Iran has rejected the latest ceasefire proposal by regional mediators Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, IRNA News Agency reported.

The agency said it has conveyed its response to the U.S. through Pakistan, a key mediator.

“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press on Monday.

Article by Li Xinwei, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Armenia

Today marks the 34th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Armenia. On April 6, 1992, the two countries officially established diplomatic relations, opening a new era of friendly engagement. On August 31, 2025, the parties established a strategic partnership, outlining new benchmarks for mutually beneficial cooperation. At this new historical stage, bilateral relations have broad prospects for development and great potential.

Over the past year, friendly relations between China and Armenia have achieved significant results.

Mutual trust has deepened further, opening a new chapter in bilateral relations. China and Armenia treat each other with respect and cooperate on the basis of equality, providing mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests. The Armenian side firmly adheres to the “One China” principle, while the Chinese side resolutely supports Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of its borders.

Over the past year, high-level contacts have been intensive, and dialogue and cooperation at various levels have continued to develop actively. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan visited China to participate in the “SCO+” format meeting, as well as events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.

During the visit, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, and the parties jointly announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries, which became a new milestone in the development of bilateral relations.

Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Su Hui visited Armenia and held meetings with President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, and Vice President of the National Assembly Hakob Arshakyan.

The Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Economy, the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, and other officials of Armenia visited China. In turn, delegations from the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Seismological Administration, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences visited Armenia, giving new impetus to the development of bilateral relations.

Sincere cooperation and practical results benefit the peoples. China is Armenia’s second-largest trading partner. In 2025, bilateral trade volume exceeded 2.2 billion US dollars, increasing by 24.5% compared to the previous year.

Thanks to its strong price-quality ratio, powerful supply chain capabilities, and continuously growing technological components, Chinese high-tech industrial products—mobile phones, computers, and new energy vehicles—are actively entering the daily lives of Armenia’s population. Well-known Chinese automobile brands such as Hongqi, NIO, and Changan are opening and developing their representative offices here.

China’s major exhibitions, including the China International Import Expo, the Canton Fair, the China International Fair for Trade in Services, and the China International Consumer Products Expo, provide Armenian brands and high-quality products with platforms to enter the Chinese market.

Joint key projects are progressing steadily and consistently: the construction project of the new studio of Armenia’s Public Television, implemented with the support of the Chinese government, is proceeding according to plan; sections of the “North–South” highway built by a Chinese company have been commissioned; solar power plants have been put into operation.

Armenia has officially joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, creating new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of infrastructure and investment.

People-to-people ties and mutual understanding are deepening, and humanitarian exchanges are becoming more active. In recent years, the Chinese language has continued to gain popularity in Armenia: the number of students at the Confucius Institute affiliated with Brusov State University is steadily increasing, and two additional teaching centers are planned to open in 2026. The “Chinese Bridge” competition, as well as exhibitions dedicated to study and work opportunities in China, attract wide attention and are highly appreciated by Armenian society.

The Aram Khachaturian International Competition has been held in China, and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra has toured in China. Public organizations of the two countries organize mutual exhibitions of cultural values, art festivals, and scientific conferences, forming a rich landscape of cultural events and strengthening the social foundation of friendship between China and Armenia.

Direct flights between the two countries continue to operate successfully, and the positive impact of the visa-free regime is becoming more visible. In 2025, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Armenia exceeded 45,000, increasing by 37.1% compared to the previous year.

The year 2026 marks the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Recently, the 4th session of the 14th National People’s Congress and the 4th session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference were successfully held, during which the “Government Work Report” and the 15th Five-Year Plan were discussed and approved, defining China’s strategic development guidelines and providing clarity and positive energy for global development.

In accordance with the key decisions of the “Two Sessions,” the Chinese side plans to ensure annual economic growth of 4.5–5%, focusing on the development of the domestic market, the formation of new drivers of economic growth, ensuring technological independence and self-reliance in high-tech sectors, deepening reforms, integrating urban and rural development, improving living standards, and advancing environmentally sustainable transformation.

China intends to leverage its vast markets, modern industrial system, and innovative achievements in green development for the benefit of the entire world.

China intends to further expand high-level openness and cooperation, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, steadily advance high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative, and provide other countries with a broad and diverse “list of opportunities.”

China firmly supports the international system centered on the United Nations, the international order based on international law, and the multilateral trading system based on the World Trade Organization. China will continue to promote the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind, accelerate the implementation of four global initiatives, and encourage more countries to participate in the International Organization for Mediation. At the same time, China will continue to maintain its role as one of the world’s major forces for peace, contributing to global stability and justice.

Armenia is a long-standing friend of China, dating back to the time of the Great Silk Road, and in the new era, a reliable strategic partner. The Chinese side sincerely welcomes Armenia’s aspiration to move forward together with China and fully benefit from emerging opportunities. China is ready to work with Armenia to implement the important agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries, continuously deepen political coordination, enrich the substance of bilateral relations, and contribute to the growing well-being of the two peoples.

In the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese calendar, let us work together to promote cooperation in all fields, “firmly hold the reins and confidently gallop forward,” act boldly and energetically, hand in hand, opening a brighter future for China–Armenia relations and creating a new era of peace, development, and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan told City Hall staff on Monday to develop a method for revoking construction licenses for developers who litter.

Avinyan made the suggestion after a report revealed a large quantity of construction garbage in the area of the Luyser Residential Complex in Yerevan’s Malatia-Sebastia district.

A City Hall staffer informed the mayor that 60 cargo trucks have been removing the garbage from the site over the past three days, but much still remains. The volume of waste was so great that nearby construction companies offered their assistance to City Hall.

However, Ruben Khojoyan, Deputy Director of the Department of Urban Development and Land Supervision, told the mayor at Monday’s executive meeting that the construction waste was not left by the nearby developers, and that other “entities” were responsible.

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan stated that it is first necessary to identify the “careless” developers and hold them accountable. “Once identified, we need to find a way to completely revoke their building permits—let them go bankrupt. If they are so careless that they dump construction waste wherever they please, their permits must be canceled. I ask that legal methods be studied—I am confident such methods exist. If we decisively cut off a few of them, I am certain this problem will disappear,” Avinyan said.

Khojoyan also reported that one of the developers near the Luyser neighborhood offered to install cameras so that, in case of recurrence, the responsible parties can be identified.

“Mr. Khojoyan, I am instructing you to identify the specific developers who are dumping construction waste in unauthorized locations. Present their names to me, and we will decide how to handle them,” Tigran Avinyan concluded.

In today’s digital world, where information travels across the globe in seconds and autonomous systems powered by artificial intelligence are already in use, cross-border payments remain slow, costly, and often limited in accessibility. What new opportunities do blockchain technology and digital money create for rethinking international payment systems, and how can they address the limitations of existing infrastructure?

We talked to Artur Kartshikyan, founder of Aeda and blockchain partner of the Doing Digital Forum, who shares his perspective on next-generation payment infrastructure and the role of Aeda Wallet.

-What are the key challenges in today’s global payment systems?

-Despite rapid technological advancement, cross-border payments remain slow, expensive, and not universally accessible. A significant portion of these transactions is still processed through SWIFT, which connects thousands of financial institutions across more than 200 countries.

The SWIFT network and correspondent banking infrastructure were developed decades ago. While user interfaces and customer experience have improved, the underlying settlement mechanisms have seen limited change.

As a result, all three key participants in the system, banks, businesses, and individuals, face its limitations. Banks pre-fund capital in correspondent accounts, where it often remains underutilized. Businesses frequently wait 3–5 days for international transfers to settle, incurring additional costs and intermediary fees along the way. Individuals, such as migrant workers sending money home, often face relatively high fees, sometimes reaching several percent, largely due to the cost structure of the underlying infrastructure rather than transaction risk.

This is not a technological problem; the technology already exists. It is an infrastructure problem, and that is what needs to evolve.

–What does next-generation payment infrastructure look like in practice?

-In recent years, three key technologies have emerged that are not only transforming but enabling a new infrastructure model.

First, digital money. Euro- and dollar-denominated stablecoins, backed by fiat currency, can settle significantly faster—often within seconds rather than days. They represent programmable financial instruments, with growing real-world application. From a regulatory perspective, the market is still evolving, although several issuers in the US and Europe already operate within established legal frameworks.

Second, direct connectivity enabled by blockchain. Instead of transactions moving through multiple correspondent banks, each adding time and cost, licensed financial institutions can connect more directly, reducing the number of intermediaries involved. This can help lower costs and shorten settlement times.

Third, artificial intelligence. Systems can analyze multiple transaction routes in real time and select the most efficient option based on speed, cost, and reliability. AI also improves risk assessment, supports fraud detection, and enables process automation.

Together, these elements are gradually transforming payment infrastructure into a more data-driven and interconnected network, where intelligent systems optimize transaction flows.

–What structural factors are driving fragmentation across financial systems?

-The issue is structural and, in many cases, deepening. Financial institutions on opposite sides of a border are often unable to connect directly, even when both sides have platforms and demand. The gap lies in the absence of effective connectivity.

Fragmentation is increasing as banks reduce their presence in certain corridors due to cost and risk considerations, regulatory requirements become more complex across jurisdictions, and existing systems remain difficult to integrate.

A relevant example is the corridor between the EU and US on one side, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia on the other. Demand exists, yet the infrastructure serving these flows remains underdeveloped.

As this fragmentation is gradually addressed, the impact could be significant. New connections can emerge, businesses can access new markets, and individuals can benefit from broader financial access.

–What should regulators, banks, and investors understand about this shift; and where does Aeda fit in?

-Digital money, artificial intelligence, and blockchain settlement technologies are no longer emerging trends—they are increasingly integrated into financial systems. This shift is often described as FinTech 3.0: a transition toward programmable, data-driven, and on-chain wallet-based financial and settlement infrastructure.

In this context, a new infrastructure layer is emerging, one that enables more direct and efficient interaction between financial systems, particularly in corridors where connectivity has historically been limited.

Aeda focuses on this layer, developing wallet-based infrastructure between the EU, the US, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The goal is to simplify financial connectivity and reduce the complexity of multi-layered processes.

The infrastructure being built over the next two to three years will shape how digital money moves across borders in the decade ahead. Aeda aims to be a meaningful participant in this evolution.

The Doing Digital Forum, entitled “Bridging Platforms and Economies” this year, will be held on April 8 at Dvin Hall in Yerevan. Since its launch in 2023, DDF has brought together over 60 prominent speakers and more than 3,000 participants from Armenia, the United Kingdom, the United States, the UAE, Germany, Australia, and the CIS countries. The forum is organized by SPRING PR Company, with Visa serving as the Innovation Partner, imID as the Digital Identity Partner, aeda as the Blockchain Partner, Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine as the Industrial Transformation Partner, and Freedom Broker Armenia as the Investment partner.

The Voice of Peace Music Fest will take place in Yerevan’s Republic Square on April 25, which is marked as Citizens’ Day in Armenia.

Organizers have announced that the music program will feature renowned artists and musicians, including Italian singer-songwriter In-Grid; French DJ and rapper Willy William; the Denmark-based hip-hop group Outlandish; Armenian pop star Iveta Mukuchyan; as well as French pop-soul star Imany.

Entrance will be free of charge, and the concert will begin at 20:00.

Each of the featured artists is known for standout hits: In-Grid for her global club success “Tu es foutu,” Willy William for chart-topping tracks like “Ego” and his collaboration “Mi Gente” with J Balvin, Outlandish for their rendition of “Aicha” (a cover of the original song by Cheb Khaled), Iveta Mukuchyan for representing Armenia at Eurovision 2016 with “LoveWave,” and Imany for her widely acclaimed song “Don’t Be So Shy.”

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has called for a “careful and accurate” approach by the CSTO toward its treaty ally Armenia, which has effectively frozen its participation in the bloc for over two years.

Lukashenko made the comments during a meeting with Taalatbek Masadykov, the new Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), BelTA reports.

He noted that the organization has both achievements and challenges, which he has repeatedly discussed on international platforms. According to Lukashenko, one of the issues requiring special attention is the relationship with Armenia.

“We need to be more correct and precise in our work with Armenia. You know that Armenia seems not to support work within the CSTO, yet at the same time remains in the organization,” BelTA news agency quoted the Belarusian president as saying. 

He added that the situation in Armenia is complex, especially in the context of electoral processes.

“We must be very careful. The situation in Armenia is difficult in this regard, particularly during the election period. It is a very complicated situation. Therefore, we need to be extremely cautious in our relations with Armenia,” Lukashenko stated.

Back in February 2024, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia had frozen its participation in the CSTO, citing the organization’s failure to fulfill its obligations to Armenia.

A senior Armenian lawmaker on Monday did not rule out the possibility of Armenia withdrawing from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the future.

MP Andranik Kocharyan, from the Civil Contract faction and chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security Affairs, told reporters that the decision would depend on Armenia’s interests.

“Never say never. The world is very turbulent. The security and interests of our country shall dictate the sequence of our steps,” Kocharyan said when asked whether Armenia could quit the CSTO, where its membership is currently frozen.

Kocharyan emphasized that Armenia’s main issue with the CSTO pertains to its own borders and has nothing to do with Nagorno-Karabakh.

“An attempt was made to link the CSTO’s actions to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, but regarding Armenia’s borders, the CSTO had a role to play. They didn’t act, right? Our problem arose from the situation at Armenia’s borders, and we asked the CSTO for support two or three times. That support, aside from verbal statements, did not produce any results for us,” Kocharyan said.

He added that future decisions will depend exclusively on Armenia’s national interests.

“We will act in accordance with whatever our country’s interests dictate,” he stated.

Back in February 2024, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia had frozen its participation in the CSTO, citing the organization’s failure to fulfill its obligations to Armenia. 

Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsyan rejected lawmaker Hayk Sargsyan’s claims about manpower shortages in the military and urged MPs at a parliamentary committee to turn down the latter’s bill proposing several amendments to the enlistment process.

MP Hayk Sargsyan’s bill, in particular, sought to raise the conscription age, criminalize refusal to undergo a medical examination as a form of draft evasion, increase the state duty for renouncing citizenship, and introduce a short-term paid service option for draft evaders as a form of redress. The legislator argued that the number of enlistments has been declining over the years and will continue to fall.

However, Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsyan rejected these claims, stating that the number of conscripts between 2023 and 2026 has increased by around 25% compared to 2022.

The Deputy Minister noted that legislative changes implemented in recent years have contributed to an increase in conscription rates.

“Between 2023 and 2026, the number of those conscripted has increased by about 25 percent compared to 2022. In other words, if we continue at the same pace and improve the legal framework, we will not face the concerning situation described by the parliamentarian,” Arman Sargsyan said at the parliament’s Defense and Security Committee.

The Deputy Minister also criticized certain provisions included in the bill, particularly the mechanism allowing exemption from service in exchange for a fee.

“If, hypothetically, 3,000 people make use of the option to be exempted from service in exchange for payment, that does not mean conscription numbers will increase by the same amount. It may generate budget revenues, but it does not solve the problem of increasing conscription figures,” he noted.

Arman Sargsyan added that positive trends have also recently been recorded in the field of voluntary contract-based service.

“The number of those who have entered contractual military service under the ‘Homeland Defender’ program has exceeded 5,300, which indicates positive momentum and is aimed at forming a professional army,” the Deputy Minister said.

Sargsyan added that the Cabinet has issued a negative opinion on the bill. The committee likewise rejected it.

YEREVAN, 6 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 6 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.36 drams to 376.62 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.26 drams to 434.96 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.0697 drams to 4.7679 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.1 drams to 498.76 drams.

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

Gold price down by 54 drams to 56176 drams. Silver price down by 0.82 drams to 859.59 drams.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that the South Caucasus region has now “transformed into an area of peace, calm, security, and cooperation.”

The President of Azerbaijan emphasized that there is now a completely new situation in the South Caucasus and that the countries of the region should not miss this opportunity.

“Today, unfortunately, peace, security, stability, and calm are being disrupted in different parts of the world, leading to bloody clashes, wars, suffering, and losses.

“At one time, a similar situation existed in the South Caucasus. But today, the South Caucasus is becoming a region of peace, calm, security, and cooperation,” Aliyev said.