Category: News

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan held a meeting on Monday with Audra Plepytė, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.

According to a readout from Grigoryan’s office, the Secretary welcomed Plepytė’s visit to Armenia and stressed the continuous and growing dynamics of political dialogue in Armenia–Lithuania relations.

Secretary Grigoryan and Vice Minister Plepytė also exchanged views on the Armenia–EU cooperation agenda, the visa liberalization process, regional developments, and other matters of mutual interest.

The novel Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov has won the Spanish Critics Award for Best Foreign Book, the Bulgarian publisher Janet 45 announced.

“We are happy to share that Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov has won the Spanish Critics Award for Best Foreign Book. This is the 70th edition of one of Spain’s most important literary awards. It is the only prize granted to works in all four official languages of Spain by a jury of 21 independent literary critics,” the publisher said in a statement. 

This is the first time a Bulgarian book receives this distinction.

This latest major recognition for Gospodinov comes just a month after Death and the Gardener (translated by Maria Vutova) won the Grand Prize for Best Fiction Book 2025 awarded by the Spanish Confederation of Booksellers Guilds and Associations.

The Spanish publisher Impedimenta wrote on its website: “Today we celebrate news that fills us with joy: Georgi Gospodinov has been awarded the 2025 Critics Prize for Death and the Gardener. This distinction recognizes one of the most unique, insightful, and indispensable writers of our time. His literature – delicate and deeply humane – explores memory, the passage of time, and the fragility of existence. In his pages, the intimate becomes universal, nostalgia takes on new forms, and everyday life reveals unexpected depth.”

A ninth edition of the novel in Spain is expected within days. Since its release less than a year ago, Death and the Gardener has remained among the most sought-after books, according to Janet 45.

(This information is published according to an agreement between Armenpress and BTA). 

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 13 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.54 drams to 375.19 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.34 drams to 438.75 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.0697 drams to 4.9341 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.72 drams to 504.07 drams.

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

Gold price up by 52 drams to 57584 drams. 

Minister of Finance of the Republic of Armenia Vahe Hovhannisyan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar to Armenia Mansour Abdulla Al Sulaitin, the ministry said in a readout.

During the meeting, the parties reaffirmed the importance of strengthening friendly and mutually beneficial relations between Armenia and Qatar, which is among the priorities defined in the program of the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

The sides discussed prospects for expanding bilateral economic cooperation. In this context, they emphasized the Agreement between the Government of Armenia and the Government of Qatar on the Avoidance of Double Taxation, which creates favorable conditions for fostering and expanding business ties between the two countries.

According to the ministry, the two countries plan to deepen cooperation in the investment sector, as well as ensure the exchange of knowledge and experience in the areas of energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and digital transformation.

The regular session of the Management Board of North-South Road Corridor, M-6 Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Georgian Border Interstate Road Rehabilitation and Improvement Project, Urban Sustainable Development Investment and Northern Corridor Modernization programs was held under the chairmanship of Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan, the press service of the Government said in a statement.

During the meeting, participants discussed issues related to the construction of the 7-kilometer Kajaran tunnel and the reconstruction of an approximately 4-kilometer road section leading to the tunnel. The results of the tender were presented to the Management Board and approved.

The session also addressed the results of the evaluation of technical proposals submitted within the framework of the international tender for the procurement of technical supervision services for the Kajaran tunnel construction project.

The Road Department Fund was instructed to proceed to the next stage of the tender process, including the opening of financial proposals.

At the end of the session, Deputy Prime Minister Khachatryan made several observations regarding the discussed issues and issued relevant instructions.

Armenia’s success in the era of artificial intelligence depends on the development of three key resources, Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan said.

Hayrapetyan made the remarks while participating in the TEDx forum titled “Vision of the Future,” where he addressed state policy in the field of artificial intelligence and Armenia’s positioning on the global technological map, the ministry said.

He noted that the global economy is entering a new stage driven by artificial intelligence-based systems, where small countries can gain a strategic advantage if they set the right priorities and capitalize on current momentum.

In this context, the minister identified three key resources essential for small states: energy, high-performance computing capabilities, and human capital.

Hayrapetyan emphasized that Armenia’s success in the AI era depends on the simultaneous and consistent development of these resources. With the right strategy, he said, Armenia could strengthen its position in the global technological landscape and become a competitive player in the emerging economic reality.

On April 14, Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to Brussels, the ministry said in a statement.

“Meetings are scheduled with EU counterparts, including HRVP Kaja Kallas (EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission),” it reads.