Category: News

The European Union market is now open to Armenian fishery products, and all the necessary regulatory procedures have been completed. Companies wishing to export to the EU now need only apply to Armenia’s Food Safety Inspectorate to begin the process.

Tigran Petrosyan, head of the Food Safety Inspectorate, said the achievement was the result of years of coordinated work. He noted that both the government and the private sector have now reached the stage where exports of Armenian fishery products to the EU can begin in practice.

“One company has already officially applied to the Food Safety Inspectorate to export Armenian fishery products to the EU market. However, interest is much broader. I can say that 97% of Armenia’s fish product producers are ready to export their products to the European Union,” Petrosyan said.

Companies interested in exporting to the EU must be registered in the TRACES system, the European Union’s platform for the certification and traceability of animals, food and feed.

To obtain registration, businesses must submit an application to the Food Safety Inspectorate either electronically or in paper form. Petrosyan said detailed information on the required documents will be published on the inspectorate’s official website, Snund.am.

“There is no complicated procedure and no special documentation is required. These are documents that businesses already possess. Once an application is submitted, the inspectorate reviews the documents and then conducts an audit of the company. If all requirements are met, the company is registered in the TRACES system, which automatically generates a unique identification code. Once the company receives that code, it can export its products to any EU member state,” he said.

The TRACES registration code is issued without an expiration date. However, the inspectorate will conduct inspections of registered companies at least once a year.

On July 20, the Food Safety Inspectorate will host four experts from the European Union to discuss the practical arrangements for the first shipment of Armenian fishery products to the EU.

Talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov have begun in Moscow. At the start of the meeting, Lavrov said the situation in the South Caucasus would be among the topics discussed, Interfax reported.

“Today, we will discuss the current state and prospects of our cooperation. In the economic sphere, the 24th meeting of the intergovernmental commission was held quite recently, in April. There are also positive trends and prospects in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. And, of course, we will discuss the situation in the South Caucasus,” Lavrov said at the beginning of the meeting. 

Lavrov also noted growing interest in the 3+3 regional consultative platform. He added that, following agreements reached at the highest level and the work of the governments and foreign ministries, all issues related to the crash of an AZAL passenger aircraft had been settled.

Lavrov said he was also pleased to have the opportunity to continue dialogue at the level of foreign ministers. 

“This reinforces regular contacts between the presidents and governments of the two countries, as well as between ministries and agencies,” Lavrov said.

According to the Russian minister, “all this shows that, despite the difficulties that arise from time to time and are inevitable in life, we are moving towards the full implementation of the potential of the Moscow Declaration on Allied Interaction, signed on February 22, 2022.”

An Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25, 2024.

According to the airline, there were 62 passengers and five crew members on board. Kazakhstan’s Emergency Situations Ministry said 29 people survived. 

On July 19, 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Baku insisted that compensation be paid to the families of those killed and injured in the crash. He also said documents were being prepared to file a case against Russia in international courts.

RIA Novosti noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Russian missiles launched by air defence systems to intercept Ukrainian drones exploded several metres from the AZAL aircraft and that fragments struck the plane.

Russia remains ready to assist Armenia and Azerbaijan in restoring transport and economic links and addressing humanitarian issues, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

According to TASS, Lavrov made the remarks during a joint press conference with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

“Russia consistently supports the efforts of Azerbaijan and Armenia aimed at achieving a full and comprehensive normalisation of relations, based on the trilateral high-level agreements reached in 2020 and 2022. As before, we stand ready to assist both Baku and Yerevan in unblocking transport and economic links and in resolving humanitarian issues,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov also spoke about the 3+3 regional consultative format, comprising Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Iran and Türkiye, saying it has considerable potential to promote regional cooperation. 

“We also discussed attempts by Western countries to use the South Caucasus as an arena for geopolitical confrontation. In this context, we see significant potential for regional cooperation within the framework of the 3+3 platform, which brings together the three South Caucasus countries — Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia — and their neighbours, Russia, Iran and Türkiye,” he said.

Lavrov added that the mechanism is designed to help the countries of the region and their neighbours address regional challenges without external destabilising interference. According to TASS, Lavrov and Bayramov also discussed trade, economic and sectoral cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan, as well as current regional and international issues.

The 3+3 format is a regional consultative platform established to promote security, the unblocking of transport and economic links, and broader regional cooperation in the South Caucasus.

The initiative was proposed by Türkiye and Azerbaijan following the 2020 44-day war over Nagorno-Karabakh and was supported by Russia and Iran. 

Although originally conceived as a 3+3 format, the mechanism has effectively operated as a 3+2 format, as Georgia has consistently declined to participate, citing Russia’s occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The other participants have maintained that the door remains open for Georgia to join. To date, several meetings have been held at the level of foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers, including in Moscow in December 2021, Tehran in October 2023 and Istanbul in October 2024, where a joint declaration was adopted.

 Discussions are currently under way regarding the venue and sequence of the next ministerial meetings involving Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said recent developments in the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation process have created a unique opportunity to establish lasting peace in the region.

According to the Azerbaijani APA news agency, Bayramov made the remarks during a joint press conference in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

He said recent developments in the normalisation process, including the initialling of the peace agreement, have created an opportunity to ensure lasting peace, security and prosperity in the region.

Bayramov also said he had briefed Lavrov on the current state of the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation process during their talks. 

“Today, it can be said with confidence that de facto peace exists between Baku and Yerevan,” the Azerbaijani foreign minister said.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 17 July, USD exchange rate up by 0.28 drams to 366.85 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.85 drams to 419.24 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.0006 drams to 4.6649 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.19 drams to 492.79 drams.

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

Gold price down by 773 drams to 47102 drams. Silver price down by 16.58 drams to 666.39 drams.

Armenian Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan met with a delegation of business representatives from the United Arab Emirates on July 16 to discuss expanding trade cooperation.

According to Armenia’s Ministry of Economy, the meeting focused on opportunities to export fresh vegetables and flowers from Armenia to the UAE market.

The sides also discussed the organisation of export procedures, logistics routes and phytosanitary requirements.

Khojoyan outlined the Armenian government’s key export promotion policies, highlighting the importance of expanding cooperation with the Gulf countries and increasing exports of Armenian fresh vegetables and flowers. 

He also presented the potential of Armenia’s greenhouse sector, the range of fresh vegetables and flowers produced in the country, their quality advantages and existing export opportunities. He additionally proposed exploring the possibility of exporting Armenian mineral water to the UAE. Representatives of companies producing flowers and fresh vegetables, as well as logistics service providers, also took part in the meeting. 

They presented their main areas of activity, product portfolios, export experience and cooperation opportunities, while discussing supply arrangements and compliance with market requirements.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to continue cooperation, maintain business contacts and exchange information to develop practical areas of future collaboration, with the aim of expanding trade and economic ties between Armenia and the United Arab Emirates. 

On July 17, Deputy Minister Arman Khojoyan, UAE Ambassador to Armenia Nariman Al Mulla and members of the business delegation visited several greenhouse facilities in Armenia to assess production and export capacities, as well as packaging, cold storage and logistics infrastructure.

Armenia’s Environmental Protection and Mining Inspectorate hosted a working meeting to discuss preparations for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which will be held in Armenia from October 19 to 30, 2026.

According to the Inspectorate, its Head, Hovhannes Martirosyan, met with Deputy Minister of Environment Aram Meymaryan.

 The meeting was also attended by the Inspectorate’s senior management and representatives of the team coordinating preparations for COP17. The participants discussed organisational and substantive aspects of the conference, ways to strengthen interagency cooperation, and the Inspectorate’s role in both the Green Zone and the Blue Zone of the event. In the Green Zone, the Inspectorate will showcase modern approaches to biodiversity conservation and state environmental oversight.

 In the Blue Zone, it will organise bilateral and multilateral thematic discussions and meetings to present Armenia’s environmental oversight system and ongoing reforms.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to continue joint efforts by clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the institutions involved to ensure the successful organisation of the conference. 

Armenia will host the 17th Conference of the Parties (CBD COP17) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan from October 19 to 30, 2026, bringing together representatives of governments, international organisations, the scientific community, civil society, Indigenous peoples, youth and the private sector from around the world.

A delegation led by Armenian Investigative Committee Deputy Chairman Armen Gevorgyan is on a working visit to Hunan Province in the People’s Republic of China.

The delegation also includes Kim Harutyunyan, Deputy Head of the Yerevan Investigative Department, and Eduard Karapetyan, Head of the Lori Regional Investigative Department.

According to the Investigative Committee, Gevorgyan met with Wang You, Vice Governor of Hunan Province and Head of the Provincial Department of Public Security. 

The two sides underscored the importance of such meetings, highlighting their effectiveness in expanding cooperation in the legal field. 

During the meeting, the participants discussed issues of mutual interest.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has congratulated Mindaugas Sinkevičius on his appointment as Prime Minister of Lithuania.

According to a message released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Pashinyan wrote:

“Please accept my warm congratulations on your appointment as Prime Minister of Lithuania. I am confident that, during this responsible period, the government under your leadership will successfully guide Lithuania along the path of security, stability and prosperity.

The friendship between our two peoples, founded on shared values, provides a solid basis for expanding multifaceted cooperation between Armenia and Lithuania. Lithuania was the first country to recognise the independence of the Republic of Armenia in 1991, and since then our countries have built a strong partnership, which reached a qualitatively new level with the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Lithuania in Yerevan on May 19, 2026.

We highly appreciate Lithuania’s continued and unwavering support for the reforms being implemented in Armenia, particularly for the deepening of the Armenia-European Union partnership.

I am confident that, through our joint efforts, we will continue to further develop and expand our bilateral agenda for the benefit of our two countries. I wish you every success in your work and peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Lithuania.”

Armenian Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan chaired a regular meeting of the ministry’s Public Council on July 17. Papoyan announced the meeting in a post on his Facebook page, where he also shared a video.

“At the beginning of the meeting, I emphasised the importance of the involvement of civil society organisations in the country’s economic development and noted that joint discussions make it possible to develop solutions that contribute to improving the effectiveness of the work being carried out. 

The agenda included issues related to state support programmes, particularly the improvement of export promotion programmes, as well as the development of the system of private veterinary services and the circulation of veterinary medicines in Armenia,” Papoyan wrote.