerevan, Armenia, a Green Zone will operate from October 19 to 30 at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex, providing a platform for events involving civil society, the scientific community, businesses, and international partners.

Speaking to reporters, Lilit Midoyan, Chief Coordinator of the COP17 Green Zone, said the conference will be held across two main venues: the Blue Zone, which will be managed by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and located at the Meridian Expo Center, and the Green Zone, which will be hosted at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex.

“Shuttle services will operate between the two zones. The Green Zone will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It will feature several thematic areas, including a Science and Innovation Zone, where scientific and innovative projects related to biodiversity and environmental protection will be showcased, as well as a Cultural Zone, where visitors will be introduced to Armenia’s cultural heritage through a variety of events,” Midoyan said.

She said the Ministry of Environment will develop the agenda for the Green Zone’s 12-day program, while the venue will also be open to partner organizations wishing to organize their own events and initiatives. The deadline for submitting session proposals is September 15.

“Applications will be evaluated based on three main criteria: scientific merit, alignment with environmental policy objectives, and technical feasibility. Individuals may not apply as session organizers, but organizations may host both public and closed events. Sessions may last 30, 60, or 90 minutes,” she said, adding that all materials must be submitted electronically in advance, as storage devices will not be accepted at the venue.

Midoyan also noted that online participation by speakers will be available.

Simultaneous Armenian-English and English-Armenian interpretation will be provided for Green Zone events. If interpretation into other languages is required, organizers will be responsible for arranging it.

The Green Zone will also include a press center with capacity for approximately 90 media representatives.

In addition, around 100 exhibition booths will be installed in the grandstand area of the Sports and Concert Complex.

“The rental fee for each booth is AMD 1.44 million, including taxes, for the entire 12-day period. Organizers will also encourage environmentally responsible practices throughout the venue, including minimizing the use of plastic and other materials that may harm the environment,” Midoyan said.

COP17 will unite representatives of the Parties to the Convention, alongside Indigenous peoples and local communities, civil society, scientists, youth, businesses and other stakeholders to advance global action for biodiversity.

The conference comes at a defining moment for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). For the first time since its adoption in 2022, countries will collectively review progress towards the Framework’s 23 targets, shifting the focus from commitments to evidence and from what was agreed to what has been achieved.

COP17 will provide a critical opportunity to assess collective progress, strengthen cooperation and accelerate action towards the global biodiversity goals for 2030.

Hosting COP17 places Armenia at the center of the global conversation on biodiversity. Although the country accounts for only 6.7% of the Caucasus by area, it contains approximately 60% of the region’s biodiversity and is home to diverse ecosystems and thousands of plant and animal species.

As the host, Armenia will welcome the international community to Yerevan, providing a platform for dialogue, cooperation and collective action while connecting global biodiversity priorities with its own rich natural heritage.

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan held a meeting on Wednesday with Olivier Decottignies, Ambassador of France to Armenia, on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic mission.

According to a government readout, Deputy Prime Minister Khachatryan praised the rich and dynamic agenda of Armenia-France relations in recent years and expressed gratitude to the Ambassador for his personal contribution to strengthening the bilateral partnership.

The Armenian Deputy Prime Minister expressed confidence that the work carried out has helped establish the strong foundation necessary for the continued development of bilateral relations.

The outgoing French Ambassador thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for the close cooperation in recent years and for advancing initiatives of importance to bilateral relations.

The sides also exchanged views on key areas of the Armenia-France cooperation agenda, including energy, infrastructure, export diversification, and other areas of joint work.

In recent years, the impressive economic growth recorded in Armenia has not benefited all residents of the country equally. Although the poverty rate has declined, these gains remain fragile: a significant share of households, while positioned slightly above the poverty line, remain highly vulnerable to shocks and have limited capacity to build resilience.

Senior economist Armine Manukyan highlighted this issue during a press conference on July 29, while presenting the key findings of the World Bank Group’s new report titled “Armenia’s Economic Pulse: Pursuing Poverty-Reducing Growth with More Impactful Fiscal Policy.”

“Armenia’s economic growth in recent years has been quite impressive. The poverty rate has been declining, the unemployment rate has also been decreasing, as the indicators show, and fiscal policy is fulfilling its redistributive role and having some impact on poverty reduction. However, despite all this, the benefits of high growth are not equally accessible to everyone. A significant share of households is just above the poverty line, which we consider vulnerable. Although the unemployment rate is declining, the employment rate has remained stagnant and is not increasing—it is at around 50 percent. Fiscal policy can become more effective and more targeted and have a greater impact on poverty reduction,” said Armine Manukyan.

According to her, the unemployment rate, which had remained at around 18 percent until 2019, has declined to 12.8 percent, but this level is still considered very high.

“Alongside the decline in the unemployment rate, the employment rate of the population has not increased. The employment rate is calculated as the ratio of the number of employed people to the total population aged 15–74. If the number of people aged 15–74 increases, but the employment rate does not rise proportionally, the employment indicator declines,” the economist emphasized.

Manukyan noted that not only the employment rate but also the characteristics of the labor market are important. According to her assessment, one of the distinctive features of Armenia’s labor market is that only 37 percent of the working-age population—people aged 15–74—are employed under formal written contracts. Meanwhile, in the countries of Europe and Central Asia, this figure averages 45–50 percent.

“It is also clear that salaried employees with formal contracts are concentrated in urban areas, while in rural areas people mainly work as self-employed individuals or as unpaid contributing family workers,” Armine Manukyan stated.

It was also noted that real wage growth in Armenia has occurred mainly in sectors requiring advanced professional skills, particularly IT and finance.

“In 2022, Armenia’s economic growth amounted to 12.6 percent, while in 2025 it was 7.1 percent. Economic growth has been driven mainly by the services sector, particularly financial services, insurance, IT, and professional services. Construction has also made a significant contribution to economic growth. In the industrial sector, mining recorded particularly strong growth this year,” she noted.

This World Bank Group report is one of the regular reports in the “Country Economic Update” (CEU) series, which is dedicated to monitoring socio-economic developments and promoting informed dialogue on economic policies and prospects. The report notes that the purpose of Armenia’s CEUs is to provide a continuous, comprehensive, and concise analysis of recent economic developments and the country’s economic outlook, as well as an in-depth examination of specific structural issues requiring the attention of policymakers and stakeholders.

The report is generally published twice a year, in the middle and at the end of each year. It usually consists of two sections: a summary of recent macroeconomic developments and a special topic section. This year’s special topic is titled “Poverty, Distributional Impacts and Fiscal Policy Constraints.”

Dilijan has once again strengthened its position as a leading international MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) destination, winning the Best International Destination for Business and Corporate Events award at the prestigious MICE Excellence Awards for the second consecutive year. The awards are widely recognized as one of the most prestigious distinctions in the business tourism industry across Russia and the CIS.

At the awards, Dilijan was represented by the Meet Dilijan initiative, established to promote the city as an international destination for tourism and business events. The winner was selected by an international jury comprising leading industry experts from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and the CIS.

After receiving this prestigious award for the first time in 2025, Dilijan successfully retained its title in 2026, surpassing finalists from Georgia, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, Lithuania, and other countries. Dilijan remains the only destination from Armenia not only to have reached the finals of the competition but also to have won the award for two consecutive years.

The Meet Dilijan initiative is implemented by the Green Rock Foundation and aims to strengthen the local community, enhance Dilijan’s tourism appeal, and position the city as an international hub for business events. The Foundation’s activities are guided by four strategic pillars: education and capacity building, environmental sustainability, culture, and community development.

Today, Dilijan is known not only for its rich cultural heritage and exceptional natural beauty, but also as an emerging business events destination in the South Caucasus. Winning the MICE Excellence Awards for the second consecutive year reflects the growing confidence of international industry professionals and highlights Dilijan’s strong potential as a premier destination for international conferences, corporate events, and incentive travel.

Armenia’s Ministry of Defence has denied reports circulating online that a 19-year-old serviceman was beaten at the Jermuk military unit, describing the claims as false.

“The information circulated by a user on the Facebook social media platform does not correspond to reality.

We urge the public to refrain from spreading false and misleading information, as well as from making unfounded attempts to discredit the reputation of the Armenian Army.

Such publications mislead the public and contribute to the spread of disinformation.

Reports claiming that serviceman A.H. was severely beaten, or beaten at all, are false. He was admitted to a military hospital due to a different health issue.

The Ministry of Defence is ready to accompany representatives of the Office of the Human Rights Defender to the hospital so they can verify the facts on site,” the ministry said.

The ministry added that the serviceman, who was admitted to the military hospital with a health issue unrelated to the claims, is currently undergoing observation and medical examinations.

According to the ministry, the serviceman is in good health and there are no causes for concern.

The allegations that the serviceman had been beaten were raised by human rights journalist Zhanna Aleksanyan, who called on Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan to respond to the reported incident.