Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to host his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, for talks that will also cover the South Caucasus, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

Zakharova said at a press briefing that Fidan will visit Russia from June 15 to 17.

Lavrov and Fidan are expected to discuss key issues on the international agenda, including the Middle East, the Black Sea region, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and other current issues.

Zakharova added that an “in-depth exchange of views on the development of Russian-Turkish relations in various fields” is planned.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Israel’s attacks on Syria and Lebanon had reached a point where they also threaten Türkiye, adding Israel’s “aggression” posed a ‌threat to the whole world and must be stopped, Reuters reported.

NATO member Türkiye has been one of the fiercest critics of Israel’s assaults on Iran, Gaza, and Lebanon, saying Israel was the biggest obstacle to regional peace. It has halted all trade with Israel and called for measures against it at ⁠international courts.

“The attacks by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his network of murder on Lebanon and Syria have brought the issue to a point where it also threatens Türkiye,” Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament, and added that Ankara’s security was tied to that of these two countries.

Erdogan also said Israel was leading a “sneaky effort” to destabilise African countries and the Mediterranean by igniting “the fire of discord” on the ethnically-split island of Cyprus.

“These small entities, ‌whose ⁠ambitions far exceed their size, have boarded Israel’s boat of mischief, taken on the role of Zionist subcontractors, and are pursuing some pipe dreams in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he said, without elaborating.

“Nobody should chase adventures… I want everyone to know that if the ⁠rights of Türkiye and Turkish Cypriots are violated in the Eastern Mediterranean, our response will be very clear and very strong.”

Türkiye, Iran’s neighbour, has blamed Israel’s “provocations” for starting the ⁠U.S.-Iran war.

Erdogan on Wednesday urged world powers to take a clearer stance against Israel, saying it was emboldened by the “silence of international community”.

“Pulling Israel ⁠back to within the bounds of the rule of law has become a shared duty not just for certain countries, but for all of humanity,” he said.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has met with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo as part of an official visit, according to the Azerbaijani news agency APA.

The ministers spoke highly of the development of bilateral ties since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992 and underlined the importance of maintaining active political dialogue.

Both sides noted that the visit creates new opportunities to further strengthen diplomatic and economic cooperation. 

Azerbaijan expressed gratitude for Japan’s development assistance, while the Japanese side underlined the importance of Azerbaijan’s stability and prosperity for ensuring peace in the South Caucasus.

Trade and economic cooperation, investment, energy security, transport connectivity, and green energy were among the key issues discussed during the meeting.

The two sides also highlighted the importance of developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and cooperation in the oil and gas sector, particularly within the framework of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

 The Japanese side welcomed Azerbaijan’s decision to introduce a unilateral visa-free regime for Japanese citizens for a period of one year.

 Both sides reaffirmed their readiness to continue efforts to facilitate mutual visits by citizens of the two countries.

The ministers also exchanged views on international and regional agenda items, and reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation and mutual support within international organisations.

Member of Armenia’s karate national team and 2025 World Championship bronze medalist Suren Harutyunyan will compete in the “Karate One Premier League – Rabat 2026” tournament.

The Armenian Karate Federation said in a press release that Harutyunyan has traveled to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, together with head coach Seryozha Makaryan, to compete in the tournament scheduled for June 12–14. Harutyunyan will compete in the 75 kg weight category.

The Armenia women’s national football team has concluded its campaign in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifying stage.

The team lost 0–6 to Belarus in the fourth and final round of Group 6 in League C.

Earlier, they had played out a 1–1 draw against Kazakhstan.

In this qualifying stage, Armenia finished without a win in four matches, recording three defeats and one draw.

The text of the new proposed Constitution has not yet been finalized, as a number of partners involved in the process have not yet submitted their comments and proposals, according to Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan.

Galyan made the statement during a press briefing in parliament, adding that this is the reason there is currently no decision on the timeframe for publishing the final text.

“In the near future, after the Constitution’s text is completed, we expect to receive the opinions of some of our partners. We will need one or two weeks to collect and consolidate those opinions, and we will hold one or two more discussions. Only then will we decide whether we are ready to publish the text or not,” the minister said.

According to Galyan, amending the Constitution is a political commitment that the authorities assumed after the revolution and reaffirmed during the pre-election period.

Referring to the political feasibility of adopting a new Constitution, Galyan, a member of the ruling Civil Contract party, emphasized that the ruling party will no longer have a constitutional majority in the next parliament, but future steps will depend on how things develop.

“We will do our work, measure the level of public demand, and make an appropriate decision,” she added.

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Armenia will publish the final results of the parliamentary elections on June 14. At this stage, recounts are being carried out in a number of polling stations, CEC Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan has said.

According to the CEC chairman, recounts are currently being conducted in numerous polling stations. He noted that there were few properly submitted requests for recounts, but territorial electoral commissions have initiated recounts on their own in polling stations where there was such a need.

“We have a situation in Yerevan where almost all polling stations in the capital will be recounted because a candidate from the ‘Wings of Unity’ party requested it,” Hovakimyan said.

He added that the CEC has received recount requests from three political forces: the “Prosperous Armenia” party, the “Strong Armenia” alliance, and the “Wings of Unity” party.

According to preliminary results of the parliamentary elections held in Armenia on June 7, three political forces are entering parliament: the Civil Contract party, the Strong Armenia alliance, and the Armenia alliance.

Preliminary data shows that the Civil Contract party received 727,827 votes, or 49.825%, which gives it a parliamentary majority and the ability to form a government.

The Strong Armenia alliance received 340,088 votes, or 23.281%, while the Armenia alliance received 145,113 votes, or 9.934%.

The Prosperous Armenia party is very close to the 4% electoral threshold, with 3.996% of the vote according to preliminary results.

The Prosperous Armenia party had previously announced that it would request recounts in several polling stations. Other political forces have also called for recounts.

The Anti-Corruption Committee announced on Wednesday that it will continue investigating alleged electoral crimes after the parliamentary elections held on June 7.

The law enforcement agency’s chairman, Artur Nahapetyan, told lawmakers at a joint committee hearing on the 2025 budget report that new investigative operations and arrests would take place soon.

He was asked by MP Gegham Nazaryan to provide details on efforts to address electoral violations and vote buying.

Nahapetyan assessed the agency’s work as effective but admitted that they had not ensured a 100% detection rate for electoral crimes.

“Of course, I cannot say that we have achieved a 100% detection rate in electoral crimes, but at the same time I can say that the Anti-Corruption Committee has worked effectively,” he said.

According to him, the committee currently has 72 investigator positions and 78 operational-intelligence officer positions filled, while the number of vacant positions is close to 60.

“With such human resources, the Anti-Corruption Committee has carried out more than 100 detections across the country and investigated around 115 criminal proceedings,” Nahapetyan noted.

The head of the committee said that after the completion of electoral processes, the work will not only continue but will enter a new phase.

“We already have cases identified by the operational unit that have not yet been made public, meaning they have not entered the open investigation stage, but in the near future we will proceed and carry out searches, detentions, and prosecutions,” he stated.

He recalled that in the past as well, high-profile revelations were recorded after elections.

“We have experience that, for example, after the elections in the Vagharshapat community, we had numerous exposures and around fifty defendants accused of bribery in elections. Those disclosures were made after the electoral processes,” he said.

He added that the committee is currently working across various regions of the country to gather and verify new data on electoral crimes.

“I assure you that we will have new revelations in this regard,” Nahapetyan emphasized.

The head of the Anti-Corruption Committee also noted that even information received years later will not be ignored.

“If years pass and we receive new information about electoral crimes or corruption-related electoral offenses, we will verify it using the full range of tools and proceed with criminal prosecution,” he concluded.