Category: News

Armenian Environment Minister and COP17 President Hambardzum Matevosyan met volunteers at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in Yerevan and thanked them for their dedication, sense of responsibility and tireless work.

In a Facebook post, the minister said he had previously been a volunteer himself and understood how much effort, time and care the work required.

“With your support, thousands of participants have experienced Armenia’s warmth and hospitality during these days,” Matevosyan wrote.

He said the 23 colours of the COP17 logo symbolised the 23 targets of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, while volunteers also brought their own distinctive colour to the conference through their smiles, energy and willingness to help.

The minister thanked each volunteer for their contribution to organising COP17 and making the conference warm and memorable.

Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan met with the rectors of Armenia’s higher education institutions to discuss ongoing reforms in the sector, upcoming programs, and priorities for joint work.

The meeting was also attended by Lilit Mkrtchyan, Acting Chair of the Higher Education and Science Committee, and Deputy Chair Harutyun Sargsyan.

Introducing Mkrtchyan, Andreasyan emphasized the importance of continued and effective cooperation between the Committee and higher education institutions, noting that the success of systemic changes largely depends on the active engagement and initiative of the academic community, the ministry said in a press release.

Key topics discussed included the drafting of secondary legislation stemming from the Law on Higher Education and Science.

Andreasyan drew the rectors’ attention to the draft new procedures for organizing higher education and awarding state scholarships to students, which have been submitted for public consultation, and urged them to submit their proposals and comments.

“Our principles remain unchanged: as little bureaucracy as possible, simple procedures, digitalization, and a student-centered approach. These principles must underpin the organization of all processes,” Andreasyan said.

Addressing the introduction of the new scholarship allocation system, Andreasyan stressed that one of its main objectives is to expand access to higher education, particularly for students facing social difficulties. Under the proposed approach, students who meet the competitive admission threshold and are in need of social support should be eligible for scholarships from the very beginning of their studies. At subsequent stages, scholarship awards will be linked to students’ academic performance. The importance of introducing effective mechanisms to encourage academic excellence was also emphasized. The meeting also discussed new mechanisms for institutional funding of higher education institutions.

During the meeting, the Minister also addressed the Academic City project, announcing that construction of student accommodation facilities will begin in 2027. Preparatory work on establishing academic and technology clusters is also continuing. Other issues discussed included the digitalization of the higher education system, the introduction of a unified electronic platform, and ways to enhance the international competitiveness of higher education institutions.

Armenia has launched work to introduce consumer education in schools, including through specialized school clubs and the incorporation of consumer-related topics into the national curriculum and textbooks.

Shushan Sargsyan, nominated by the Civil Contract faction for membership in the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, spoke about the initiative during parliamentary debates on her candidacy.

Sargsyan headed the Commission’s Legal Department from 2018 for several years and also served as a Commission member.

“Work has begun in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports to introduce a consumer education component in schools of the Republic of Armenia,” Sargsyan said.

According to her, one of the planned initiatives is the establishment of consumer clubs in schools, while another is the inclusion of a consumer education component in the general education curriculum, followed by the incorporation of relevant content into textbooks.

Sargsyan emphasized the importance of continuously conducting awareness-raising and educational activities, noting that these are necessary to foster a consumer culture based on awareness of one’s rights, responsibility and informed decision-making.

Addressing further steps to protect consumer rights, the nominee said it was necessary to develop mechanisms for protecting individual rights and securing compensation.

Among the possible measures, she highlighted the establishment of a consumer dispute mediation mechanism, strengthening the capacity of non-governmental organizations, and improving digital tools.

Sargsyan also presented the work of the “Consumer Assistant” platform. According to her, it connects consumers, businesses, non-governmental organizations operating in the sector, and law firms that provide free assistance in resolving individual disputes.

Another area of future work is the development of digital tools to detect competition violations in public procurement.

“The entire analysis and detection process is carried out largely using human resources, while the range of digital tools remains limited,” Sargsyan said.

She said it was necessary to equip the electronic procurement system with tools and algorithms capable of analyzing large volumes of information and identifying problematic behavioral patterns and circumstances that may indicate possible links between entities. These could subsequently be examined as risk factors.

Summarizing the work carried out in previous years, Sargsyan also addressed the protection of the interests of citizens purchasing apartments in newly constructed buildings.

According to her, a review identified cases in which contracts included only provisions concerning the apartments themselves, without addressing the building’s shared infrastructure, adjacent areas, or common-use spaces. The Commission proposed making this information an integral part of the contract and requiring any subsequent changes to be agreed upon with buyers.

“It was proposed to establish a specific period during which the developer would be required to remedy, free of charge, any problems that emerge during the post-construction phase,” Sargsyan said.

According to her, a significant portion of the proposals has been incorporated into a draft legislative package currently under development, while the remaining proposals are still under discussion. Around 20 administrative proceedings have been initiated concerning consumer rights protection in the sector, three of which have been concluded, while 17 remain ongoing.

Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan attended the annual “ICT in Education” conference organised by the National Centre for Educational Technologies.

The event presented progress and new development opportunities relating to the new education management system and the eTwinning programme, particularly the extensive work undertaken to digitalise education.

Other participants included the ministry’s Deputy Secretary General Vahram Gasparyan; Artak Poghosyan, Director of the National Centre for Educational Technologies; Zhanna Harutyunyan, Director of the National Centre for Education Development and Innovation; Karo Nasibyan, Deputy Director of the Assessment and Testing Centre; Arsen Baghdasaryan, Deputy Head of the Education Inspectorate; heads of the ministry’s specialist and support units; and representatives of other institutions within the education system.

According to the ministry, Andreasyan said extensive work had been undertaken to digitalise the education system and was continuing, with the aim of improving efficiency and ensuring effective mechanisms for interoperability between different systems.

The minister addressed the Government’s comprehensive approach to information security and digitalisation standards, stressing that the reforms required corresponding changes across all information systems and databases.

She said difficulties arising during the initial stage were to be expected: as digitalisation expanded, cybersecurity became increasingly critical and the risk of vulnerabilities in systems grew. In this context, Andreasyan particularly emphasised the importance of protecting the education management information system’s extensive database and ensuring its interoperability with other state systems, noting that setting professional standards and ensuring security were priorities.

Addressing the need for greater responsibility in the digital environment and the extensive changes ahead, the minister said:

“We must strengthen the understanding that information platforms contain official documentation and that the data entered form the basis for crucial decisions, including funding decisions through which schools receive allocations from the state budget. Inadequate administration creates an additional burden for the entire system. From January, responsibility for managing and financing schools in the regions will come under the ministry, and ensuring the proper quality of digital tools and administration is essential to organising work on this scale effectively.”

The minister said the heads of educational institutions also had substantial work to do to ensure the education management information system operated effectively. They must take considerable responsibility for the accuracy of the data entered.

Discussing the information system’s role, Andreasyan stressed that the platform was one of the education sector’s most important tools and would continue to develop. She expressed hope that participants, as users with a direct interest in the platform, would not only learn from the discussions but also actively share their observations and opinions. This would help further improve the system, make it more useful for everyone and clarify the direction of its future development.

Concluding her remarks, Andreasyan praised the efforts of education professionals and said she expected their active participation in discussions on further improving and developing the platform. She thanked those responsible and the specialist team for their efforts, the work already completed and the work planned.

Artak Poghosyan, Director of the National Centre for Educational Technologies, presented the new myemis education management system. He said the unified platform incorporated numerous functional subsystems, ranging from electronic school diaries to platforms for first- and tenth-grade admissions, applications for voluntary teacher certification, college admissions applications and other services.

Access to the system is differentiated by user group. Teachers, school heads, members of the public and ministry representatives have separate capabilities corresponding to their roles. Ministry staff can also obtain and use comprehensive analytical data.

Poghosyan also presented the platform’s education statistics and analysis section, which provides data showing changes in schools over the years, alongside frequently used reports that can also be generated according to users’ selections.

In addition to schools, the education management system covers colleges, preschool institutions and universities.

Other work to digitalise the education system was also discussed during the meeting.

Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan met the heads of research institutes on 30 October to discuss reforms in science, the management and financing of research organisations, and arrangements for their future activities.

According to the ministry, participants included Acting Chair of the Higher Education and Science Committee Lilit Mkrtchyan and other committee representatives. Introducing Mkrtchyan, Andreasyan expressed confidence in effective cooperation and highlighted the importance of giving more comprehensive consideration to the specific characteristics of the humanities and social sciences.

Addressing the management of research organisations, the minister said the institutes’ statutes had already been approved and that forming their governing boards was a priority. The discussion also covered filling director positions, professional representation on the boards and the appraisal of researchers.

On science funding, Andreasyan reaffirmed that the Government-approved strategic programme for the development of Armenia’s science sector for 2026–2030 would be implemented, ensuring the continuity of existing programmes and the launch of new initiatives. She also stressed the importance of using public funds efficiently, evaluating research results, strengthening accountability and communicating scientific achievements to the public.

In this context, participants discussed opportunities to organise public events on 10 November to mark World Science Day, placing particular emphasis on involving schoolchildren.

They also addressed the approval of research organisations’ core funding allocations for the following year. The minister stressed the importance of arranging this process earlier to enable institutions to plan their activities effectively.

The discussion also covered the joint delivery of third-cycle higher education programmes, as well as the management of research organisations, the involvement of the National Academy of Sciences and funding.

The minister reaffirmed her readiness to maintain cooperation with the scientific community and find practical solutions to the issues raised.

Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence Davit Tadevosyan has met with Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgholami.

The meeting addressed the longstanding friendly relations between the two countries and prospects for developing cooperation in the high-tech sector, according to the ministry’s readout.

Minister Tadevosyan emphasized the significant potential for expanding bilateral cooperation in the sector, expressing hope that it would become more comprehensive and effective in the near future.

Ambassador Shirgholami presented Iran’s technological potential, particularly highlighting the country’s achievements in nanotechnology and emphasizing Iran’s leading position in this field globally.

The ambassador expressed readiness to support the further development and deepening of Armenian-Iranian cooperation in the high-tech sector within the scope of his authority, contributing to maintaining its positive momentum.

The meeting also addressed opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation in high technologies, artificial intelligence, digital solutions, communications and telecommunications, and nanotechnology, as well as prospects for implementing joint programs and initiatives in these areas.

The importance of strengthening ties between technology companies, startups and innovative organizations in Armenia and Iran, exchanging experience, and developing joint initiatives was emphasized.

The sides also discussed the importance of ratifying a memorandum of understanding between the relevant agencies of the two countries on cooperation in the technology sector, emphasizing that it would help strengthen the foundations for further cooperation and expand opportunities for implementing joint programs.

Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Robert Abisoghomonyan participated in and addressed an event titled “Nature and Peace: The Role of Nature in Conflict Prevention and Strengthening Social Cohesion in Post-Conflict Situations” on October 28, on the margins of COP17 in Yerevan.

In his remarks, Abisoghomonyan emphasized the importance of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in strengthening peace, promoting sustainable development, and enhancing the resilience of societies, the ministry said in a press release.

He noted that environmental degradation, climate change, and increasing pressure on natural resources could exacerbate existing challenges and tensions, particularly in conflict-affected regions.

Speaking about developments in the South Caucasus, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade emphasized that, following more than three decades of conflict, the region has a historic opportunity to consolidate the established peace and lay new foundations for relations between neighboring countries. He stressed that the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan creates new opportunities for sustainable development and mutually beneficial cooperation, while noting that building mutual trust requires consistent efforts.

The Deputy Minister also addressed the four initiatives of Armenia’s COP17 Presidency, emphasizing their importance in strengthening international cooperation and expanding practical and technical support for biodiversity conservation.

Senior regional officials of Armenia’s bailiff service have been arrested along with several other individuals as part of an ongoing corruption investigation, authorities said Friday.

According to the Anti-Corruption Committee, 10 people have been arrested in a criminal investigation into cases of receiving and giving bribes. Those arrested include the head of the Shirak Territorial Division of the Compulsory Enforcement Service (Armenia’s bailiff service) of the Ministry of Justice and two other officials.

The three officials have been remanded in pre-trial detention, while alternative preventive measures have been applied to the other defendants.

Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan received a delegation led by Johannes Luchner, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs.

Armenia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan and Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, also attended the meeting.

According to a statement issued by the Armenian Government, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the importance of the visa liberalization process as a key avenue for expanding contacts, mobility and ties between Armenian citizens and EU countries.

Both sides acknowledged the progress made toward implementing the Visa Liberalization Action Plan.

They also discussed improving the migration management system, including preventing irregular migration, improving return and readmission procedures, and ongoing efforts in the field of integrated border management.

The Armenian Parliament has elected Sevak Mikayelyan as a member of the Central Bank Board following a secret ballot.

Mikayelyan received 63 votes in favor and 28 against in the confirmation vote.

His candidacy was nominated by the Civil Contract faction.