Authorities plan to establish a unified center for foreign economic activity which will consolidate all services related to import and export in a single location, State Revenue Committee Chairman Eduard Hakobyan said on Monday in parliament.

Presenting the loan agreement between Armenia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the “Yerevan Customs and Logistics Center,” Hakobyan noted that the project aims to improve the efficiency and speed of customs procedures.

He explained that currently, customs functions are carried out in a fragmented manner, with certain processes — such as inspections — taking place at separate terminals, often without the necessary laboratory infrastructure.

“The purpose of the foreign economic activity center is to ensure that all functions — not only customs, but also the operations of other agencies related to import and export — are carried out within a single integrated system,” Hakobyan said.

The center will be located in Proshyan village, near the North-South road, on the outskirts of Yerevan, enabling it to serve the main flows of freight transport along that route.

Hakobyan added that the project will be financed through a €30 million EBRD loan and a €6 million grant, with co-financing from the state budget.

The project will include the construction of the Foreign Economic Activity Center as well as a new administrative building for the State Revenue Committee, which will not be funded by the loan.

“The center will be a unified complex, where all phases of import and export processes will be centralized. It is planned to have approximately 9,000 sq. m. of storage and inspection space, 2,100 sq. m. of service and administrative areas, a three-story laboratory covering about 700 sq. m., as well as a parking area for up to 408 trucks and an X-ray inspection platform,” he concluded.

YEREVAN, 23 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 23 March, USD exchange rate down by 0.12 drams to 377.38 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.7 drams to 433.61 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.1032 drams to 4.5924 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 4.35 drams to 500.59 drams.

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

Gold price down by 476 drams to 55358 drams. Silver price up by 32.13 drams to 878.07 drams.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation. During the call they discussed a range of issues related to their bilateral agenda, the PM’s office said in a readout.

The two leaders agreed to continue discussions in person at a mutually convenient time.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his government had led the country out of a “predetermined disastrous path” since 2018.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a Facebook live broadcast that his government had demonstrated the leadership entrusted to them by the people and led the country out of a “predetermined disastrous path” between 2018 and 2024.

“I have become convinced that leadership is, first of all, about changing predetermined events and getting out of a predetermined path. It is about possessing the strength, will and determination,” Pashinyan said.

He said that in 2018–2024 the government had fulfilled the leadership responsibilities delegated by the people and had led the country away from that path, including by making a “decisive decision” not to continue the Karabakh movement, which he said helped bring Armenia to a “peaceful harbor”.

According to Pashinyan, now is the most appropriate moment for a public response.

“The people must stand up for peace, and the leadership of the people must follow the previous leadership,” he said, adding that citizens should re-delegate leadership to the current governing majority, which he said had proven its ability to act decisively at a critical moment.

Four wagons of fertilizer and one wagon of buckwheat will be sent to Armenia via transit through the territory of Azerbaijan, according to the Azerbaijani media reports.

The first batch of Russian wheat arrived in Armenia via Azerbaijan on November 6, 2025. On November 8, another batch of Kazakh wheat, totaling 1,000 tons, arrived in Armenia via Azerbaijan. On March 9, another batch of Russian wheat was sent to Armenia via Azerbaijan.

The 9th meeting of the EU–Armenia Subcommittee on Energy, Transport, Environment, Climate Action and Civil Protection was held on March 23 in Brussels.

Recent developments in the fields of energy, transport, civil protection, climate action, and the environment were discussed. The sides also reviewed the current state of EU–Armenia cooperation and ongoing EU-funded assistance programs, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures said in a press release.

The Armenian delegation was headed by Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Armen Simonyan.

The meeting was chaired on behalf of the European Union by Deren Derya, Head of Division at the European External Action Service.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the Mission of Armenia to the EU, Tigran Balayan, also addressed the meeting.

The parties reaffirmed their commitment to continue and deepen Armenia–EU cooperation aimed at promoting sustainable development, strengthening institutional capacities, and enhancing regional resilience.