The Armenian government approved the 2026 state standardization program and the list of standardization activities. The standards included in the program must be developed by the end of the year.

Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan presented the measures at a Cabinet meeting.

He said the program envisages updating existing standards and harmonizing them with international and regional standards. The list of activities was prepared taking into account requirements received from various state bodies.

“Within the framework of state support in the field of standardization, the work being carried out makes it possible to have standards that meet international requirements. Products, services or certain processes that comply with those requirements do not face any problems when policies are subsequently developed or work is carried out, because they are already harmonized with the best practices accepted around the world,” Papoyan said.

The minister noted that requirements for bodies conducting audits and certification of food safety management systems are to be developed, along with standards related to the assessment and certification of products, processes and services.

In the environmental sector, a national standard will be developed establishing a method for determining the levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water. In the field of geospatial data, national standards related to geographic information will also be brought into line with modern requirements.

In response to Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan’s question about how long it would take to develop the standards, Papoyan said:

“Since the scope is not very large, we should complete all of them during this year and submit them, as stipulated by the annual program.”

The standards will also cover road construction, cybersecurity and privacy protection, corruption prevention, energy management, healthcare, space debris reduction, tourism and food safety.

Exports of Armenian products to several major markets increased significantly in January-August 2026, while a substantial decline was recorded in exports to the Eurasian Economic Union market, Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said at a Cabinet meeting.

Exports to the European Union increased by around 70%, while exports to India grew 2.1-fold and those to the United Arab Emirates rose by around 45-46%, Papoyan said.

“The only direction where we have a significant decline in exports of Armenian-origin products is the Eurasian Economic Union market,” Papoyan said, adding that export market diversification continues actively in other directions. The decline is due to the Russian restrictions on Armenian goods. 

According to data presented by the minister, products worth around $990 million were exported in January-August 2025, compared with around $943 million in the same period of 2026. The decline was around 5%.

He said the figure was “not bad” considering Russia’s restrictions.

But aside from the restrictions, Papoyan said the decline in exports to the EAEU market was also due to crop volumes. In particular, more than 40,000 tons of apricots were exported last year, compared with around 12,000-13,000 tons this year, as the harvest was smaller due to weather conditions.

At the same time, exports of canned fruits and vegetables increased by 18%, dried fruits and vegetables by 64%, Armenian brandy by 10%, and live animals by 21%.

Businesses are expected to receive AMD 4.59 billion in compensation for products exported in August. The program provides support for exports of greenhouse products, fresh fruit, flowers, food products and certain types of beverages.

According to Papoyan, under the support program, around 3,000 tons of tomatoes, more than 2,200 tons of peppers, 3.9 million flowers, more than 2,200 tons of peaches, 292,000 liters of bottled wine and 336,000 liters of fruit and berry wine were exported.

Earlier in September, officials said Armenia had lodged a complaint within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) over restrictions imposed by Russia on Armenian products and expected the obstacles to be removed through the application of existing mechanisms.

Armenia has exported aluminum foil to Azerbaijan, Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said on Thursday.

“Aluminum foil has been exported,” Papoyan told reporters, without disclosing the volume of the shipment.

Asked whether Armenia plans to export other products to Azerbaijan, the minister replied, “We’ll see.”

The Council of the EU today formally adopted temporary trade-liberalization measures for Armenian products to support Armenia’s economy following trade restrictions recently imposed by Russia.

These measures will liberalize around 80% of Armenian exports to the EU, suspending import duties on a broad range of products, including certain agricultural goods, the Council of the EU said in a press release.

This temporary preferential arrangement will apply for a period of two years.

These temporary measures will contribute to supporting and strengthening trade flows from Armenia to the EU, in line with the objectives of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The preferential arrangement comes with certain conditions and includes safeguard measures to protect the EU market if imports adversely affect EU producers. 

This final adoption follows the positive vote in the European Parliament plenary session on the Commission’s proposal without amendments.

“We are stepping up our support for Armenia and its people, who have clearly chosen a pro-European path in spite of foreign pressures. Today’s decision will help Armenia’s economy hit by trade restrictions and shows that our partners can always count on the EU,” said Helen McEntee, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland.

The regulation will now be signed and published in the Official Journal of the EU. It will enter into force the day after publication and will apply for two years from entry into force.

Armenian boxer Rudolf Garboyan took bronze at the European Boxing Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria after suffering a 0–5 semifinal defeat to Russia’s Bair Batlaev in the 50kg category.

Earlier, Elida Kocharyan had won a bronze medal for Armenia in the women’s competition at the European Championships.

The Armenian Embassy in Argentina organized a gala concert on September 21 at the National Auditorium of the Palacio Libertad in Buenos Aires, dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia.

The concert marked Armenia’s Independence Day in Argentina, bringing together Armenian and Argentine artists and creating a unique dialogue between the musical and cultural heritage of the two countries, the embassy said in a press release.

The concert opened with the Aeropuertos Argentina Orchestra, conducted by Néstor Tedesco, which performed excerpts from Aram Khachaturian’s Masquerade ballet and the “Sabre Dance.”

Renowned bandoneonist Walter Ríos performed Sayat-Nova’s “Kani Vur Jan Im” and Astor Piazzolla’s “Adiós Nonino,” while Mariel Dupetit performed Charles Aznavour’s “La Bohème.”

Soprano Alla Avetisyan performed Artemi Aivazian’s “Yerevan” and Komitas’ “Krunk.” Duduk player Hakob Barseghyan, accompanied by the orchestra, performed Astor Piazzolla’s “Oblivion” and a medley of works by Sayat-Nova.

A choir specially formed for the concert, consisting of 35 students from Armenian schools in Buenos Aires to mark the 35th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, performed the song “Erebuni-Yerevan” under the direction of Areg Knyazyan.

The concert continued with Teatro Colón ballet principals Matías Santos and Natalia Pelayo, who performed an excerpt from Aram Khachaturian’s Spartacus ballet.

The evening concluded with performances by the Argentine National Folkloric Ballet and the premiere of Armenian Ornaments, a dance choreographed by ballet master Karen Gevorgyan, which was met with a standing ovation from the audience.

“The joint performances by Armenian and Argentine artists symbolized the friendship and cultural ties that have developed between the two peoples. This dialogue between Armenian and Argentine music, dance and art once again demonstrated that culture can serve as a strong and living bridge connecting peoples,” the embassy said.

Renowned filmmaker James Cameron will visit Armenia to meet with representatives of the film industry and movie fans, Yerevan City Hall said Thursday.

Cameron, known for directing such iconic films as The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), Titanic (1997), and Avatar (2009), will speak with the Yerevan audience about cinema, his creative journey, big ideas, and innovation.

The In Conversation with James Cameron: A Cinema Legend, Live in Yerevan event will take place at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan on November 23, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Ticket sales will begin on September 25.

“This is a unique opportunity to meet one of the most influential filmmakers of our time, hear his stories from the world of cinema, and discover the creative thinking behind some of the most notable projects in world cinema,” City Hall said.

A prosecutor has charged the former director of Armenicum CJSC with attempted particularly large-scale fraud, abuse of official powers, presenting false evidence to a court for financial gain, and using a forged document, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

The criminal case against A.M. was sent to the Anti-Corruption Court with an indictment on September 22, 2026. The Prosecutor General’s Office said that, among other procedural measures, information obtained during the preliminary investigation through Eurojust mechanisms corroborated the factual circumstances underlying the charges.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the investigation conducted by the Investigative Committee established that A.M., who served as director of Armenicum CJSC from 1998 to 2023, allegedly prepared a false record of a shareholders’ meeting of Armenicum+ CJSC without actually convening the meeting.

The record allegedly contained false information about the participation of the company’s shareholders. A.M. allegedly submitted the record to a competent state authority and unlawfully assumed the duties of general director of Armenicum+ CJSC.

The Prosecutor General’s Office said that A.M. subsequently intended to unlawfully obtain a particularly large amount of money from Armenicum CJSC, which was founded by the Republic of Armenia and is 100% state-owned.

Based on other allegedly falsified accounting evidence, and with the aim of presenting financial transactions as genuine and justified, he filed a lawsuit through a lawyer on November 27, 2025, with the Civil Court of First Instance of Yerevan, demanding that AMD 1,500,770,000 be recovered from Armenicum CJSC in favor of Armenicum+ CJSC, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

On September 11, 2026, the prosecutor charged A.M. with attempted particularly large-scale fraud, abuse of official powers, presenting false evidence to a court for financial gain, and using a forged document, under Articles 44-277(2)(2), 44-255(3)(3), 479(2)(2) of the Criminal Code and Article 325(2) of the Criminal Code adopted in 2003.

The Prosecutor General’s Office has also sent letters to competent state authorities concerning the process of declaring A.M.’s registration as director of Armenicum+ CJSC and the evidence submitted in the civil case unlawful.

A cooperation agreement was signed recently in Yerevan between the A. Spendiaryan National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the Sofia Opera and Ballet.

The agreement was signed by Karen Durgaryan, director of the Yerevan Opera Theatre, and Plamen Kartaloff, general manager of the Sofia Opera and Ballet.

The document will lay the foundation for the development of long-term and systematic cooperation between the two prominent cultural institutions, including the exchange of professional experience and information, joint initiatives, implementation of cultural programs, and expansion of creative ties between the two theatres.

The parties plan to organize bilateral meetings and professional discussions, support cultural events initiated by each other, and involve representatives of the partner theatre in their performances and other projects.

The cooperation agreement will provide an opportunity to further intensify creative and professional ties between the Yerevan and Sofia opera theatres while contributing to the development of cultural dialogue and international cooperation between Armenia and Bulgaria.

Bulgarian Ambassador to Armenia Nikola Nikolov attended the signing ceremony.

The Armenian government will allocate 600 million drams ($1.65 million) to reconstruct and renovate the running track and necessary infrastructure at Hrazdan Stadium ahead of the 2027 Jeux de la Francophonie, the 10th Francophone Games, which Armenia will host.

The funding was approved at the Cabinet meeting on September 24 as part of the consent agenda.

Given the urgency of the procurement, the government approved a single-source procedure without competitive bidding, with the contract to be signed with GTS Construction LLC, which is currently building the Artur Abraham Sports Complex.

The contract with the contractor will not include the rubber running-track surface or the asphalt or concrete base layers required for its installation. Those works will be carried out by another organization through a separate procurement procedure. The government notes that foreign manufacturers, suppliers and specialized organizations may need to be involved in those works.

The contractor will be required to provide contract performance and qualification security, each amounting to 5% of the total contract value.

According to a technical assessment of Hrazdan Stadium, the venue can accommodate around 21,566 spectators during events. The southern and northern stands may be used at 50% capacity, while the western stand may be used at full capacity. Only the first 11 rows of the eastern stand may be used. Spectators will not be allowed in the upper tiers.

As state funds will be used to improve privately owned infrastructure, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports must submit a draft to the government within three months setting out the conditions for using the stadium for state programs over the next 20 years.

The stadium is also planned to host Armenian championships, international competitions and concerts, as well as training sessions of the Olympic Youth Athletics Sports School.