Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has responded to a report prepared by the Public Relations and Information Centre of the Office of the Prime Minister on the crisis in the Armenian Apostolic Church and ways to resolve it.

“Dear people, the Public Relations and Information Centre SNCO of the Office of the Prime Minister has published a report on the crisis that has arisen in the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as a result of the activities of the Church’s de facto head and a group of high-ranking clergy, and on ways to resolve it.

“The report was prepared in accordance with the Government Programme, which contains relevant provisions, and was prepared on my instructions. Nevertheless, after reviewing the draft report, I concluded for myself that the actual situation established in the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is much more serious, much more critical than I had initially imagined.

“If we were to summarise the report in one sentence, it proves that the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has been seized by Ktrich Nersisyan and a group of clergy and laypeople who support him.

“To see this for yourselves, simply read the report. Read it and see for yourselves. We will return to this subject,” Pashinyan said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

On September 24, a report entitled “On the crisis that has arisen in the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as a result of the activities of the Church’s de facto head and a group of high-ranking clergy, and ways to resolve it”, prepared by the Public Relations and Information Centre SNCO on the instructions of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, was published.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with U.S. Chamber of Commerce representatives at a luncheon on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President for International Affairs Khush Choksy thanked the Prime Minister for the opportunity to meet and noted that the Chamber’s members represent various sectors of the economy. He added that the purpose of the meeting was to learn about economic developments in Armenia, investment opportunities, and the business environment, according to a readout. 

Prime Minister Pashinyan addressed Armenia-U.S. trade and economic ties and noted that significant developments have already taken place as a result of the documents signed during his meeting with President Trump on August 8 of last year. In particular, the Prime Minister mentioned the establishment of two major artificial intelligence factories in Armenia. Pashinyan expressed confidence that bilateral ties will continue to develop and strengthen in various areas.

The Prime Minister also addressed the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, resulting regional developments, and the opportunities arising from it. In particular, Nikol Pashinyan spoke about the implementation of the TRIPP project aimed at unblocking regional communication routes.

Pashinyan also presented developments in various sectors of Armenia’s economy, existing opportunities, and the reforms and programs being implemented by the Government to consistently improve the business environment.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister answered questions from the business representatives.

Following the meeting, the launch of the Armenia-U.S. Business Council was announced.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Prime Minister Pashinyan expressed satisfaction that Armenia-Iran cooperation is developing successfully, with joint programs being implemented in various areas, according to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office.

PM Nikol Pashinyan and President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed bilateral trade and economic relations and steps aimed at expanding them.

The sides emphasized the importance of ensuring peace and stability in the region. They also touched upon other issues of mutual interest.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in New York City with members of the All-Armenian Student Association who are studying at leading U.S. universities.

According to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office, Pashinyan presented the students with the ideology and principles of his administration’s “Real Armenia” doctrine.

The Prime Minister addressed relations with the Diaspora, improving the quality of education, attracting highly qualified specialists to the public administration system, and topics related to the Government’s policies in various areas.

The Prime Minister also took questions from the audience.

Unlike many other conflicts around the world, in the case of Armenia and Azerbaijan, all the components necessary to reach an agreement were in place, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said at a Board of Peace event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York attended by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and representatives of the governments of several countries.

“We had the leaders of both sides, Armenia and Azerbaijan, who were incredibly pragmatic, mature and understood that a peace agreement was the best alternative to a long-standing conflict. And most importantly, we had President Trump with his comprehensive support for this process,” Witkoff said.

He also spoke about his first visit to Baku, during which he met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the head of Azerbaijan’s military intelligence.

“When we came back from our first visit to Baku, where we had met with President Aliyev and his head of military intelligence, Orhan, we told the President about the issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan, about how we felt that the two peoples simply were not interacting properly. Nevertheless, we felt that both leaders were at a point where they wanted to do something. And the President said, ‘Make it a priority,’” Witkoff said.

According to him, the process then turned into effective work as U.S. President Donald Trump began focusing on the issue. Witkoff also recalled the meeting at the White House attended by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“I remember the meeting in the Oval Office. There were two chairs in front of the fireplace, in front of his [Trump’s] desk. The Prime Minister of Armenia, a lovely gentleman, was there, and the President of Azerbaijan. They were sitting there, and the President [Trump] was in the middle, and he asked both of them to shake hands. He took the Prime Minister’s hand and put it on his hand. He asked President Aliyev to put his hand on top. The U.S. President looked a little like a football coach bringing all the players’ hands together. And he said, ‘And now this will be a team.’ It was an incredible, epic moment. I will never forget it,” Witkoff said.

He again noted that the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, who had been in conflict for decades, were sitting together at that moment with their hands placed on the U.S. President’s hand.

Referring to the TRIPP program, Witkoff said the main focus is now on freight capacity and the speed of access to markets.

“When TRIPP is launched, it will cut two and a half to three weeks off commercial routes. Truly amazing things are happening; the whole world will be connected again,” he said, adding that this could lead to major investments.

Witkoff again highlighted the U.S. President’s role in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“President Trump was the key link here, because I know that previous leaders have tried to find a way through the complexities and difficult history of Azerbaijan and Armenia.”

He also said that the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan played an important role in the peace process.

“This is his credit, but this is also the courage of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to come together in Washington on August 8 to sign this important memorandum. This is something I will never forget,” Witkoff added.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

According to the Office of the Prime Minister, the interlocutors highlighted the importance of holding the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in Armenia in October. The Prime Minister noted that the Armenian Government is consistently working to organise the conference in the best possible way and stressed the importance of high-level participation by international partners.

António Guterres expressed confidence that, as a result of their joint efforts, the conference would be held in the best possible way.

The Armenian Prime Minister and the UN Secretary-General exchanged views on strengthening the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, promoting regional cooperation and other issues of mutual interest.

A meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša took place at UN Headquarters.

The sides discussed Armenia-Slovenia relations and issues related to their further development.

The Prime Minister spoke about preparations for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), which will be held in Armenia in October, and stressed the importance of Slovenia’s high-level participation.

Nikol Pashinyan and Janez Janša exchanged views on the progress of Armenia-European Union cooperation and issues related to Armenia’s economic diversification.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

According to the Office of the Prime Minister, the interlocutors highlighted the importance of cooperation between the Armenian Government and the OSCE and discussed ongoing programmes being implemented with the organisation. The sides exchanged views on issues related to the OSCE’s activities and strengthening its capacities.

They also discussed topics related to ensuring regional security and ongoing developments.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met Conor Coleman, Head of Investments at the US International Development Finance Corporation, in New York.

According to the Office of the Prime Minister, the meeting focused on opportunities for cooperation between the Armenian Government and the corporation.

In particular, the sides discussed work towards implementing the TRIPP project, the opportunities offered by the project and the volume of investments being assessed. The Prime Minister highlighted TRIPP’s role in developing regional cooperation.

An agreement was reached to continue discussions on further steps for cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture and education.

On the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Petr Macinka.

According to the Armenian ministry’s readout, the sides discussed issues related to the development of relations between Armenia and the Czech Republic, emphasizing the importance of strengthening the economic component. They also discussed projects aimed at the development of transport infrastructure.

FM Mirzoyan and his counterpart also addressed issues related to the implementation of the strategic agenda of the Armenia-EU partnership.