Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia may soon face increased electricity demand, taking into account the rapid development of artificial intelligence factories in the country.

Pashinyan spoke about the matter at a press briefing on Thursday in response to a question about Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement that a project to build power transmission lines through Armenia to Nakhchivan is being considered as part of the TRIPP initiative.

Aliyev also said that the project would be beneficial for Armenia, as the Armenian nuclear power plant will eventually be shut down, creating a need for electricity, and the project could provide an alternative source of electricity for Armenia.

Pashinyan clarified that two aspects should be taken into account regarding energy trade.

“Until quite recently, we were talking about Armenia having a surplus of electricity. Now we need to talk about Armenia potentially having electricity demand because, as you can see, artificial intelligence factories are developing rapidly, and they consume electricity on a scale beyond our imagination. Of course, at this point, nothing has fundamentally changed in our overall situation, but the plans that investors have, particularly regarding the construction of new artificial intelligence factories in Armenia, are forcing us to revisit our energy strategies so that we have sufficient capacity to meet these new conditions and expectations,” Pashinyan said.

He emphasized that the Armenian government’s strategy is to achieve “100% energy independence.”

“How? Through the development of solar power plants and energy storage facilities. Armenia is more than rich in solar resources. But this does not mean that we will withdraw from international electricity trade. Sometimes we may export, sometimes import, including potentially having a partnership and cooperation with Azerbaijan in terms of exporting and importing electricity, as with all other countries — Türkiye, Iran, Georgia, and so on,” Pashinyan said.

A fire broke out at an ammunition factory near the Italian capital, Rome, followed by a powerful explosion.

According to ANSA, the incident occurred at the former Simmel Difesa plant in the town of Colleferro, which is now owned by KNDS Ammo Italy.

According to preliminary information, the fire and subsequent explosion occurred in the gunpowder pressing workshop. Several fire and rescue units were dispatched to the scene.

Emergency services said there were no casualties. The fire and explosion affected one of the areas used for the production and storage of explosives and ammunition.

KNDS Ammo Italy produces medium- and large-calibre ammunition for land and naval forces, as well as solid propellants for launch vehicles.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that his government will not pursue confrontational solutions with Russia over the concession management of Armenia’s railways and prefers to resolve the issue in a “friendly atmosphere.”

“The solution is for us to mutually understand and recognize each other’s interests and make certain compromises, one of which could be Russia’s sale of its concession rights,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing.

“This could be done in full or in part; that is, there could be certain shareholding configurations in which the distribution of shares would be structured in a way that would not hinder this historic opportunity for Armenia to integrate into the international transport network,” Pashinyan added.

In May 2026, Pashinyan said Armenia wanted to change the approach to the concession management of its railway so that sanctions-related obstacles would not become a problem for the development of the country’s railway system.

The concession management of Armenia’s railway is currently carried out by Russia through South Caucasus Railway.

Pashinyan had previously addressed the issue, saying that Russian management deprives Armenia of certain competitive advantages and proposing that the concession management of the Armenian railway be transferred to a third country that is friendly to both Armenia and Russia. Russian officials have so far opposed the idea.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia will begin exporting goods to Azerbaijan soon.

Pashinyan made the announcement at a press briefing when asked by Armenpress whether Armenia could export any goods to Azerbaijan, given that trade has so far largely consisted of Azerbaijani exports to Armenia.

“There is an agenda regarding bilateral trade in goods with Azerbaijan, and in the near future there will also be exports from Armenia to Azerbaijan,” Prime Minister Pashinyan said, without specifying what goods would be involved.

In January 2026, Pashinyan said Armenia and Azerbaijan had exchanged lists of goods with potential for trade.

Azerbaijan has so far mainly exported gasoline and diesel fuel to Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that personnel changes will be made in the Military Police and in the Defense Ministry’s morale department following the latest death recorded in the army.

Pashinyan said at a press briefing on Thursday that he had discussed the situation with Defense Minister Suren Papikyan earlier in the day and that personnel changes would soon be made in the bodies directly responsible.

“I have already made a decision according to which there will be changes in the Military Police, as well as personnel changes in the Moral and Psychological Support Department. We will conduct a detailed analysis of why the efforts we have made in this area are not producing the desired results and will draw conclusions. Yes, there must be individual accountability. My assessment is not that, in this situation, the Chief of the General Staff and the Minister of Defense are failing to make sufficient efforts to resolve this issue,” the Armenian prime minister explained.

The Armenian Ministry of Defense had reported that on August 13, the body of Grigor Zakaryan, a serviceman of the Armenian Armed Forces, was found with a gunshot wound.

An investigation is underway to fully establish the circumstances of the latest non-combat death in the military.

The Armenian government will make its first decision on indexing pensions as of January 1, 2028, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.

Pashinyan announced the decision to index pensions, that is, to increase pensions in line with inflation, during a pre-election campaign visit to Tavush Province in March 2026.

“I said during the campaign that we would make the first such decision as of January 1, 2028. Why? Because you know that every year the Statistical Committee publishes the economic results of the previous year in February, meaning that we cannot know the annual inflation figures any earlier, while the budget process begins in April-May. So, as I announced, that is what we will do: the first such decision will be as of January 1, 2028,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing when asked about the matter.

In this context, the prime minister also addressed the expansion of the coverage of universal health insurance.

“We discussed yesterday the issue of including those earning salaries of up to 200,000 drams in the universal health insurance system, and I set the task for this to happen as of January 1, 2027. We have a preliminary scheme under which, based on the results of 2027, we will divide this expense between the Government, the employer and the beneficiary, on the logic that the beneficiary, that is, a citizen earning a salary of up to 200,000 drams, pays 2,000 drams less to the military insurance fund as of January 1, 2026. As of January 1, we will redirect that amount toward purchasing health insurance and will also distribute it between the employer, while as of January 1, 2028, that expense will be distributed between the employee and the employer.

Here, it should also be taken into account that through the universal income declaration system, employees will receive 6,000 drams back each month. This means that starting in 2028, every month, of course calculated at today’s prices, citizens will pay 6,000 drams, while the employers will pay the remaining amount, until the salary exceeds 200,000 drams. Once it exceeds 200,000 drams, the purchase of health insurance will take place according to the standard procedure,” Pashinyan said.

Asked whether a decision could be made in the near future to increase the minimum wage in Armenia, Pashinyan replied that the Armenian government prefers to resolve the issue of people obtaining health insurance rather than increase the minimum wage.

“If we have a choice between increasing the minimum wage and resolving the issue of obtaining health insurance, which would be the right thing to do? Of course, health insurance. For us, it is more important to ensure people’s basic healthcare needs, also based on the assumption that in the segment of those earning 200,000 drams or less, there is nevertheless the greatest level of undeclared wages.

Unfortunately, the practice of paying wages in cash has not disappeared in Armenia, and we want not to encourage this, but to create incentives so that this shadow economy is reduced,” Pashinyan said, while emphasizing that the minimum wage in Armenia is 75,000 drams and that even if they decided to double it, those receiving the minimum wage would still not be included in the universal health insurance system through that route.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the decision to dismiss Armen Grigoryan as Secretary of the Security Council was his own and should be viewed in the context of political developments that bring about changes and reshuffling.

Pashinyan said the decision was not driven by dissatisfaction with Grigoryan’s work.

On Thursday, Pashinyan appointed former Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan as the new Secretary of the Security Council, dismissing Armen Grigoryan, who had held the post since 2018.

Asked at a press briefing about the reason for Grigoryan’s dismissal, the prime minister said:

“It is not that I am dissatisfied with Armen Grigoryan’s work, but it is also not that I am so satisfied with my own work that I consider it perfect. I think such decisions are normal in politics. This is a discretionary position, and that discretion belongs to the prime minister. I have already thanked Armen Grigoryan for his work as Secretary of the Security Council, and I wish Alen Simonyan success as Secretary of the Security Council. I hope that Armen Grigoryan’s potential and experience will be useful. He has been involved in many important processes. We will still have opportunities to use his experience in building and developing the statehood of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan explained.

Pashinyan also said that he had offered Grigoryan a position in the Prime Minister’s Office, but Grigoryan had declined, saying that he wanted to take a break from working in the public administration system.

A serviceman has been found dead with a gunshot wound, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The body of Grigor Zakaryan was found on August 13, Defense Ministry spokesperson Aram Torosyan said.

He said an investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances of the incident.

He added that the Defense Ministry expressed its condolences to the deceased’s next of kin.

Former lawmaker Martun Grigoryan, who unsuccessfully ran for parliament on the Prosperous Armenia ticket in the June 7 elections, has been arrested and charged in an investigation into an alleged electoral crime, authorities said Thursday.

The Anti-Corruption Committee told Armenpress that Grigoryan was taken into custody and will be brought before a court, where investigators will petition the judge to remand him in pre-trial detention.

Other details were not immediately available.

Formulating the return of the population of Karabakh as a state objective would mean reviving the logic of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan said during a parliamentary session, responding to remarks by MPs from the Armenia faction.

Rubinyan was responding to MP Kristine Vardanyan’s observation that the signed document did not address the root causes of the conflict.

“Let us discuss what the causes of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict are. I want to remind you that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict did not begin in 1988. I believe there is a consensus among historians that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, which lasted until August 8 of last year, began in 1905. At the time, these were called the Armenian-Tatar clashes,” Rubinyan said.

According to Rubinyan, one of the main causes of the conflict was the mixed settlement of Armenians and Azerbaijanis in the same geographical area. To support his argument, Rubinyan cited the examples of Bosnia, Cyprus, Kosovo and North Macedonia, saying that conflicts between small and medium-sized nations often arise when different ethnic groups live together in the same territory.

As a second cause, the National Assembly Speaker pointed to the influence of empires in the region. “It is no coincidence that this conflict began at a time when the Russian Empire was facing enormous problems — a revolution on the one hand and the unsuccessful Russo-Japanese War on the other.

By a very strange coincidence, conflicts like this begin when an empire has problems and is weakening, but also needs to maintain its influence in a particular region,” Rubinyan said.

According to him, when Armenia and Azerbaijan became independent and formed regular armies in 1918, the conflict escalated, while it was frozen after the establishment of Soviet rule. Rubinyan said the same cycle was repeated in 1988.

As an example of how conflicts have ended, he cited the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey, saying it resulted in the formation of compact majorities in both countries, which, in his assessment, prevented another interstate ethnic conflict between Greeks and Turks.

“Yes, we have seen many injustices, pain, casualties and bloodshed. But today we have a situation where we Armenians live in the Republic of Armenia, together with our Yazidi, Kurdish, Assyrian and Russian sisters and brothers, as well as our dear sisters and brothers from Karabakh, who are not guests here at all but are in their homeland, while Azerbaijanis live in Azerbaijan. If we do not want to revive the cause of the conflict, then we should not restore or talk about restoring the architecture that would bring us back to roughly the same situation as in 1905,” Rubinyan said.

At the same time, the National Assembly Speaker stressed that an individual’s desire to return to their former place of residence may be justified from a human perspective, but making the issue a state objective could, in his view, have different consequences.

 “Therefore, all this talk about the return of the population is conflict-generating. I am not saying it is unjust; from a human perspective, it may be justified. From Ms Arega Hovsepyan’s perspective, of course, it is justified: she may say, ‘I want to go to my home.’

 But when you formulate this as a state objective, it means reviving the logic of conflict.

 We propose acknowledging the current situation, moving forward and ensuring 100 years of peace,” Rubinyan concluded.