Anna Hakobyan, wife of the Prime Minister of Armenia and Executive Director of the My Step Foundation, met with George Logothetis, Executive Chairman of Libra Group and President of the Libra Philanthropies charitable foundation, accompanied by Armenia’s Ambassador to the United States Narek Mkrtchyan and My Step Foundation Deputy Executive Director Talin Topalakian.

According to the My Step Foundation, the meeting focused on opportunities and prospects for bilateral cooperation.

The foundation noted that, alongside his business activities, Logothetis is actively engaged in charitable and social initiatives through Libra Philanthropies. 

He also works closely with academic institutions and international organisations in various countries.

Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikyan attended the opening ceremony of the newly constructed headquarters building at a military training centre.

The Ministry of Defence announced the event in a statement.

Papikyan, for his part, wrote: “The best conditions for our servicemen.”

Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikyan met and spoke with participants of a 25-day military training camp.

The Ministry of Defence announced the meeting in a statement.

The European Union Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA) continues to conduct round-the-clock patrols in Armenia’s border regions.

The mission wrote on its X social media account:

EUMA wishes you a great weekend ahead. We continue patrolling around the clock in the border regions.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has said that high-level talks held in Yerevan, Baku and Ankara have advanced cooperation on regional connectivity to its next phase.

Kos made the remarks in a post on her X social media account.

Good to be in Ireland with the College as its Council Presidency begins. We are looking forward to continue the solid pace of progress for enlargement with the Irish Presidency and support our candidate countries’ accession paths.

I have just returned from Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Armenia, where we moved our connectivity work into its next phase. It can help secure lasting peace in the South Caucasus while diversifying trade and energy routes between Europe and Asia.

Enlargement and connectivity go together. Both contribute to Europe’s stability, prosperity and security. 

She added that enlargement and connectivity go hand in hand, with both contributing to Europe’s stability, prosperity and security.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos visited Armenia on July 2 together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The 15th session of the Human Rights Dialogue between Armenia and the European Union was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

According to the Foreign Ministry, participants welcomed the steps taken to advance Armenia-EU partnership since the previous dialogue held in February 2025, based on shared principles, including democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.

Armenia and the European Union held constructive discussions on a broad range of human rights issues.

Reviewing progress achieved since 2025, the sides exchanged views on recent developments in human rights policy in Armenia and the EU, as well as their respective priorities in the field. They also agreed to continue cooperation on human rights issues within the framework of the Armenia-EU Strategic Partnership Agenda and the implementation of the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan. The sides underlined the importance of promoting equality and combating discrimination.

The European Union noted Armenia’s adoption of the 2025-2028 Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan on April 23, 2025. The Armenian side briefed the EU on steps being taken to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. Both sides stressed the importance of continued efforts to combat domestic and gender-based violence, including violence against LGBTI persons, as well as hate speech and hate crimes. Special attention was paid to people in vulnerable situations, including Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh.

The European Union reaffirmed its continued support for and assistance with their integration. In the area of children’s rights, the EU welcomed the adoption of Armenia’s child protection legislative package in 2025 as a significant step towards strengthening the legal framework.

Armenia and the European Union also discussed the protection of fundamental freedoms, including the freedoms of assembly, association and _expression_, preserving an open space for civil society, ensuring a free and independent media environment, and strengthening the role of civil society.

The European Union also inquired about Armenia’s efforts to safeguard media independence. The sides also exchanged views on human rights in the armed forces.

French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist has said that France recorded more than 2,000 excess deaths during a recent heatwave.

Speaking on TF1, Rist said 2,025 excess deaths were recorded between June 22 and 28.

She noted that the figure is based on only 60% of death certificates, meaning the final number could change. Rist also reported an increase in deaths among people over the age of 45.

The severe heat has affected large parts of Europe. France’s meteorological service issued the highest red alert level in 72 of the country’s 96 departments.

Temperatures approached 40°C and exceeded that level in some areas. The situation has also been particularly severe in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.