Category: News

Narek Karapetyan, head of the opposition Strong Armenia faction in parliament, has positively assessed the potential impact of the Board of Peace on establishing regional peace.

During parliamentary debates on the bill “On Ratifying the Charter of the Board of Peace,” Karapetyan also emphasized the importance of establishing and maintaining regular contacts with various power centers.

“We believe that the Board of Peace can have a fairly positive impact on establishing regional peace and also, as was mentioned, on establishing contacts, regular contacts with various power centers. That is why we see its positive role,” Karapetyan said.

In response, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan welcomed this position and urged Karapetyan to take the same approach toward the TRIPP agreement, which had been discussed earlier.

Karapetyan clarified that their concerns regarding TRIPP were related to the sequence of the project’s implementation and the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to him, the risk they had identified would disappear if these processes were linked.

The lawmaker expressed concern that otherwise, Azerbaijan could secure a connection with Nakhchivan while the signing of the peace treaty could be postponed.

“It is possible that ten years from now, we will not have a peace treaty, but will have a road connecting Nakhchivan to Azerbaijan without the unblocking of any other Armenian regions,” Karapetyan said.

Mirzoyan replied that he did not share this concern but considered it a position worthy of discussion.

Armenia signed the Charter of the Board of Peace on January 22, 2026, in Davos as a founding member.

Armenian Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan held a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the High-Level International Meeting of the European Coalition Against Drugs (ECAD) on Addiction Prevention and Recovery, held at the San Patrignano Community in Coriano, Rimini, Italy.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Italy, Vladimir Karapetyan, also participated in the meetings.

During a meeting with Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, French Minister Delegate attached to the Minister of the Interior, the sides discussed opportunities to expand cooperation, particularly in developing the capabilities of the Police Guard and exchanging experience.

The sides emphasized the importance of cooperation in preventing and combating illicit drug trafficking, including the exchange of experience in law enforcement and addiction treatment.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the meeting with UK Minister of State for Public Health and Patient Safety Diana Johnson focused on measures to prevent the involvement of minors in illicit drug trafficking and protect them. The sides discussed procedures outlined in a protocol developed by the British side and agreed to exchange experience.

During a meeting with Moldovan Minister of Internal Affairs Daniella Misail-Nichitin, the sides explored opportunities to expand cooperation in combating organized crime, hybrid threats and cybercrime.

Particular attention was paid to developing capabilities to detect crimes committed using cryptocurrencies.

The ministers also discussed cooperation between the educational institutions of the two countries’ interior ministries.

Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan presented the Government’s support for a legislative package aimed at preventing family and domestic violence at an extraordinary meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs.

According to Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the package was developed as part of a large-scale campaign against domestic violence initiated by the Prime Minister’s wife, Anna Hakobyan.

The minister stressed the importance of several measures proposed in the package. In particular, the continuation of proceedings in domestic violence cases should not depend on a complaint from the victim or the prosecutor’s discretion.

The proposals also envisage placing perpetrators on a preventive register to ensure they remain a focus of police attention, including where there is no risk of repeat violence. The package proposes removing the possibility of exemption from criminal liability on the grounds of reconciliation with the victim or repentance.

The measures also provide for separating perpetrators from victims and electronically monitoring compliance with restrictions on approaching victims, so that those subjected to violence are not forced to leave their homes.

The importance of strengthening the capacities of the responsible authorities and implementing mandatory rehabilitation programmes to change perpetrators’ behaviour and prevent repeat violence was also highlighted.

Sargsyan also presented statistics, stressing that the increase in reports of domestic violence reflected growing trust in the police and greater public willingness to report such incidents.

The minister said that if adopting the law could save even one domestic violence victim’s life, the bill should unquestionably be voted through.

Wizz Air launched flights to Eindhoven, the Netherlands, on October 26, with direct flights between Yerevan and Eindhoven operating three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the Yerevan airport administration announced.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 27 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.05 drams to 360.93 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.75 drams to 402.36 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.0024 drams to 4.4786 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.12 drams to 480.65 drams.

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

Gold price up by 127 drams to 46692 drams. 

Yerevan Deputy Mayor Levon Hovhannisyan hosted a delegation led by Lyon Metropolis Vice Presidents Olivier Araujo and Bastien Joint.

City Hall said the meeting discussed ongoing cooperation between Yerevan and the Lyon Metropolis.

The Yerevan Deputy Mayor emphasized the importance of the partnership between the two sides, highlighting the need to step up the implementation of programs under the existing agreement.

Yerevan City Hall announced the launch of an employment program for 150 women in need of social support.

The program is open to mothers with multiple children or single mothers who do not have permanent employment, members of socially vulnerable families, displaced women or women with refugee status, and women with disabilities.

By the end of the program, around 30% of participants are expected to have a stable source of income. The program will also provide opportunities to develop financial literacy and job-search skills.

For more information and to apply for the program, interested individuals can call 011 514 153 or contact the Children’s and Social Protection Division of their administrative district.

Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatyan received France’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia, Florian Escudié, on 27 October.

According to the ministry, the meeting focused on opportunities to develop Armenia–France cooperation in infrastructure, energy, water resources management and interregional cooperation.

The two sides discussed the project to construct the Bargushat tunnel on the Sisian–Kajaran section of the North–South Road Corridor, including the next steps towards its implementation.

They also addressed ongoing and planned projects in the water sector. In particular, they discussed initiatives supported by the French Development Agency, including the construction of the Vedi Reservoir and the development of irrigation systems, as well as opportunities for effective water resources management and infrastructure modernisation.

Both sides stressed the importance of developing decentralised cooperation between Armenian and French municipalities.

They also highlighted the importance of continuing to develop existing cooperation and expanding engagement in areas of mutual interest.

Armenian artistic gymnast Mamikon Khachatryan, a silver and bronze medalist at the World Championships, said he considers the 2027 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Yerevan an important upcoming goal following the World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

“Gymnast Hamlet Manukyan and I had really been looking forward to winning medals and becoming world champions, stepping onto the podium and raising the Armenian flag. It is an indescribable moment. Naturally, there was a lot of tension in the final, and even the slightest mistake could have cost us a medal. We focused on performing our routines well. Our next goal is the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Yerevan, where I want us to give our very best and make our nation proud,” Mamikon Khachatryan told reporters.

At the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Armenia’s Artur Davtyan (vault) and Hamlet Manukyan (pommel horse) became world champions, while Artur Avetisyan (rings) and Mamikon Khachatryan (pommel horse) won bronze medals.

Armenian national team member, Greco-Roman wrestler Karen Aslanyan has won the gold medal in the 63 kg category at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Aslanyan defeated Azerbaijan’s Nihat Mammadli 8–4 in the final.

Slavik Galstyan (67 kg) and Gevorg Tadevosyan (87 kg) will later compete for bronze medals at the championships.