May 5, 2026
European leaders gathered in Yerevan to support Nikol Pashinyan’s re-election to power. About this 168 TVof Revue mentioned on the air of the program Political scientist Suren Surenyants, chairman of the “Democratic Alternative” partyspeaking about the 8th European Political Community (ECC) and the inaugural Armenia-EU summits.
The political scientist emphasizes that these events held on May 4 and 5 in Yerevan are interrelated and, in fact, have one common political context, that is, to provide pre-election support to Nikol Pashinyan based on some geopolitical considerations and calculations.
“When the term of these summits was set, it was obviously in response to Nikol Pashinyan’s request and is definitely related to the pre-election context. At any other stage, these summits would have had a different meaning, but now they clearly and primarily serve Nikol Pashinyan’s electoral, pre-election interests.” commented the political scientist.
Suren Surenyants mainly sees dangers for Armenia under the official solemnity of these events, European smiles and hugs, and beautiful, declarative texts, noting that The summit of the European political community made Armenia the territory of the European Union-Russia “proxy” war։
In this regard, Surenyants mentions, first of all, yesterday’s scandal of French President Macron the statement During the panel discussion at the CIS summit, when he said that “8 years ago, no one would have come to Armenia, because this country was considered by many countries sitting at the table as a de facto satellite of Russia”, and that “we will help the Russian troops to leave here”.
To remind: Macron yesterday had announced. “There are still 4,000 Russian soldiers and more than 1,000 border guards in the territory of Armenia. That’s why Europe should help this country to secure its borders more independently.” The French president added that “in today’s world it is better not to rely too much on Russia”.
Political scientist Suren Surenyants assesses Emmanuel Macron’s statement as “cynical” and “distorting reality”.
“Macron unwittingly reveals the misery of Armenia’s sovereignty because the president of a third country decides the course of Armenian-Russian relations or reserves the right to make such statements. Macron’s statements were cynical both in terms of distortion of reality and emphasis.
For example, it is interesting to hear Macron’s opinion: if 8 years ago we were a Russian satellite due to the architecture he created, that is, after October 6, 2022, where, I repeat, Macron also played a key role, then whose satellite has Armenia become now? Obviously, not the European Union.” said Suren Surenyants.
Speaking on the results of the twin summits and the Armenia-EU summit joint declaration Regarding the content, Suren Surenyants stated that they did not in any way contribute to Armenia’s rapprochement with the European Union or Armenia’s European integration, nor will they contribute to a more democratic Armenia, or in other words, to the Republic of Armenia becoming a more democratic country.
“As we have already said, the timing of the summits and the defiance directed at Nikol Pashinyan suggest that these people have gathered not to promote the democratic development of Armenia, but to promote the reproduction of Nikol Pashinyan’s power.
Let me say more, let no one attribute my words to “anti-Western” or “anti-European” positions, because I am a supporter of the real European integration of Armenia, but let’s not confuse our value orientation with the country’s geopolitical positioning, and I consider it appropriate to record that today’s interests in Europe have nothing to do with the Western universal value system. One should protect the values from today’s Eurobureaucracy. The European Union supports the authoritarianism of Nikol Pashinyan.” emphasizes the political scientist.
The political scientist also makes another record: yesterday’s summit and Aliyev’s speech in it inadvertently reaffirmed once again what kind of humiliating model is set in the process of regulating Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.
“Ilham Aliyev arrived in Yerevan via video link, again voiced aggressive theses under the guise of “peace”, and addressed both the European Parliament, but also called our compatriots from Artsakh separatists, and the military-political leadership of Artsakh as “war criminals”. If Roberta Mezzola, the president of the European Parliament, who was present at the summit, opposed Aliyev, we did not see the same in the case of Nikol Pashinyan.
Not only did he not respond to Aliyev’s vulgar statements, but even expressed “thank you” and his eager desire to be hosted in Baku after two years. It is this humiliating model that is at the basis of today’s process of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations regulation.” Surenyants records.
Full interview in the video.
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168: Us: Pear Tail, Ukraine: Huge Weapons. We were told to leave Russia
May 5, 2026
Satik Seyranyan’s guest in “Pressing” program Dr. Artur Khachikyan of Stanford University Political Science is
The main theses of the interview are below.
- Macron said in plain text: 8 years ago, when you were an ally of Russia, as he literally said, you were a satellite, we didn’t need you, now, when you want to fight Russia, you need us. They did not come to us, but to Zelensky. They came to hold an anti-Russian congress. Let them do that fight with Russia, but what did we have to do with them doing it near us? Ukraine is given enormous weapons, and we are given a pear tail. They came here to do Nikoli’s PR so that their ambassador would be re-elected and Armenia would become an anti-Russian platform.:
- When in 2020 4 states attacked us, Europeans, where were you? That’s when we needed your help. Our boys were also killed with weapons given by Zelensky. That person congratulated Aliyev, and you kiss his hands and give him a gift in Yerevan.
- “Bunderlejen” (President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen, editor’s note) forgot everything when he smelled Azerbaijani oil and gas… And in 2022. In October, Macron gave a very “beautiful” interview, said: we will never leave the Armenians, we remember the Genocide, told the story of Mount Musa, then mentioned that Karabakh is a territory in the heart of Azerbaijan. I have a question for Mr. Macron, that is, what about people, didn’t 120,000 people live there? Mr. Macron, what happened to the Minsk Group? What papers were you signing for 35 years? We were sold to have France take revenge on the Russians for Africa. Macron says this openly:
- In Armenia, look at the terror towards the opponents, they don’t say a word from Europe, but if the same situation were in Belarus, for example, can you imagine what the statements would be…
- Համարեք, որ Փաշինյանն արդեն անկլավները հանձնել է, ու Երևան-Թբիլիսի ճանապարհը լինելու է Ադրբեջանի վերահսկողության տակ: Tigranashen will surrender, Syunik will be cut.
- Let us not be fooled by Macron, he himself organized the Prague meeting with Charles Michel. Why are you blaming Nicole? And where were you? Why did you sit on the side? Why didn’t you ask what those 120,000 people will do? What fate will those people have? Macron went to Tsitsernakaberd today. Well done, but don’t be hypocritical. On the one hand, you go to the Genocide Memorial, on the other hand, you continue the Genocide. I hope, like Vance, he will not receive a call from Turkey and delete his post on the social network:
- Pro-democracy France keeps dictators in Africa because it gets oil, gas, uranium. For example, Bokassa, who in addition to being a dictator, according to some reports, is also a cannibal. A total of 8 dictators, including the leaders of Congo, Cameroon, and Togo.
- With his video message from Baku, Aliyev put the Europeans in their place, he also called us separatists, and the leader of our country swallowed his tongue. He also announced that he dreams of going to Baku… Isn’t there such a medicine?:
- Մակրոնն ունի ռեյտինգի պատմական ռեկորդ. rating dropped to 11%. Ֆրանսիական որևէ ղեկավար երբևէ նման ցածր վարկանիշ չի ունեցել: Մակրոնը չի ընտրվելու, Բրիտանիայի վարչապետ Սթարմերը նույնպես հեռանալու է:
- None of our neighboring countries do stupid things like us and do not enter into a war with Russia. everyone is neutral: Georgia, Turkey, Iran, everyone.
- If you find former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson now, ask him if more than a million young Ukrainians have died, are you at peace with it, what will he say? You remember, there was a diplomatic way to solve the Ukrainian issue, but that person did not allow the meeting in Turkey. This is a political and diplomatic crime:
To remind: Comparing Zelensky with Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain Boris Johnson, whose maternal grandmother was Turkish, said during a discussion in Turkey that Ukraine should fight to the last Ukrainian.
- We have a unique situation where our own government hates our people more than foreigners. We need to check his blood, let’s see what nationality he is from, why he hates Armenians, why is he taking revenge on us?
- Did anyone offer us a military alliance based on the results of this EU summit, are they ready to guarantee our security, are they ready to accept us into NATO, when do we become EU members… Did they say anything concrete? Of course not. Are you going to fight us with Russia? You say: close the nuclear power plant, but will you give us gas and oil, will you open the European market to us? There is no answer. Where will our workers go to work? What will the 500,000 Khopanchi Armenians living and working in Russia do? Will they leave them and come to Europe? What happened to the visa-free regime? All our leaders negotiated visa liberalization, and the Third President Serzh Sargsyan in 2017 signed a serious document, CEPA, which was ratified by the parliaments of dozens of European countries, within the framework of which visa liberalization was to be implemented. So you haven’t done anything new, in fact you haven’t done anything:
- I would also like that the interests of the superpowers would not collide here, but can Mr. Macron stop Turkey’s imperial ambitions? In Hormuz, France refused to help its closest ally, the USA, how will it help us? In other words, they are telling us once again to break away from Russia, then how will you be able to see your head.
- Wake up, dear people, they will bring 300,000 Azerbaijanis, learn Turkish. Then Aliyev will want to ensure the safety of Azerbaijanis, and the Azerbaijani army will enter Armenia:
- These have 15 faces, their standards change daily. Neither Russia nor Europe should interfere in our elections, it should be done by our people. But when you talk about Russia’s hybrid intervention and you don’t see your intervention, that’s hypocrisy. When protesters are attacked in another country, oppositionists are arrested, they see it, but when the same thing happens in Armenia, they don’t. These would shake Adolf Hitler’s hand.
- Imagine if Macron entered Notre Dame during a church service and his bodyguard punched an 18-year-old… just imagine for a minute, what would happen to him? But coming supports this. The same, Starmer. Let’s say, imagine, he says: I will decide who will be the head of the Anglican Church.
- The show will end, those people will go home, we will see our daily lives, we will look at our problems, the prices of our goods, which are more expensive in Yerevan than in New York, and those people will already be thousands of kilometers away…
Details in the video.
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RFE/RL – Turkish Envoy Vague On Armenia Border Opening
- Ruzanna Stepanian
Visiting Yerevan on Tuesday, a senior Turkish diplomat declined to say when Turkey will partially open its border with Armenia in line with a 2022 agreement reached by the two sides.
The diplomat, Serdar Kilic, and Armenian parliament vice-speaker Ruben Rubinian signed the agreement after several rounds of negotiations. It called for the opening of the border for Armenian and Turkish diplomatic passport holders as well as citizens of third countries. Ankara has since been reluctant to do that, linking any normalization of relations with Yerevan to the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.
Turkish media reported last year that the deal will likely be implemented in March, ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections slated for June. However, Ankara has continued to drag its feet over the partial border opening.
Kilic, who was attending an international conference in the Armenian capital, claimed that the border remains fully closed due to “purely technical and bureaucratic” issues.
“We expressed our political will back in August 2022,” he said. “But I cannot predict when the border will open, I don’t want to give wrong information.”
The Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet reported earlier that the border opening is now expected on June 4, three days before the Armenian elections. However, Azerbaijan’s official Azertaj news agency on Tuesday cited an unnamed Turkish Foreign Ministry source as denying the report.
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EU Leaders Still Noncommittal On Armenia’s Membership
The European Union’s two top officials on Tuesday pledged to continue deepening ties with Armenia but stopped short of promising the South Caucasus country’s eventual membership in the EU sought by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government.
European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen heaped praise on Pashinian as they met him with in Yerevan for the first-ever EU-Armenia Summit.
“Armenia and the European Union are closer than ever,” von der Leyen said during the talks held the day after a separate European Political Community summit in the Armenian capital attended by dozens of other European leaders.
“Today’s summit marks an important milestone in the deepening of partnership between the European Union and Armenia,” Costa told an ensuing joint news conference.
He praised Pashinian for having “changed radically the conditions of your country” and hailed his “vision for the democratic, resilient and prosperous Armenia.”
“Prime Minister Pashinian, thank you once again for hosting us and for the spirit of cooperation of our discussions. We look forward to continuing this vital work together in the years ahead,” added Costa.
Remarks will likely reinforce the Armenian opposition’s perception of the European summits in Yerevan as EU endorsement of Pashinian of ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7. In a weekend statement, the Hayastan alliance, one of the main opposition election contenders, accused the EU of effectively meddling in “Armenia’s internal political processes.”
It alluded to the impending deployment in Armenia of two EU missions tasked with helping Yerevan cope with “hybrid threats” emanating from abroad, presumably Russia. Costa said on Tuesday that they will boost the Armenian authorities’ “crisis response capacities and contribute to the country’s long-term stability.” Opposition leaders claim, however, that the missions will be used by the authorities to legitimize possible election fraud or foul play.
Activists representing Hayastan and another opposition group, the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia, staged small-scale protests during the summits. They accused the EU of turning a blind eye to what they see as Pashinian’s pre-election crackdown on the opposition for geopolitical considerations.
Amid mounting tensions with Russia, Pashinian’s administration has been seeking to reorient Armenia towards the West. It enacted last year a law declaring the “start of a process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union.” No EU member state or institution has officially voiced support for such a prospect.
In a joint declaration with Pashinian, Costa and von der Leyen took note of the law but did not encourage Yerevan to make a formal EU membership bid. They said only that the 27-nation bloc “acknowledges the European aspirations of the Armenian people.” Pashinian reiterated, meanwhile, that Yerevan’s “immediate objective is to conform to EU standards.”
“If they admit us to the EU, we will be happy with that,” he told the press. “If they don’t, we will still be in a beneficial position as Armenia will be a country meeting EU standards.”
Russia has repeatedly warned that Armenia will risk losing its vital tariff-free access to the Russian market and significant discount on the price of Russian natural if it keeps seeking EU membership. Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly repeated those warnings when he met with Pashinian at the Kremlin on April 1.
Russia is Armenia’s number one trading partner, having accounted for 35.8 percent of its foreign trade last year, followed by China (12.3 percent) and the EU (11.7 percent). Armenian exports to Russia totaled nearly $3 billion in 2025.
The EU leaders were careful not to comment on the retaliatory measure implicitly threatened by Putin or openly accuse Moscow of posing “hybrid threats” to Armenia. Nor did they promise additional economic aid to the Armenian government. Von der Leyen mentioned a three-year aid program for Yerevan, worth 270 million euros ($315 million), launched by Brussels in 2024.
“Possible avenues for financial support beyond 2027 may be considered to further support the country’s reform agenda and closer alignment with the EU,” the joint declaration says in this regard.
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RFE/RL – France’s Macron Denies Meddling In Armenian Elections
French President Emmanuel Macron denied meddling in Armenia’s internal affairs on Tuesday after voicing strong support for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian during a state visit to the country that came one month before its parliamentary elections.
Macron combined the visit with his participation in a European Political Community summit held in Yerevan on Tuesday. He was full of praise for Pashinian during the forum, singling out the Armenian government’s efforts to pull away from the Russian orbit.
Macron continued to lavish praise on Pashinian the next day following their bilateral talks that resulted in the signing of a declaration on French-Armenian “strategic partnership.” Armenia has “consolidated its democracy” and is now “resolutely and courageously moving towards Europe,” he told a joint news conference. He essentially admitted endorsing Pashinian ahead of the June 7 elections but insisted that this does not amount to the kind of foreign election meddling which the European Union accuses Russia of resorting to.
“You should distinguish between an interference that manipulates information, disrupts the democratic life of a country in a covert way and openly taking a political position,” Macron said, answering a question from a French reporter. “So I commit to full support for a reliable partner of the last eight years as president of the French Republic just as I did, for example, with President Maia Sandu [of Moldova] when the issue came up and when she faced someone who had a non-European choice. The same thing is happening here.”
“I totally commit to defend Europe and also defend the interests of Europe and France by coming here,” he went on. “But this is not the same thing as the interference through information manipulation, media ownership, spread of false information and destabilization of the rule of law.”
Together with the leaders of Germany and Poland, Macron travelled to Moldova last August to show support for Sandu ahead of parliamentary elections that were won by her pro-Western party. Two Moldovan opposition parties deemed pro-Russian were barred from running in the polls. The EU, which sent a special pre-election mission to the former Soviet republic, defended those bans, alleging Russian interference in the Moldovan elections.
The bloc is now deploying similar missions in Armenia. Moscow, which strongly denied any interference in Moldova, claims year that the Europeans are gearing up for a repeat of “the Moldovan scenario” in Armenia.
“A mission that will claim to fight against interference in the affairs of a sovereign state is itself an instrument of such interference,” a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman charged on April 24.
Armenia’s leading opposition groups have also voiced concerns over the EU missions. Some of them, notably a bloc led by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetian, fear that they too could be disqualified from the upcoming elections. Dozens of the bloc’s members and supporters have been detained on election-related charges in recent weeks.
Opposition leaders have for years accused the West of turning a blind eye to what they call politically motivated arrests in Armenia for geopolitical considerations. They have also deplored a lack of Western criticism of Pashinian’s yearlong efforts to depose Catholicos Garegin II, which have been accompanied by arrests of several bishops.
The crackdown on the Armenian Apostolic Church was denounced in February by the influential Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF). Its two co-chairmen, Ara Toranian and Mourad Papazian, were excluded by Yerevan from the official inauguration last week of the new building of Armenia’s embassy in Paris. By contrast, Macron included Toranian and Papazian in his delegation visiting Armenia.
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Armenia and EU sign connectivity partnership, strengthen economic ties and dee
The first Armenia–EU Summit held in Yerevan marked a historic milestone in bilateral relations, featuring the signing of a number of strategic documents and new initiatives aimed at deepening cooperation.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President António Costa, together with other participants, witnessed the signing of the EU–Armenia Connectivity Partnership — a major step forward in strengthening transport, energy, and digital links. Fully aligned with the EU’s Cross-Regional Connectivity Agenda and Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative, it will boost trade, create jobs, reinforce resilience, and support regional stability.
The partnership will be institutionalised through a High-Level Dialogue on Connectivity, alongside a High-Level Transport Dialogue, also launched at the summit.
Additionally, the EU is boosting economic growth in the country by launching a Call for Expressions of Interest, inviting companies in the EU, the European Economic Area, and Armenia to develop strategic investment projects in Armenia. The signing of the first Letters of Intent with selected private sector partners in the fields of digital infrastructure, semiconductor skills, innovation ecosystems, and private investment mobilisation aims to bring a tangible positive impact to Armenia.
The first progress report on Armenia’s implementation of the visa liberalisation action plan was formally handed to the Armenian side. This first report acknowledges good progress and provides recommendations on the next steps in its implementation.
In addition, leaders witnessed the initialling of a working arrangement between the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which will enhance cooperation on border and migration management, supporting Armenia in the implementation of the visa liberalisation action plan.
On security and defence, leaders welcomed the establishment of an EU Partnership Mission in Armenia.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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Joint declaration adopted following first Armenia–EU summit
A joint declaration was adopted during the first-ever Armenia–EU Summit held on 5 May 2026 in Yerevan.
The summit marked a key opportunity to further strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of connectivity, energy, transport, and digital cooperation.
The declaration reaffirmed the EU’s steadfast commitment to deepening its relations with Armenia and supporting Armenia’s sovereignty, resilience, and comprehensive reform agenda.
The Council of the EU has published the full text of the declaration.
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Armenia and UAE discuss economic cooperation, investment opportunities
Armenia’s Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan held a meeting with UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology Affairs Omran Sharaf and UAE Ambassador to Armenia Dr. Nariman Al Mulla.
Papoyan praised the close cooperation established in recent years with the UAE in the economic sector, the ministry said in a statement.
The minister emphasized that Armenia is interested in importing high-quality goods and advanced technologies from the UAE, as well as implementing investment projects aimed at modernizing the economy.
In this context, it was noted that Armenia is open to Emirati investments in logistics, infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, high technologies, agriculture, industry, and other sectors.
The sides also discussed the “Crossroads of Peace” initiative developed by the Government of Armenia, along with its individual components, highlighting its importance for the peaceful and stable development of the region.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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Armenian Speaker meets president of Belgian Chamber of Representatives
Armenian Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan held a meeting with the President of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium, Peter De Roover.
“I expressed my gratitude to my colleague for being in our country during these important days for Armenia and for taking part in the ongoing events,” Simonyan said on social media.
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Yerevan Dialogue 2026 kicks off
Yerevan Dialogue 2026 has kicked off, convening senior government representatives, the private sector, NGOs, academia, youth, and other stakeholders, immediately following the European Political Community Summit and the first-ever EU–Armenia Summit in the Armenian capital.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, will deliver remarks at the opening.
The forum aims to advance discussions on shared challenges facing Europe as a community of values and its wider neighborhood, as well as to address pressing issues across different regions of the world.
Within the framework of the forum, panel discussions will address issues of peace and security in the South Caucasus, as well as the region’s role in global economic and logistics processes.
Armenia’s potential to serve as a link between Europe and Central Asia will also be discussed.
Separate panels will examine the economic and investment potential of the South Caucasus, including Armenia’s opportunities in key raw materials, semiconductors, and the technology sector.
Key Themes of Yerevan Dialogue 2026:
Beyond Geopolitical Divides
In an era marked by renewed strategic competition, transnational risks and geopolitical divides, ensuring security and stability, while reinforcing democracy, human rights and the rule of law remain a core priority for many countries across the different regions. Regional conflicts, the erosion of the rules-based international order are placing pressure on democratic institutions, public trust and social cohesion.
As great-power rivalry intensifies and geopolitical competition reshapes alliances, rules, and regions, the viability of the existing global and regional order is increasingly contested. This theme will examine the erosion of multilateralism and international law, the security dilemmas of small and medium-sized states, and the emergence of competing regional orders. It will further question whether norms and institutions can constrain power, or whether power itself is becoming the primary currency of global affairs.
To address these challenges, stronger institutions, resilient societies and closer cooperation among and within the regional institutions, newly created and existing international formats are essential to safeguard the peace and prosperity on a global scale. Economic and political cooperation and regional interdependence, rooted in the principles of sovereignty, mutual respect and open dialogue, provides the indispensable framework for de‑escalation, strengthening peace where established, further confidence‑building and resilient development.
EU Enlargement and European Integration
The European Union’s enlargement process stands at a critical juncture, with candidate countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region pursuing integration or closer partnership amid complex geopolitical pressures.
As the EU reconsiders its enlargement strategy, questions arise about the pace, conditionality, and transformative potential of accession processes.
This theme will examine the opportunities and challenges of EU expansion, including sectoral integration, democratic reforms, economic convergence, and the implications of enlargement for member states, candidate countries and the broader European neighborhood. Discussions will focus on practical pathways to advance integration, connectivity, address reform fatigue, strengthen institutional capacity in aspiring member states, and ensure that enlargement serves as a tool for stability, prosperity, and democratic consolidation.
Global Connectivity
Inclusive connectivity through open borders, efficient transport routes, trade deals and fully functioning infrastructure is essential for fostering regional peace, cooperation, and economic integration. The unhindered movement of people, goods, and services serves as a cornerstone of mutual prosperity, particularly for landlocked developing countries where access to markets is often limited.
However, numerous challenges persist, including structural impediments, politically motivated restrictions, and inadequate infrastructure, all of which constrain regional collaboration. In this regard, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), as an integral part of the Crossroads for Peace project, could become a regional infrastructure development catalyst. By integrating with major global connectivity initiatives such as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor) and the EU’s Global Gateway, and through fostering regional unblocking it has the potential to contribute significantly to a more resilient global trade network, delivering meaningful benefits to the peoples of the regions involved.
Democratic Resilience, Hybrid Threats and AI
In recent years, the rapid advancement of technology, combined with increasingly sophisticated methods of coordinated disruptive actions, has intensified hybrid threats worldwide. These include, but are not limited to, disinformation campaigns and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), increasingly amplified through artificial intelligence. These threats pose significant risks not only to the democratic governance of states but also to their sovereignty and territorial integrity. A core objective of such hostile activities is to polarize and divide societies, weaken internal stability and security, and erode trust in public institutions, thereby undermining the overall resilience of state institutions. Addressing hybrid threats in an AI-driven information environment requires a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach, as well as genuine cooperation among like-minded states that uphold human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, and remain committed to maintaining a rules-based international order.
Green Transition
The global transition toward sustainable and environmentally responsible economic practices is no longer an option but an imperative. Climate change mitigation, biodiversity preservation, and the balancing of ecological and economic priorities require bold, innovative approaches, strengthened international cooperation, and the effective mobilization of climate finance. These efforts are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and securing a livable planet for future generations.
The upcoming 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) will address issues related to implementing effective conservation strategies and taking urgent action to halt biodiversity loss. It will also promote synergies with the other Rio Conventions to better respond to the cross-cutting, and often shared challenges outlined above.
Tech and Security Architecture
Security industry has a crucial role in safeguarding critical infrastructure and driving technological innovation for national resilience. Discussions will center on harmonizing state security needs with private sector agility, specifically in integrating AI, cyber-defense, and surveillance technologies within a framework of democratic oversight and ethical governance. The objective is to establish robust public-private partnerships that enhance collective security capabilities while ensuring accountability and adherence to international norms.
The Yerevan Dialogue 2026 will serve as an important opportunity to reflect, engage, and collaborate in addressing today’s most pressing challenges. By focusing on geopolitical trends, democratic resilience and hybrid threats, connectivity as well as green transition, the forum aims to foster a shared understanding for a stable, sustainable, secure and more peaceful future for the region and beyond.
Hosted by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 is held under the motto Riding Through the Storms.