Following the crisis in Ceuta, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for tighter border controls and the construction of barriers along the most vulnerable sections of the European Union’s external borders, Euronews reported.

Von der Leyen made the remarks in a letter addressed to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Sánchez accused several of his counterparts in the European Union of using the migration crisis in Ceuta to attack his government.

Several days ago, around 60,000 third-country nationals crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, marking the largest border crossing in Europe over such a short period. A few days later, most of the migrants returned to Morocco, and the situation in the enclave largely stabilised.

Ceuta’s local authorities said at least 72 people were killed while attempting to cross the border.

Although Ceuta is located on the African continent and none of the migrants reached mainland Europe, footage from the border triggered a strong reaction from European governments and the European Commission.

Sánchez came under criticism from other European governments over his handling of the crisis, while the Spanish leader accused his counterparts of acting selfishly, dividing society and violating the law.

“This incident clearly demonstrated that we need to do more to strengthen our borders at key points and, where necessary, through the installation of physical barriers,” von der Leyen wrote in her letter.

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the situation in the Middle East and the latest developments regarding the conflict in Ukraine with UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, RIA Novosti reported.

“During the telephone conversation, the sides discussed the situation in the Middle East, primarily in the Gaza Strip, developments surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and efforts to end the ongoing military hostilities in the region,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

Hakan Fidan also congratulated Ed Miliband on assuming the post of the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary.

Iran has denied claims by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding a new round of negotiations with the United States, Deutsche Welle reported, citing Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Baghaei said no dialogue with the United States is currently under way.

He also said there are no plans in the coming days either to receive U.S. government representatives or to send an Iranian delegation to the United States.

According to Baghaei, all Iranian negotiators are currently in the country. The only exception is Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is on a pilgrimage in Iraq and will not be available for negotiations at least until the end of the week.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also said that negotiations on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz are being conducted only with Oman.

“Discussions are currently focused on a possible navigation corridor for two-way vessel traffic. That initiative is unrelated to negotiations on fully reopening the strait. It is a separate issue. The situation will not change as long as U.S. aggression continues,” Baghaei said.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said the White House had decided to refrain from carrying out further strikes against Iran in order to give diplomacy a chance to resolve the conflict.

According to Trump, a new round of negotiations had been scheduled to begin on August 3.

“I would rather reach an agreement. I don’t like killing people,” the U.S. president said.

He also added that Washington could launch new strikes against Iran at any time if necessary.

Lilit Makunts has been appointed Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The decree appointing Makunts was formalized by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The position had been held since 2021 by Arayik Harutyunyan, who was elected to parliament as an MP in the June 7 elections.

From 2018 to 2019, Makunts served as Armenia’s Minister of Culture. She then served as a lawmaker in 2019 before being appointed Armenia’s Ambassador to the United States in 2021, a position she held until 2025. Makunts was then appointed chief advisor to PM Pashinyan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday introduced the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office, Lilit Makunts, to officials of his administration.

The Prime Minister first thanked outgoing Chief of Staff Arayik Harutyunyan, noting that over the past five years he had effectively supported and advanced the government’s priorities.

“Now, in the next phase, Ms. Makunts will be responsible for advancing these priorities. The position of Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office is one that is most directly connected with the Prime Minister’s working priorities. I believe that during this period we should continue our work while making certain adjustments to our priorities,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister wished Arayik Harutyunyan success in his future work as a Member of Parliament, adding that this role is very important for a public political figure.

Pashinyan recalled that Lilit Makunts had served as a Cabinet member in 2018, holding the position of Minister of Culture, after which she moved to Parliament, where she served as head of the “My Step” parliamentary faction. She later became Ambassador of Armenia to the United States and subsequently served as the Prime Minister’s Chief Adviser.

“Ms. Makunts will now lead the Prime Minister’s Office of the Republic of Armenia, and I am confident that both of our colleagues, as in their previous roles, will continue to make significant and visible contributions to the further development of the Republic of Armenia,” the Prime Minister said.

Arayik Harutyunyan thanked the Prime Minister for his remarks, as well as for their joint work and support.

“Throughout these years, both I personally and the staff have done everything possible to make the Prime Minister’s work easier and to advance the issues assigned to the Office. I believe we have established a very strong system within the Office, and I would like to thank our colleagues gathered here today, as each person has contributed to this work. I am confident they will ensure continuity. We have completed the transition phase, and Ms. Makunts is currently well informed about the ongoing processes. I am ready to continue providing support,” Harutyunyan said.

In turn, Lilit Makunts thanked Prime Minister Pashinyan for his trust and said she would do her utmost to meet the Prime Minister’s expectations.

“I would also like to thank Mr. Harutyunyan for setting a very high standard for his successors in this position and for the support he provided during this transitional period. I wish you all the best and further success. I am confident that, in any capacity, you will continue to play an outstanding role,” the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Makunts also expressed confidence that future cooperation with the Prime Minister’s Office would be constructive and effective.

Concluding the meeting, the Prime Minister said that significant work lies ahead within the framework of the broad agenda they have been pursuing.

“I define this broad agenda as the agenda of ensuring the continuity of Armenian statehood. Of course, the next five-year period opens new opportunities for us and brings new challenges. I hope we will be able to identify and seize these opportunities and manage these challenges. We are already an experienced government, and this brings both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that accumulated experience is a resource that we must be able to use. The disadvantage is that turning this work into a routine may create a certain sense of complacency, and we must do everything possible to avoid that. I am confident that we will be able to achieve this together, including with the support of our parliamentary partners and through continuously reviewing our work,” the Prime Minister said.

Renowned economist and writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb has rejected an invitation to deliver a lecture in Azerbaijan, saying he will not “set foot” in the country as long as former Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan remains jailed there.

“Was asked to go to Azerbaijan for a lecture. I declined (they yuugely upped their offer, not understanding my ethics, thinking it would make a difference). I will not set foot in Azerbaijan with Reuben Vardanyan jailed there,” Nassim Nicholas Taleb said on X.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a Lebanese-American New York University professor, essayist, mathematical statistician, former options trader, risk analyst, and aphorist. 

Taleb’s first non-technical book, Fooled by Randomness, was published in 2001 and was selected by Fortune as one of the 75 smartest books known.

His second non-technical book, The Black Swan, about unpredictable events, was published in 2007. It spent 36 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder was published in November 2012, and Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life was published in February 2018.

The renowned economist visited Armenia in 2023.

Vardanyan, the former Karabakh State Minister and philanthropist, has been in Azerbaijani custody since 2023, after Baku took control of Karabakh in its September offensive. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this year on war crimes-related charges, a verdict widely viewed as a wrongful conviction following a sham trial.

Armenian Members of Parliament observed a minute of silence during Monday’s plenary session in memory of the victims of the 2014 Yazidi genocide in Sinjar, Iraq.

The proposal was made by Rustam Bakoyan, an ethnic Yazidi MP from the ruling Civil Contract faction.

“On August 3, 2014, the massacre of an entire nation took place — a genocide. This was a great tragedy for the Yazidi people, and what happened in 2014 is still continuing today: Yazidi girls, women, and our mothers are being sold in Arab markets. To this day, the fate of around 3,000 Yazidi women remains unknown; tens of thousands have been killed, tens of thousands of women have been sold in markets, and even now, nearly 12 years later, they remain in camps. I would like to ask you to honor the memory of the Yazidis of Sinjar who were victims of genocide with a minute of silence,” Bakoyan said in his speech.

The Yazidi genocide took place in August 2014 in Sinjar, Iraq, the historical homeland of the Yazidi people. The mass killings of Yazidis were carried out by ISIL terrorists after the group seized parts of northern Iraq in the summer of 2014 and declared an “Islamic caliphate” in the territories under its control. ISIL massacred thousands of Yazidis, while many young girls were subjected to sexual slavery. As a result of the genocide, around 200,000 Yazidis were displaced from northern Iraq.

In 2018, Armenia’s parliament recognized and condemned the genocide committed against Yazidis in Sinjar in 2014.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia has launched the 4th annual Army Games among personnel from the country’s law enforcement and security structures, held under the patronage of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.

The competitions are being held in the city of Dilijan, Tavush Province, at the sports facilities of the Ministry of Defense and the Monte Melkonian Military and Sports College. The Army Games will continue until August 8.

The ministry said that the program of the Army Games includes military sports quadrathlon, military cross-country running, military cross-country relay, military orienteering, shooting with an AK-103 rifle, shooting with a PM pistol, and shooting with an SVD rifle.

Teams from the Ministries of Defense, Internal Affairs, and Justice, as well as the National Security Service, the State Protection Service, the State Revenue Committee, the Investigative Committee, and the Anti-Corruption Committee, are participating in the Games. Each participant is allowed to compete in only one event.

Participants in Armenia’s national shooting championships over the past five years are not eligible to take part in the Army Games. Both men and women are participating.

The opposition Armenia faction of the Armenian parliament announced on Monday that it will boycott the vote to confirm the Speaker, for which Ruben Rubinyan of the Civil Contract Party has been nominated unopposed.

“On behalf of the Armenia alliance, I want to announce that we will not participate in the closed voting,” MP Anna Grigoryan said.

The opposition Strong Armenia faction of parliament said on Monday that it will vote against Ruben Rubinyan’s candidacy for Speaker.

Rubinyan, from the ruling Civil Contract Party, has been nominated for Speaker unopposed.

The other opposition faction, Armenia, earlier said that it would not take part in the vote.

The Speaker is elected by secret ballot by a majority of the total number of MPs. A candidate must receive at least 53 votes to be elected.

Civil Contract has 64 seats, while the Strong Armenia and Armenia factions have 29 and 12 seats, respectively.