Banker and businessman Vasily Tofan, who lives in Ukraine, could become Moldova’s next prime minister.

“After consultations with members of the Party of Action and Solidarity, I signed a decree nominating Vasily Tofan for the post of prime minister,” Moldovan President Maia Sandu told reporters.

According to Sandu, the new government should focus on economic development, attracting investment, and “cleansing” the justice system of corruption.

Under the law, the prime minister-designate must present his cabinet and government programme to parliament within 15 days. He will be confirmed if he secures the support of at least 51 of the 101 members of parliament. The ruling party holds 63 seats in the legislature.

On July 3, Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu announced his resignation.

“Today, my term as prime minister comes to an end. I accepted the responsibility of serving as prime minister with a deep sense of duty and a firm belief that I could help bring about positive change. When I realised that I could no longer fulfil my mandate in accordance with my principles and convictions, I decided to resign,” he wrote on X.

Azerbaijani Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov has travelled to Türkiye on a working visit.

Azerbaijani media reported the visit, citing the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry.

As part of the visit, Hasanov attended the graduation ceremony for the Joint Staff Management course at the Joint War Institute of Türkiye’s National Defence University, as well as the graduation ceremonies for the Staff Management courses at the institutes of the Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces.

Germany and France intend to launch a joint initiative aimed at helping resolve the situation in Lebanon.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announced the plan.

“Together with France, we want to develop a common policy on Lebanon in order to increase the chances of achieving peace in the Middle East,” Wadephul told the Tagesspiegel newspaper.

The German foreign minister did not provide further details about the initiative.

Starlink has donated another 56 devices to Armenia to help the country prepare for potential future emergencies and strengthen the resilience of its internet connectivity.

Armenian Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan announced the donation in a Facebook post.

According to the minister, the equipment was provided to the Armenian government following negotiations between the Ministry of High-Tech Industry and the U.S.-based company Starlink.

“These devices will help ensure reliable, high-speed internet connectivity for effective response during disasters and other emergency situations,” Hayrapetyan wrote.

According to the minister, the initiative was implemented through cooperation between the Ministries of High-Tech Industry and Internal Affairs. The equipment has already arrived in Armenia and is to be transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for use by the Rescue Service.

The devices will help strengthen communications redundancy during emergencies, particularly in rescue operations, natural disasters and crisis situations, as well as in cases where traditional communications infrastructure is limited, overloaded or disrupted.

Starlink is a low Earth orbit satellite system that provides reliable, high-speed broadband internet to millions of users worldwide. It plays an important role in supporting emergency response services, particularly by ensuring uninterrupted connectivity in remote areas and during crises.

According to the minister, the donation is a continuation of the cooperation established between Starlink and Armenia’s Ministry of High-Tech Industry. Under that cooperation, 110 Starlink devices already provide internet connectivity for thousands of students in schools located in Armenia’s remote communities.

The Ministry of High-Tech Industry highly values its cooperation with Starlink and the company’s contribution to strengthening Armenia’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Armenia David Allen met with participants in the Armenian Assembly of America’s summer internship programme to learn about their academic interests, professional goals and experiences in Armenia.

The U.S. Embassy in Armenia announced the meeting in a statement.

The students spoke about their work in government institutions, civil society organisations, private companies and cultural institutions, and shared their views on how the experience could help strengthen Armenian-American ties.

“We wish them continued success throughout the remainder of the programme,” the embassy said.

Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan met with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany during her working visit to France.

The Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport announced the meeting in a statement.

Deputy Minister Artur Martirosyan and Armenia’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO Aram Hakobyan also attended the meeting.

Congratulating Khaled El-Enany on assuming the post of UNESCO Director-General, Andreasyan wished him success in his new role, stressing that Armenia is actively engaged in UNESCO working groups and stands ready to continue contributing to the effective implementation of the organisation’s priorities.

The UNESCO Director-General thanked Armenia for initiating the Education for Peace resolution, which was recently adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly, highlighting its importance for strengthening a culture of peace and promoting international recognition of the role of education. Andreasyan, in turn, stressed that promoting the role of education as a fundamental factor in advancing peace, mutual understanding and sustainable development is a matter of principle for Armenia in international forums.

The sides also discussed the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), which will be held in Yerevan this autumn, noting that a number of events are planned within its framework, including with UNESCO’s involvement.

Turning to education, the minister presented the main priorities of Armenia’s State Programme for Education Development through 2030, highlighting efforts to improve the quality of education, ensure inclusiveness, advance digital transformation and promote competency-based education. She underscored the importance of UNESCO’s expert support in developing education policies, particularly in reforms in the field of technical and vocational education and training, and highlighted the effectiveness of jointly implemented programmes.

The meeting also covered the activities of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network in Armenia, as well as the country’s participation in the organisation’s upcoming educational initiatives, including Digital Learning Week, to be held in Paris in September 2026.

Addressing cultural cooperation, Andreasyan reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the effective implementation of UNESCO’s cultural conventions and the preservation of the world’s cultural heritage. She also noted that the process of ratifying UNESCO’s 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage is currently underway.

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany thanked Andreasyan for the meeting and highly praised Armenia’s active participation in UNESCO’s programmes and initiatives. He described Armenia as one of UNESCO’s trusted partners, particularly highlighting cooperation in the fields of education, culture and the preservation of cultural heritage.

The sides reaffirmed their readiness to further deepen cooperation at the conclusion of the meeting.

Armenia’s Cyber Police has issued a warning about another fraud scheme.

The Cyber Police said citizens continue to receive fraudulent messages via iMessage claiming to be from the Traffic Police.

According to the Cyber Police, the purpose of the messages is to steal citizens’ money.

“Simply ignore them and block the phone number or the sender’s email address,” Armenia’s Cyber Police urged.

The agency also called on citizens not to respond to such messages, not to open suspicious links, and not to disclose their banking or personal information.

The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute hosted students from George School in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania as part of its summer school programme from July 8 to 11.

The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute announced the programme in a statement.

The programme was organised in cooperation with the Genocide Education Project and aimed to familiarise participants with various aspects of the history of the Armenian Genocide. It marked the first time that students from the United States had visited the museum-institute as part of an educational programme on the Armenian Genocide.

According to the statement, the initiator of the summer school, George School teacher Meredith Baldy, participated in 2024 in the annual training programme on the Armenian Genocide for U.S. teachers jointly organised by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and the Genocide Education Project.

This year, she travelled to Armenia together with her students. As part of the summer school, the participants visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex and the museum.

Over the course of four days, the students took part in guided tours and thematic lectures led by researchers from the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. Discussions covered various aspects of the Armenian Genocide, including the role of media and propaganda during mass atrocities, the importance of survivor testimonies, as well as the life of Aurora Mardiganian and the film Auction of Souls.

As part of the programme, practical sessions for the students were conducted by George School teachers Meredith Baldy and Prescott Seraydarian.

In addition to the educational programme at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, the students also visited the Matenadaran and several historical and cultural sites across Armenia, gaining a closer understanding of the country’s culture and rich historical heritage.

According to the statement, such initiatives play an important role in advancing international educational cooperation, raising awareness of the crime of genocide, preserving historical memory, and promoting awareness of human rights protection among younger generations.