Category: News

Armenian Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan has said that the authorities are interested in uncovering the alleged masterminds behind the October 27, 1999 terrorist attack, while questioning why the circumstances of the case were not brought to light during the presidencies of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan and third President Serzh Sargsyan.

Rubinyan made the remarks during a media briefing on October 27, in response to a question about the political will to solve the case.

In his assessment, the period immediately following a crime is the most favorable time to identify those who ordered such crimes.

“The easiest way, or the most opportune time, to identify those who ordered such crimes is the period immediately following the crime,” Rubinyan said.

The Speaker of Parliament recalled that at the time of the terrorist attack, Robert Kocharyan was serving as president and Serzh Sargsyan as minister of national security. He stressed that they continued to hold senior leadership positions in the country in the years that followed.

“Of course, there is no political force more interested than we are in solving this crime,” the Speaker of Parliament added.

On October 27, 1999, a group of five heavily armed gunmen stormed the Armenian parliament during a session and assassinated Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Speaker of Parliament Karen Demirchyan, Deputy Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, as well as three lawmakers and a Cabinet member. The gunmen held the remaining MPs hostage until they surrendered to the authorities the following day. The perpetrators were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Over the years, various theories have emerged about possible masterminds or accomplices, including allegations of foreign involvement in the attack.

The investigation was reopened in 2019 and is ongoing.

The authorities want a multiparty democratic system to take shape in Armenia and the opposition to be loyal to the Republic of Armenia, Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan has said, commenting on a recent statement by PM Nikol Pashinyan on the need for a “state-centered opposition”.

The Speaker said the authorities do not want Civil Contract to be Armenia’s only political force.

“On the contrary, we want a multiparty democratic system to take shape,” Rubinyan said at a press briefing.

The opposition may harshly criticize the authorities and seek a change of government, but it must remain loyal to the country, he emphasized.

“We want an opposition that is loyal to Armenia. They may hate us, consider us the worst in the world, and want to come to power. One day they will come to power, of course; we will not be in power forever,” the Speaker of Parliament said.

Addressing the formation of the opposition landscape, Rubinyan noted that following the 2018 revolution, this space had largely been occupied by representatives of the former authorities.

He criticized forces driven by a desire to protect illegally acquired wealth or by the interests of foreign power centers.

Rubinyan stressed that the Republic of Armenia must be the sole recipient of the opposition’s loyalty.

Armenian Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan has said that the implementation of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) should not be contingent on the signing of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, rejecting opposition Strong Armenia faction head Narek Karapetyan’s argument that the project should not be implemented before the agreement is signed.

The Speaker of Parliament was responding to Strong Armenia faction head Narek Karapetyan’s assertion that the TRIPP project, an Armenian-American project, should not be implemented until the initialed peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan is signed.

“Our opposition colleagues believe that TRIPP is a bad project for Armenia. If you insist that we should not implement this project in order to obtain a peace treaty, this means you think TRIPP is a bad project for Armenia. TRIPP is by no means a bad project for Armenia,” Rubinyan, a senior member of the Civil Contract party, said at a plenary session of parliament debating the TRIPP ratification bill.

“I will say more: it is very good that the implementation of TRIPP does not depend on the signing of the peace treaty. At the same time, it is also very good that the delimitation and demarcation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan does not depend on the signing and ratification of the peace treaty. There is a simple explanation for this: there is currently an issue regarding the signing of the peace treaty. Azerbaijan is making a claim on the basis of which it is currently refusing to sign the peace treaty,” Rubinyan said, referring to Azerbaijan’s demands for constitutional amendments in Armenia.

“We disagree with this claim and say that we are ready to sign it now. In this context, it is very good that the other components of peace, which are manifested on the ground, can be implemented and do not depend on the signing of the treaty,” Rubinyan said.

The Speaker of Parliament also rejected Karapetyan’s assertion that Armenia would make concessions to Azerbaijan through TRIPP. Rubinyan maintained that, through TRIPP, Armenia and Azerbaijan would unblock regional communication routes on the principle of reciprocity.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan met with visiting Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen in Yerevan on Tuesday morning.

The ministers’ one-on-one meeting was followed by an expanded meeting attended by the delegations. 

The FMs are expected to hold a joint press conference following their talks, Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade spokesperson Ani Badalyan said.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan said he discussed with his Dutch counterpart Tom Berendsen in Yerevan opportunities to implement the steps envisaged in the joint declaration on strategic partnership.

“In March 2025, Armenia and the Netherlands signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership, and today our main task is to ensure the full implementation of the priorities and objectives outlined in that declaration and put them into practice. This has actually been the focus of our discussions with the minister,” Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Berendsen, who is visiting Armenia.

Mirzoyan emphasized that bilateral priorities, particularly economic cooperation, were also discussed.

“We agree that political dialogue is at a fairly high level, active and effective. We also see that economic cooperation is gradually progressing and the figures are growing, but we also see that there is significant untapped potential. By this, we mean very specific sectors, very specific companies, and emerging cooperation opportunities. In particular, agriculture, floriculture, healthcare and infrastructure. Cooperation has been established between our flower-growing and flower-producing companies and the world-renowned relevant companies in the Netherlands,” Mirzoyan noted.

During his visit to Armenia, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen will also visit one of the flower greenhouses operating in Armenia that uses Dutch technologies.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Tom Berendsen visited the Moon Rose greenhouse facility, accompanied by Armenian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Vahan Kostanyan. During the visit, opportunities to increase Armenian flower exports to the Dutch market were presented.

According to Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the visit included a tour of the greenhouse facility, during which the Dutch Foreign Minister was briefed on the Armenian side’s views on exporting larger volumes of flowers to the Dutch market.

A delegation led by Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on October 27.

The Dutch FM was accompanied by Armenian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Vahan Kostanyan, Armenia’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Viktor Biyagov, and the Netherlands’ Ambassador to Armenia Marieke Monroy-Winter.

According to a statement released by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, the delegation was welcomed by Hrachya Tashchyan, Acting Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.

FM Tom Berendsen laid a wreath at the memorial commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide, after which members of the delegation laid flowers at the eternal flame to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims.

The delegation members also visited the Armenian Genocide Museum, where, accompanied by Lusine Abrahamyan, Deputy Director for Museum Affairs at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, they learned about various aspects of the history of the Armenian Genocide.

At the end of the tour, Tom Berendsen made an entry in the Book of Honorary Guests.

Tashchyan thanked the delegation members for their visit and presented the head of the delegation with the Armenian Genocide Museum’s illustrated album.

The Netherlands wants to help Armenia find new markets for its flower exports amid restrictions imposed by Russia, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen said in Yerevan on Tuesday.

“Import restrictions imposed by Russia are creating difficulties for businesses, including those in the floriculture sector, and we very much welcome these opportunities for Armenia to benefit from the EU’s autonomous trade measures. We hope that Armenia will make full use of this opportunity. The Netherlands also wants to provide bilateral support to flower growers in finding markets for their products beyond Russia,” Berendsen said at a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

On 10 October, the EU’s Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs) for Armenia entered into force, following the publication of Regulation (EU) 2026/2269 in the EU Official Journal.

The measures were formally adopted by the Council of the European Union on 24 September to support Armenia’s economy following trade restrictions recently imposed by Russia.

They will liberalize around 80% of Armenian exports to the EU, suspending import duties on a broad range of products, including certain agricultural goods. This temporary preferential arrangement will apply for a period of two years.

The measures will also contribute to supporting and strengthening trade flows from Armenia to the EU, in line with the objectives of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The Netherlands will provide financial assistance to Armenia in the search for people who went missing as a result of the conflict with Azerbaijan, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen announced during a joint press conference with Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan.

“The Netherlands welcomes the significant steps that Armenia and Azerbaijan have taken in the peace process since last year. I once again support the steps Armenia has taken to advance this process. It is very important for establishing peace in this region that this process be inclusive and culminate in the signing of a peace agreement. We fully support you on this matter. I am announcing new financial assistance to support the search for missing persons. This is a very important project. Yes, it is also related to Azerbaijan; this project concerns not only Armenia but Azerbaijan as well. It is extremely important to build bridges of trust here and make this part of the peace process. This is a very important program for which the Netherlands wishes to provide financial support and, if possible, assistance in other ways as well,” Berendsen said.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan added that the issue of missing persons is quite sensitive and important for both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and that the involvement of third countries is also welcome.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan has challenged a recent report by Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states on the possible expulsion of Armenia from the bloc, saying that Yerevan has not violated any of its obligations under the organization and has no intention of doing so.

Speaking at a press conference, Mirzoyan said that while EAEU documents do not provide for the expulsion of a member state or the suspension of its participation, the Vienna Document contains a provision allowing such action on specific grounds, which, however, does not pertain to Armenia in this case.

“Our EAEU partners say that although the EAEU documents do not provide for members to expel another member or suspend its participation, the Vienna Document contains a provision of this kind. Yes, such a provision exists, but on very specific grounds. For this to happen, the partner that the others are dissatisfied with and want to expel or suspend must violate its obligations within the organization, so that the other four partners can say: ‘You are violating our rules, dear fifth friend. Thank you, goodbye,’” Mirzoyan said.

The minister emphasized that Armenia has not violated any of its obligations within the EAEU and has no intention of doing so.

“Legally, I understand that our partners may have made efforts to find a legal basis, but I disagree with the arguments being presented. We all understand that there is a political motive here and perhaps a political instruction to lawyers to find a legal justification. We have faithfully fulfilled our obligations and hope that our other EAEU partners will also faithfully fulfill their bilateral obligations toward us and will not violate them. Unfortunately, we have seen examples to the contrary in recent months,” he said.

Mirzoyan reaffirmed that Armenia’s statehood, independence and sovereignty are at the core of its decisions and conduct.

“We will try to hold constructive discussions with our other partners,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said.

The prime ministers of Russia and three other Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states have not ruled out suspending Armenia’s membership in the bloc, citing Yerevan’s efforts to join the European Union. In a joint report on the “possible consequences” of suspending Armenia’s membership, released on October 20, they said the proposed suspension could remain in place until an Armenian referendum on EU membership. The report, posted on the Russian government’s website, says that Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan “have the right to consider” suspending the EAEU Treaty’s application to Armenia because of a 2025 Armenian law declaring the start of a process of accession to the EU.

As grounds for temporarily suspending Armenia’s participation in the organization, the parties cite the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.