The number of applications from foreign students to Armenian universities increased by 90% last year, according to Education Minister Zhanna Andreasyan.

Andreasyan, the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, told lawmakers at a parliamentary committee hearing that the digitized application system has largely contributed to this increase.

“Last year, we undertook an important initiative to attract foreign students to universities, which allowed us to conduct admissions for international students through a digital platform. This has led to a 90% increase in applications from foreign nationals compared to the previous year, and a 67% increase in the number of foreign applicants compared to 2021. This demonstrates that if the tools and mechanisms are appropriate and convenient, they enhance the country’s attractiveness,” she said during the committee hearing on the ministry’s 2025 performance report of the Pashinyan administration’s 2021–2026 program.

Overall, in 2025, 10,970 first-year students were admitted to Armenian universities, 59% of whom enrolled in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.

The minister also noted that scholarship programs for priority fields have contributed to a significant increase in student numbers in these areas.

A historic Armenian artifact and a graphic artwork by Armenian-American painter Arshile Gorky—acquired by the Armenian government as part of its efforts to locate and retrieve Armenian cultural heritage artifacts that have appeared in private collections or auctions around the world—will soon be put on display at the History Museum of Armenia and the National Gallery of Armenia in Yerevan.

The Armenian government allocated more than 300 million drams last year alone for the retrieval of various artifacts.

“Soon, our public will be able to see the wooden door panel of a medieval Armenian church acquired by the state, as well as a graphic artwork by Arshile Gorky, which will be displayed in the National Gallery and the History Museum,” Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan said at a parliamentary committee meeting on her ministry’s 2025 performance report.

The monumental Armenian church door panel was made in 1188 and will be displayed at the History Museum of Armenia.

The artifact appeared in international circulation in the 1980s and was later found in a private collection in New York. Earlier in December 2025, the Sam Fogg London art dealership website featured a monumental door panel carved for the Haghpat Monastery in Armenia, dated to 1188.

Andreasyan did not reveal details about the Arshile Gorky artwork.

There is no “unusual” influx of Iranian-Armenians into Armenia, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan said on Tuesday.

At the same time, he did not provide the exact number of Iranian-Armenians who have arrived in Armenia amid the war in Iran.

“But there is no unusual flow of Iranian Armenians to Armenia compared to previous periods. As such, there is no significant movement of Iranian Armenians to Armenia,” Sinanyan said at a press briefing. 

He said that authorities are constantly trying to stay in contact with the Armenian community in Iran, and sometimes they are able to establish communication.

“People are trying to stay away from dangerous areas, remaining in their homes, and hoping that all of this will end soon,” Sinanyan noted.

According to him, there are unconfirmed reports of two lightly injured Iranian Armenians.

“There were reports about two Iranian Armenians who sustained minor injuries, but it is very difficult to verify this information,” Sinanyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in his speech at the Public Sector Innovation Forum III, emphasized the critical link between public sector performance, innovation, and the overall quality of life for Armenian citizens.

“The quality of work in the public administration sector directly translates into the quality of life of the public. I believe, however, that this connection is not always recognized or understood everywhere. To make the lives of our citizens better, we need to improve the quality of governance in the public sector. And to improve governance, there is one key tool: additional investments in this sector.

In general, our thinking in many areas tends to be extra-systemic and extra-governmental, and we continue to believe that it is possible to avoid investment and still achieve good results—relying, for example, on enthusiasm, emotion, dedication, and the like. At the same time, the role of enthusiasm, emotion, and dedication should never be underestimated,” the Prime Minister said, adding, “If there is no infrastructure to transform enthusiasm and emotion into value, then enthusiasm and emotion alone cannot have a significant impact.”

According to the Prime Minister, there is another challenge in improving the public sector in the current reality, because, at least on a subconscious and emotional level, the public sector is somewhat demonized.

“This is connected to our historical experience. Our several-hundred-year history shows that we have dealt with a public sector that is oppressive, destructive, obstructive, and inhibiting. This has been the nature of our experience over the last 500 years, with some exceptions. And this perception continues to persist in our reality. The truth, however, is that the public sector constitutes the rails on which the train of our public life runs. We can make the greatest possible investments in the train itself—gold-plating its seats and carriages—but if proper investments are not made in the rails, the train either will not move at all or will frequently be at risk of accidents, which, let’s admit, happens quite often in our reality.

It is crucial to recognize that no citizen of Armenia has—or can have—more influence over their personal well-being than the public administration sector has over that citizen’s well-being. Therefore, changing our public attitude toward public administration is one of our most important tasks. In Armenia, there is not a single family or individual who spends more on their personal well-being than the Armenian state spends on that same individual’s well-being. Every dram of tax paid by each citizen is returned to that citizen tenfold,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated.

Addressing the topic of innovation in the public sector, the Prime Minister first explained what innovation means in his view.

“What does innovation mean? Innovation is education, because without education, innovation is impossible. To create something new, you must first know something new, and to know something new, you need education. This is why, over at least the last 1.5 years, the policy of the Armenian government has focused on making significant investments in the public sector—investments that introduce self-sustaining educational systems within public administration.

We are doing this so that education in the public sector becomes a motivation in itself, and through education, new motivation for work and innovation is created, along with new knowledge and understanding. Thanks to these investments and programs, thousands of civil servants today are engaging with their education. After work, they participate in educational programs to improve their qualifications, to raise the quality of their work—and this is done primarily to improve the lives of citizens and residents of Armenia,” Pashinyan said.

He added that any unresolved problem is a consequence of past underinvestment in public administration.

“Today, there are many skilled and knowledgeable professionals in public administration, but I also want to say that knowledge alone cannot produce results. Knowledge must be placed in the right position and within the right system.

One example that impressed me most is the U.S. Apollo program mission to the Moon, which required the work of more than 400,000 scientists. This means that if that country had only 250,000 scientists instead of 400,000, this monumental project simply would not have happened. Of course, in our thousand-year history, we have never planned—and, unfortunately, are still not planning—to fly to the Moon, and there is only one reason for that: the absence of those 400,000 scientists and professionals. Because if those 400,000 scientists and professionals existed, could anyone explain why we should have given up on going to the Moon?

Forgive the rough example, but there is a saying: ‘The fox’s nose cannot reach the grapes, so it says they are sour.’ Flying to the Moon is like those grapes for us—it is indeed far off, because spring has just begun and there is still much time before the fruit is ripe,” Pashinyan concluded.

On April 8, Yerevan will host the Doing Digital Forum (DDF), the premier event for digital transformation and financial technology, for the fourth consecutive year. Under the theme “Bridging Platforms and Economies,” the forum will bring together top local and international experts, business leaders, and public sector decision-makers.

The special guest of the DDF26 is Leiming Chen, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International. During the forum, Leiming Chen will share his vision for the future of the digital economy and global financial inclusion.

Keynote speeches will be delivered by Matias Undurraga, Head of AI Europe at Amazon Web Services (AWS); Dirk Ohlmeier, CEO of Just Better; Oleksandr Yablunivskyy, VP and Head of Products and Solutions at Visa CISSEE.

“Modern digital economy is no longer shaped by isolated technological solutions, but through interconnected ecosystems and platforms. In a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, new economic ties and pathways for cooperation are emerging. In this year’s agenda, we aim to showcase the opportunities arising from the formation of links between diverse economic platforms. The Doing Digital Forum connects Armenia to the global technological agenda, positioning it as an important bridge for collaboration between the region and various world economies,”said  Tatevik Simonyan, Founder of DDF.

The discussions at DDF26 will focus on four strategic pillars: the harmonious collaboration between Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents and human potential, the effective interconnection of financial capital and technological platforms, leapfrog growth through innovation and regulatory development, and the strengthening of links between global markets to integrate regional economies into the worldwide system.

This year’s Forum features an extensive lineup of distinguished speakers, including Varlam Ebanoidze, Head of Financial and Supervisory Technology Development Department at the National Bank of Georgia; Martin Galstyan, Governor of the Central Bank of Armenia; Armen Nurbekyan, Deputy Governor of the CBA; Eduard Hakobyan, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (SRC); Arusyak Mirzakhanyan, Director of the SRC Training Center, Ruben Simonyan, Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia, Karen Mkoyan, CEO of imID, Laura Aydinyan, Head of Interoperability and Data Governance at the Information Systems Agency of Armenia (ISAA), Sadyk Azimov, Vice President for Digital Transformation, Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine and others.

Annually, the Doing Digital Forum features the latest technological developments and economic trends, sharing them with the audience and creating a platform for future-oriented dialogue. 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 and Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine as the Industrial Transformation Partner.

Members of the Armenian men’s artistic gymnastics national team, who had traveled to Qatar for a training camp and were unable to return to Armenia due to flight cancellations caused by escalating tensions in the Middle East due to the war in Iran, are now returning to Yerevan, the Gymnastics Federation of Armenia said on Tuesday.

The federation expressed its gratitude to the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to Armenia’s Ambassador to Qatar, Tigran Gevorgyan, for the significant support provided during the return process. It also thanked its colleagues at the Qatar Gymnastics Federation for their assistance to the team throughout their stay in Qatar.

The Armenian national team missed the third round of the World Cup, held on March 10 in Antalya, Türkiye, due to flight cancellations.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry reported last week that stranded Armenian citizens in Qatar were offered free transportation to Oman for a connecting flight to Yerevan. Ten citizens used the free transfer option. Ambassador Gevorgyan personally escorted the Armenian nationals to the Saudi border.

The Armenian athletes were among those nationals who had been granted entry visas to Saudi Arabia to travel onward to Oman.

At its March 17, 2026 meeting, the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia decided to keep the refinancing rate at 6.50%, the Lombard repo facility rate at 8.00%, and the deposit facility rate at 5.00%.

In the first quarter of 2026, annual inflation accelerated, reaching 4.3% in February.

The Central Bank said in its 2026 Q1 Executive Monetary Policy Statement that during the same period, annual core inflation increased to 4.7% Y-o-Y. In the first quarter of 2026, risks of a further slowdown in demand conditions in the global economy and in Armenia’s key partner economies significantly increased.

In the United States, the structural characteristics of economic growth, reflecting developments in the technology sector, as well as risks of a further correction in financial asset prices, a weakening labor market, and the sharp increase in global oil prices may negatively affect the medium-term growth outlook.

The macroeconomic implications stemming from US trade policy have somewhat weakened, but continue to remain one of the main sources of uncertainty. In the medium term, uncertainty regarding long-term interest rates has increased amid expectations of rising US public debt, partly due to uncertainty over the possibilities of tariff collections.

In Armenia’s other main partner economies, risks of weakening medium-term growth and demand are gradually materializing. At the same time, geopolitical uncertainty, tensions in international trade relations, and concerns regarding potential disruptions in global supply chains continue to remain a key source of elevated price volatility in the global economy. Global oil prices have increased sharply amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, while uncertainty regarding their outlook has increased significantly. Food prices have also exhibited some volatility amid concerns regarding potential disruptions in global supply chains. In this context, taking into account, on the one hand, the formation of a weak demand environment, and on the other hand, the increase in inflationary risks, it is likely that central banks in major economies will maintain or delay the easing of monetary conditions in the near term. In the fourth quarter of 2025, economic growth in Armenia significantly accelerated. High economic growth continued to be driven by the construction and services sectors, as well as by manufacturing. Uncertainty regarding current demand conditions and future developments has sharply increased, particularly due to structural issues in economic growth and risks related to fiscal expansion․ In this context, the impact of aggregate demand on inflation is assessed as expansionary. There are also inflationary risks driven by supply-side factors. At the same time, private wage growth, services inflation characterized by sticky prices, and inflation expectations continue to show signs of stabilization. In the context of current macroeconomic developments, financial market participants in Armenia generally expect the Central Bank to maintain the current level of the policy rate for a somewhat longer period, followed by a l reduction toward 6.25% in the medium term. Amid the discussed risks and prevailing uncertainty, the Board considered, on the one hand, Case A-type scenarios related to a possible increase in global neutral interest rates driven by fiscal policy, as well as risks of the formation of excess demand conditions and fiscal expansion in the domestic economy, which would require a higher policy rate path relative to market expectations. On the other hand, the Board discussed Case B-type scenarios related to the outlook for a slowdown in global economic growth and a possible decline in Armenia’s country risk premium, implying the formation and deepening of a weak demand environment, which would require a lower policy rate path relative to market expectations. As a result, balancing the need to manage risks in both directions, the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia decided to keep the policy rate unchanged in the current phase. The Board will continue to monitor developments in the economy and stands ready to take appropriate actions to ensure the 3% inflation target and price stability in the medium term.

Central Bank Governor Martin Galstyan warned on Tuesday that Armenia’s economy cannot remain unaffected by the ongoing military operations in the region, and that the escalation of the situation could lead to an inflation rate of 1.2–1.7% in Armenia.

“Our estimates indicate that inflation could be around 1.2–1.7%. Other contributing factors include the increase in oil prices, some price increases resulting from the use of alternative import routes, and partial substitution of food products imported from Iran. This falls within the realm of risks — we are not saying it will happen, but if it does, the impact on inflation would be 1.2–1.7%,” he said when asked about the possible impact of the escalation.

According to the Central Bank Governor, there are several channels through which the situation could affect Armenia’s economy, the first and perhaps most significant of which is the impact of the conflict on the global economy and, for example, on economic growth and overall developments in the United States.

“Our assessment is that the conflict in the Middle East increases stagflation risks. On one hand, it raises the risk of an economic slowdown; on the other hand, it carries some potential for higher inflation, which would be quite undesirable for us. If there is a decline in global economic activity, it will inevitably affect Armenia’s domestic economic growth and development.

For example, if external demand decreases, this will naturally impact our economic performance, and the effects may not be purely economic — they could also have psychological consequences. For instance, people planning to visit Armenia this year might refrain from traveling if they see developments around the country moving toward negative scenarios.

The second potential issue, from a risk perspective, is the limitation of Armenian companies’ ability to sell goods in Middle Eastern markets. As a result of these logistical problems, exports could also be partially restricted. We believe there are some accumulated risks in this area.

The third is developments related to oil prices. Oil prices directly affect inflation, but there are also secondary effects, because oil and other energy sources constitute a portion of the overall production cost of goods, which could increase the prices of our products from a supply perspective.

Combining all these factors, we believe there are certain risks that could lead to lower inflation due to weak demand, as well as inflationary risks that could result in higher price levels,” said Martin Galstyan, emphasizing that a clearer picture of the impact will emerge from the March economic indicators.

At the same time, the Central Bank Governor does not yet see a risk to real estate prices or to the repayment capacity of individuals with mortgage loans.

“At this time, we do not see those risks. If the conflict continues and unfolds, for example, along the lines of a Syrian-type scenario, it could certainly have a very negative effect on Armenia and neighboring countries. But at the moment, there are no grounds for such materialization. We need to monitor developments, and if necessary, we will intervene in a way that keeps our economy protected from negative scenarios,” he concluded.

YEREVAN, 17 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 17 March, USD exchange rate up by 0.05 drams to 377.46 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.31 drams to 434.27 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.0702 drams to 4.5869 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.1 drams to 502.89 drams.

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

Gold price down by 595 drams to 60616 drams. Silver price down by 57.55 drams to 958.05 drams.

Armenia’s planned pension increase could add up to 0.2%, Central Bank Governor Martin Galstyan said.

“The increase in pensions from April 1 may lead to 0.1–0.2 % inflation by the end of the year, depending on how it is measured,” he said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan earlier announced that pensions and social benefits in Armenia will rise starting April 1. For most pensioners, payments will increase by 10,000 drams, while in some cases the increase will be up to 15,000 drams, and in others will range between 7,000 and 9,000 drams.