Shots were fired inside the Philippine Senate during an attempt by security forces to arrest Senator Ronald dela Rosa on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.

The report was published by the Associated Press, which said it was still unclear who opened fire during the incident. There were also no immediate reports of casualties.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa was in the Senate at the time, alongside colleagues who were supporting him. Law enforcement officers attempted to detain the senator with the aim of later transferring him to the International Criminal Court.

Senate President Alan Cayetano briefly appeared before journalists and confirmed that the chamber’s security services had informed him about the shooting. Without providing further details, he quickly left, saying the situation was highly tense.

According to the report, the ICC issued a warrant for the arrest of Ronald dela Rosa on May 12. He is a former national police chief and was the first head of President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, which led to thousands of deaths, mostly of suspected drug dealers.

Under warrants issued as early as November, the senator is accused of crimes against humanity, including the killing of at least 32 people. The alleged incidents took place between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, during his tenure as police chief under Duterte’s administration.

Dutch former Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp considers the strategic partnership declaration signed between Yerevan and Amsterdam highly important for the development and deepening of bilateral relations.

According to him, the Netherlands is working actively to implement the document. He noted that the  both sides should continue advancing the provisions outlined in the declaration.

Speaking to Armenpress about the significance of the strategic partnership declaration signed between Yerevan and Amsterdam in 2025 and the prospects for further deepening bilateral ties, Veldkamp stressed the importance of continued cooperation.

The declaration on strategic partnership between Armenia and the Netherlands was signed on March 12, 2025, by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and former Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp.

“We signed the strategic partnership declaration between the Netherlands and Armenia about a year ago. We in the Netherlands are working hard to implement and expand it, and it is encouraging to see that the new Dutch government, in its coalition agreement, specifically mentions Armenia for its democratic development.

We see that since 2018 Armenia has been moving in the direction of democracy, and this is very important. It is important not only for relations between Armenia and the Netherlands, but also for relations between Armenia and the European Union,” Veldkamp noted.

According to him, promoting democracy, the rule of law and good governance is particularly important in the current geopolitical context, adding that it is essential to know which partners share common values.

Assessing the significance of the European Political Community Summit held in Yerevan on May 4 in terms of Armenia-EU relations, Veldkamp noted that Amsterdam has expressed unequivocal support in this regard.

“As your prime minister once told me, Armenia wants to improve its relations with the European Union. The Netherlands fully supports this. 

It is also very important that Europe has paid considerable attention to Armenia. The fact that the European Political Community Summit took place here, that an Armenia-EU summit was held for the first time, and that the President of France paid a state visit to Armenia should all be taken into account,” Veldkamp emphasized.

Speaking about the prospects for Armenia-Netherlands relations, Veldkamp noted that significant steps have already been taken.

“The Netherlands opened an embassy in Yerevan, and then we saw the launch of the strategic partnership. There are many areas where we can cooperate. In addition, the Netherlands, as a founding member of the EU with extensive experience in the Union’s technical processes, can also help Armenia in this regard.

Now, the Armenian Foreign Ministry has a Department for European Integration specifically focused on EU-related work and Armenia-EU relations,” Veldkamp said.

According to him, the strategic partnership document signed between Armenia and the Netherlands should now be fully implemented.

“I see that there is full support for it in the Netherlands as well,” the former Dutch foreign minister concluded.

Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Committee Arthur Nahapetyan held a meeting with the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), led by Damien Cottier, which arrived in Armenia on a two-day visit.

“The parties discussed the powers of the Anti-Corruption Committee in relation to the investigation of election-related crimes connected to the parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia,” the Anti-Corruption Committee said in a readout.

It added that particular importance was attached to the committee’s role in ensuring the transparency and legality of electoral processes, as well as to the effective coordination of efforts aimed at providing a swift and consistent response to existing risks.

Chairman Nahapetyan said that the Anti-Corruption Committee, as the only investigative agency also carrying out operational and intelligence functions, is actively and consistently working to prevent, deter, and uncover election-related crimes.

Referring to the recent findings recorded by the agency in connection with electoral processes, the chairman stated that they mainly concern cases of bribery, as well as violations of the ban on charity activities during the campaign period.

The PACE delegation earlier held meetings at the Armenian parliament, as well as with the Central Electoral Commission executives.

The European Commission has published the First Progress Report on the implementation by Armenia of the Action Plan on Visa Liberalisation, highlighting that the country has made “good progress.”

In line with the established methodology, the Commission has assessed the implementation of the visa liberalisation action plan (VLAP) by Armenia on the basis of the information and relevant legislative and policy documents provided by the Armenian authorities.

“The Commission also monitors the progress made by Armenia through the EU-Armenia Joint Visa Facilitation Committee, the EU-Armenia Joint Readmission Committee, the EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security, and the Human Rights Dialogue. In all of these frameworks there is an advanced level of dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Armenia. On the basis of the above, the Commission considers that Armenia has made good progress in the implementation of the benchmarks relevant for the first phase (legislative and policy framework) of the VLAP, considering that the VLAP was officially handed over to Armenian authorities only in November 2025. The first set of benchmarks under block 1(document security, including biometrics) and – within block 2 (on migration management) are already at an advanced stage of fulfilment. Armenia is also progressing well in the implementation of the first set of benchmarks related to the other policy areas covered under block 2 (integrated border management, asylum), block 3 (public order and security) and block 4 (external relations and fundamental rights) in the VLAP,” the report said.

“The findings of this first progress report by the Commission will be presented to the European Parliament and the Council. These findings will also be presented and discussed by the Commission with the Armenian authorities in the next Senior Officials meeting. The Commission will continue to support Armenia in the implementation of the VLAP including through dedicated technical and financial assistance from the Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia being rolled out. The Commission will actively monitor the fulfilment of all benchmarks under the four blocks of the VLAP, with the support of EU Member States’s experts. Additional EU evaluation missions will be organised in Armenia in the coming period in view of assessing progress made by the Armenian authorities in fulfilling all benchmarks under the first phase. The recommendations included in this report should guide the Armenian authorities in closing the gaps identified. This monitoring will inform forthcoming reports from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the progress made by Armenia in implementing the VLAP,” it added.

Türkiye has announced the completion of preparations to launch direct trade with Armenia.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that as of May 11, 2026, “all necessary bureaucratic procedures have been completed.” However, technical and bureaucratic work on opening the land border between the two countries is still ongoing.

Under the new regulations, goods transported from Türkiye to Armenia via third countries may now list Armenia or Türkiye as the final destination or country of origin. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara will continue to promote the development of economic ties and cooperation in the South Caucasus for the benefit of all countries and peoples in the region.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan revealed the expected procedural changes earlier on May 12.

Yerevan has welcomed Türkiye’s decision to lift the restrictions on bilateral trade with Armenia.

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said in a statement on social media that the move is an important step toward the development of full and normal relations between the two countries.

“We welcome Türkiye’s decision to lift restrictions on bilateral trade with the Republic of Armenia, which is another outcome of the Armenia– Türkiye normalization process.

This decision is significant for expanding trade and business ties between the two countries, promoting economic connectivity in the region, and ensuring peace and prosperity.

We emphasize that this is an important step toward the development of full and normal relations between the two countries, which can be logically followed by the opening of the Armenia– Türkiye border and the establishment of diplomatic relations.”

A senior Armenian official in charge of normalization talks with Türkiye hailed on Wednesday Ankara’s move aimed at facilitating trade between the two countries.

Ruben Rubinyan, the Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament and Special Representative for Normalization with Türkiye, said in a statement that the new regulations formalized by Türkiye now enable businesses to engage in direct trade without re-declaring goods, as was done previously.

“Good news for businesspeople,” Rubinyan said on social media.

“Within the framework of the Armenia–Türkiye normalization process, due to a new regulation introduced in Türkiye, it will henceforth be possible for goods sent from Armenia to any third country and from there to Türkiye, or vice versa, to indicate the final destination or point of origin as ‘Armenia/Türkiye.’

In other words, direct trade between Armenia and Türkiye in customs terms—without re-documentation—has become possible.

We continue to work toward the opening of the [land] border, including the Gyumri–Kars railway,” Rubinyan added.

On May 13, Türkiye announced the completion of preparations to launch direct trade with Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan revealed the expected procedural changes earlier on May 12.

European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, Magdalena Grono, discussed Armenia’s normalization with Türkiye and the peace process with Azerbaijan during a meeting with a senior Turkish official.

Grono met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor for foreign policy and security, Akif Çağatay Kılıç.

The Turkish official gave details of the talks on X.

“During the meeting, we discussed the Azerbaijan–Armenia peace process, the Turkey–Armenia normalization process, connectivity projects in the South Caucasus, issues of regional stability and security, as well as the EU’s approach to the region,” the Turkish official said on X.

Kılıç also emphasized the importance of joint efforts aimed at strengthening lasting peace, stability, and cooperation in the South Caucasus.

The Armenian Ministry of Economy has officially notified businesses about the launch of bilateral trade with Türkiye following Ankara’s announcement.

“Dear business community, as of May 11, 2026, the launch of direct trade between Armenia and Turkey has been announced. As a result, the opportunity has been created to carry out direct trade between the two countries, which will contribute to a significant reduction in costs and delivery times, as well as the expansion of new markets and cooperation opportunities for businesses. At the same time, in cases of transportation via third countries, the country of origin or final destination of goods may officially be indicated as ‘Armenia’ or ‘Türkiye,’” the Ministry of Economy said in a press release.

Türkiye has announced the completion of preparations to launch direct trade with Armenia.

Armenia has welcomed the decision as an important step toward the development of full and normal relations between the two countries.

Armenian businesses will now be able to import goods from Türkiye directly and without intermediaries, according to a statement issued by Armenia’s State Revenue Committee.

“As of May 11, 2026, the procedural preparations for the launch of direct trade between Armenia and Türkiye have been completed. This has been carried out within the framework of the normalization process underway since 2022, as part of confidence-building measures.

Under a new regulation that has entered into force in Türkiye, Armenia can now be listed as the final destination for goods exported from Türkiye.

What was the situation before? Turkish supplier companies were unable to indicate Armenian businesses as recipients, or Armenia as the country of destination, in export declarations submitted to Turkish customs authorities. As a result, goods reached Armenia through intermediary entities in third countries, such as Georgia, under re-export arrangements.

What has changed? From now on, Armenian businesses will be able to import goods from Türkiye directly in their own name, without intermediaries,” the statement said.

Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry announced the start of direct trade with Armenia on May 13.