At the first Armenia–EU summit, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the discussions revealed new layers of historical significance surrounding the event.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“In our reality, there has historically been a perception that Armenia is located in a bad or even terrible geographical position. Today, it was very symbolic to hear from our EU partners that Armenia actually has an excellent geographical position and is located between the East and the West, or on the shortest route connecting the East and the West. This, perhaps, reflects a change in a historical period. These formulations express a shift in a historical era, when, while remaining in the same place, due to political processes, we are moving from a historically unfavorable or sometimes even terrible geographical position to an excellent geographical position,” Pashinyan said, emphasizing that the geographical position once used to explain Armenia’s problems is now serving the vision of building a sovereign, free, prosperous, and secure country.

The Prime Minister also described the EU’s statement calling on businesses to invest in Armenia as historic.

“Throughout the previous period, since independence, Armenia has been considered a risky destination for investments. Now, at the highest level, the EU is calling on economic operators to invest in Armenia. This is also a historically significant fact, because we have never before heard such a call or message from many of our international partners,” Pashinyan stressed.

Pashinyan highlighted that the Armenia–EU cooperation agenda also includes the energy sector. He noted that Armenia has historically been seen as limited in terms of energy resources and classified among dependent countries in this regard.

“In modern times, it has turned out that Armenia has unlimited energy resources, because we have regions where the number of sunny days exceeds 300, which means there are unlimited opportunities for the development of solar energy in our country. What we lack are storage facilities, and I thank our EU partners for their willingness to support us in developing energy storage systems in Armenia,” Pashinyan said.

He added that there are also joint programs with the EU in areas such as day–night water storage and utilization cycles, the development of green hydrogen production technologies, and other potential directions.

The Prime Minister also highlighted transport connectivity in the joint agenda, noting that cooperation with neighboring countries creates opportunities to integrate into international supply chains through railway, road, internet communication, and electricity transmission networks.

Pashinyan expressed gratitude to the EU, as well as to Costa and von der Leyen personally, for their support for Armenia’s democratic reform process. He expressed expectation of continued EU assistance in areas such as strengthening an independent judiciary, more systematic anti-corruption efforts, introducing more effective integrity systems, and several other directions.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that in recent years the perception of Armenia’s geographical position has significantly changed, reshaping the country’s strategic role in the region.

Speaking at the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 forum, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset, and other dignitaries, the Prime Minister noted that although Armenia remains in the same geographical location, the perception and significance of its position have become completely different.

“While staying in the same place, we now have a completely different geographical position than we had before,” Pashinyan said.

He recalled that, according to the widely held perception in the past, Armenia was viewed as a country in a difficult region, surrounded by challenging neighbors and security risks, which for a long time shaped its political and strategic thinking.

“Today, a truly historic change has taken place. The description of Armenia’s geographical position is no longer that we are in a problematic environment, but that the shortest route connecting the East and the West passes through the Republic of Armenia,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

According to Prime Minister Pashinyan, this new perception is shaping a new vision and strategy for Armenia’s development. He noted that the government’s policy is built on this logic, aiming to realize the country’s potential for connectivity.

The Prime Minister presented two key initiatives of this strategy: the “Crossroads of Peace” and “TRIPP” projects.

He said that the “TRIPP” project primarily envisages the restoration of railway connectivity between the East and the West, adding that one of its main routes would pass through southern Armenia.

At the same time, the Prime Minister noted that the project is not limited to railways alone.

“These projects also include power transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, which could pass through Armenia depending on technical and engineering solutions,” Pashinyan stressed.

He said the government is currently focused on realizing this potential and turning Armenia into an important hub of regional connectivity.

The Prime Minister also addressed the investment environment, noting that recent developments have significantly improved Armenia’s position.

“Today, Armenia is in a geographical position where the investment environment is changing substantially,” he said, emphasizing that this has become possible in the context of emerging peace in the region.

Pashinyan added that international partners, including U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, have also played an important role in this process.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized on Tuesday that Yerevan has made a sovereign choice to pursue a balancing foreign policy based not on dependence on a single center, but on the formation of substantive and mutually beneficial partnerships across different directions.

Speaking at the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 forum, he noted that the United States, France, Kazakhstan, China, and an expanding group of European countries are today part of Armenia’s strategic partnership landscape—not as alternatives to one another, but as diverse and cooperative pillars of its foreign policy architecture.

“Our commitment to peace, cooperation, and development guides our approach toward our neighbors. The process of normalizing relations with Türkiye reflects our belief that open borders and good-neighborly relations will best serve the interests of our people. With Georgia, we continue to deepen our strategic partnership based on mutual interests, and with Iran, we have consistently maintained friendly ties and close cooperation,” he said.

Mirzoyan stressed that diplomacy alone is not sufficient to sustain peace.

“When we share trade routes, energy networks, and digital connectivity, we also share risks and benefits. Therefore, by jointly building infrastructure with our neighbors that connects East to West and North to South, we create a reality in our region where every actor has a vested interest in their neighbor’s stability,” the minister said, adding that this is the foundation of the “Crossroads of Peace” initiative and the TRIPP project.

The European Commission has highly praised Armenia’s progress in implementing the Visa Liberalization Action Plan.

The first progress report on Armenia’s implementation of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan was formally handed to Armenia during the first Armenia–EU summit in Yerevan on Tuesday.

The report, according to the Armenian authorities, notes the clear political commitment of Armenia to implement the necessary reforms aimed at visa liberalization with the EU.

“The Armenian authorities have demonstrated strong political commitment to implementing the reforms envisaged under the Visa Liberalization Action Plan. Despite the fact that the VLAP was only recently handed over to Armenia, many reforms have already been initiated or are being planned by the Armenian authorities,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs quoted a part of the report as saying.

Analyzing all the steps taken by Armenia under the first set of benchmarks of the Action Plan (legislation and policy framework), the European Commission concluded that Armenia is at an “advanced stage of fulfilment” in the areas of document security, borders, migration management, and asylum, and has made “good progress” in the areas of public security and fundamental rights.

The European Union wants to make Armenia an attractive country for investment, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a press conference after the inaugural Armenia–EU summit in Yerevan.

“We want to make Armenia an attractive country for investment. You have talent, you have human resources, and you have important resources. What you need is investment and infrastructure. This is partly provided directly by the European Union, but also through EU investment and de-risking measures, which create opportunities for the business sector to invest in Armenia,” von der Leyen said when asked by Armenpress about the areas in which the European Union is ready to support Armenia, including the opportunities that will emerge following the unblocking of communications in the South Caucasus.

“You have just witnessed the signing and handover of six letters of intent to leading funds and companies, which are already convinced that this is the right place to invest. The de-risking component provided by the EU creates a very favorable environment for the business sector to come here and implement projects of interest,” she added.

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 took place during the summit.

Armenia and the European Union have discussed numerous projects, including cooperation in the field of border management, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday. 

“We have many projects and have discussed many initiatives, including in the area of border management cooperation,” he said at a press conference after the first Armenia–EU summit in Yerevan.

“I have repeatedly said that we want to make Armenia a very desirable and popular destination, and for that we need to facilitate travel for people. In the near future, alongside the introduction of biometric passports, we must also have non-contact border-crossing infrastructure at all our border checkpoints. Today, the European Union already has a very concrete contribution to our border management. The ‘Agarak’ border crossing on the Armenia–Iran border and the adjacent infrastructure are being built thanks to European investments,” he said.

Pashinyan added that there are also projects aimed at regional connectivity, based on the reality previously mentioned by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—that the shortest route from East to West passes through Armenia.

“We are used to calculating issues in euros, dollars, and drams, but the statement that ‘the shortest route from East to West passes through Armenia’ is worth tens or hundreds of billions, even trillions. This is a signal at the highest level to the international investment community that there is potential here worth tens of billions, if not hundreds. And we are grateful to our EU partners for helping us also discover that potential,” Pashinyan emphasized.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Emmanuel Macron signed a joint declaration on Tuesday establishing a strategic partnership between Armenia and France.

The signing took place during Macron’s state visit to Armenia, following the French leader’s meeting with Pashinyan.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that Armenia and the EU are making progress on visa liberalization.

“We are making progress on visa liberalisation. I know it matters to Armenians deeply. It matters to the EU too, because it draws our people closer together. I’m sure we will get there,” she said on X, posting a video from her press conference after the Armenia–EU summit in Yerevan.

Speaking at the summit, von der Leyen said that visa policy and home affairs are among priority cooperation areas. “Visa liberalisation is a priority that matters deeply to the Armenian people. And rightly so – since it is a key vehicle to bring our people closer together. So, we are pleased to present the first progress report on the implementation of the visa liberalisation action plan. And congratulations, it shows good work and progress since last November. I am absolutely convinced we are going to get there. Also today, we are setting a new working arrangement between Frontex and Armenia. It will strengthen cooperation on border and migration management,” she said.

Armenia is navigating a turbulent global landscape by adopting a more pragmatic and proactive foreign policy, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 forum, where he highlighted peace efforts, regional connectivity projects, and expanding partnerships with global actors.

The forum was attended by Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan, French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset, among other dignitaries.

The Foreign Ministry published the transcript of FM Mirzoyan’s speech:

“Honourable Mr President of the Republic of Armenia,

Honourable Mr Prime Minister, 

Honourable Mr President of the Republic of France,

Honourable Mr President of the National Assembly,

Excellencies, distinguished guests and friends,

I am privileged to welcome you back to Yerevan for the third edition of our Dialogue. In a world that increasingly discourages stability and continuity, the fact that we are here again, that this forum has returned, already sends a powerful message. 

Forums endure when they have something real to say. I believe we do.

Last year, we met in this very room under the theme “Navigating the Unknown.” We described a world that was lost in a thick fog, as the familiar architecture was crumbling, the rules were fading, and we weren’t sure what was coming next. We brought up compasses and maps, we spoke of tectonic shifts and disorientation. We asked how any of us was navigating in this unknown environment. 

Today, that fog has partially cleared. But instead of a calm sea, we see many storms.

The storms we face today are not metaphorical; they are very real and systemic. They test nations, their sovereignty, institutions and individuals alike. Looking at today’s storms, the following broader picture emerges:

Geopolitical Storm: International law and global order are not just strained, they are being actively dismantled. We see a dangerous shift where the rule of power tends to replace the rule of law. Multilateral institutions designed to maintain order are struggling to assert their authority in a world that no longer waits for their verdict. Nuclear rhetoric, once restricted to the rooms of the Cold War, re-entered mainstream political discourse, which should alarm everybody.  Technological Storm: technology has moved much faster than our ability to manage the risks and opportunities it brings. Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic dream but a present force. Well, we all were smart enough to predict that it would reshape industries, eliminate professions and change the very nature of work. But beyond this, AI has also turned into a powerful tool of manipulation, generating disinformation at an industrial scale, creating false realities and targeting democratic societies with surgical precision.  Economic Storm: the global market is no longer stable, and recent developments have deeply shaken the belief that open trade benefits everyone. Supply chains that connect continents are easily broken. Swings in energy prices can disrupt national economies overnight. Economic sanctions have become a routine instrument of geopolitical pressure, turning trade into a battlefield. Environmental Storm: the natural systems that sustain life on Earth, our climate, water, soil, forests, and biodiversity, are no longer just changing; they are under serious strain. We have moved beyond gradual warming into a period of deep instability, where environmental damage makes every other crisis worse. The biodiversity loss, the land degradation and deforestation weaken nature’s ability to recover, while the overuse of natural resources threatens the balance needed for societies to function.

Those storms have not arrived separately. They have come together, and they reinforce one another. A geopolitical shock drives economic disruption, which fuels a technological arms race, which in turn deepens geopolitical divisions, while environmental change makes all of these challenges even harder to manage.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Armenia knows what it means to be in the centre of the storm. Let me speak openly. Challenges and hardships our country has faced in recent years would have driven many nations toward para՛lysis and the brink of collapse. So, let me share some conclusions:  

When a nation finds itself in such turbulence, history offers three broad paths:

The first is detachment and disassociation: It is the choice to stay on the sidelines, avoid taking actions and hope that remaining detached, the storms will spare you, and your comfort zone and status quo will be preserved. While it may look like a safe choice in the short run, history shows that such detachment doesn’t protect. It merely leaves nations cut from reality, unprepared and more vulnerable, thus strengthening the shock of the strike when the crisis reaches them, and bubble eventually blows up. The second is the surrender to the storm: Here you make inefficient, wrong and exhaustive movements, movements that are predictable or even worse – are prescribed by scriptwriters, and ultimately you only help the storm to carry you wherever it chooses. This way, you give up control, you no longer decide your own fate. You become an object rather than a subject of your own history. And merely driven by the current or trying to drift with it, you inevitably risk becoming a victim of decisions made by others and face existential challenges. And the third choice: riding through the storm with pragmatism and forward-looking strategy. Looking into the eyes of reality directly instead of avoiding to acknowledge it. Realising that in a volatile world, the only way to ensure at least some stability is to take the steering wheel into your hands and to keep moving forward with a clear, active strategy. And yes, although success is still uncertain, the first two options are certain to be destructive

We, ladies and gentlemen, the Republic of Armenia, we walked through all three paths, we passed all three stages, only in our most recent history. For several decades, we thought we were successfully avoiding storms and preserving our usual zone of comfort by remaining detached. When the crises came, and the imaginary safety collapsed, we found ourselves in a whirlpool, where we were being pulled into the aby՛ss despite all our hard efforts. 

And somewhere at that point, we decided to break out of that vicious spiral of history. Not to follow what others have prescribed for us, but to take the responsibility to make our sovereign decisions for our own fate. Not to remain in the past, but to look forward, to build a modern, democratic and prosperous society, a state with real sovereignty, and integrity of precise territory, with its peaceful modus vivendi in this given environment. And this is the exact moment when the concept of Real Armenia was born. 

Excellencies, Dear guests,

At a time when everything around us seemed to be falling apart from various storms, we established peace. The Washington Peace Summit on August 8, 2025, marked a historical turning point with the signing of the Joint Declaration by Armenia’s Prime Minister and Azerbaijan’s President, and the US President as a witness. On the very same day, my colleague from Azerbaijan and I initialled the Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. By committing to the mutual recognition of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders, Armenia and Azerbaijan took a historic step toward closing decades of conflict and opening a new era of peace and stability in our region. 

Of course, peace must never be treated as a one-time achievement. It requires constant care, attention and reflection, because if you fail to invest in it, you will risk losing it. Peace, therefore, is not an event but an active choice we must make every single day. This, understandably, also involves addressing humanitarian issues, thus contributing to restoring trust and true reconciliation between societies. 

But diplomacy alone does not sustain peace. Thus, we create a practical guarantee for peace by making our prosperities interconnected and interdependent. When we share trade routes, energy grids, pipelines, digital links, we share risks and rewards. Therefore, together with our neighbours, by building infrastructure that connects East to West and North to South, we are creating a reality where, in our region, every actor has a personal stake in the stability of its neighbour. This is the foundation of our Crossroads of Peace initiative and the TRIPP project.

The commitment to peace, cooperation and prosperity guides our approach towards our neighbours. The normalisation process with Türkiye reflects our belief that open borders and neighbourly relations will serve our nations’ interests better. With Georgia, we continue to deepen strategic partnership built on mutual interests. With Iran, we have always maintained friendly ties and close partnership. 

The strategy of storm-riding has led to a profound transformation in our partnerships beyond our region as well. Armenia has made a sovereign choice to pursue a balanced and balancing foreign policy, based not on dependence on one centre, but on building meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships in many directions. The United States, France, Kazakhstan, China and a growing number of European partners are now present in Armenia’s strategic partnership portfolio, not as alternatives to one another, but as pillars of a diversified and cooperative foreign policy architecture.

Nowhere beyond our immediate neighborhood has this transformation been more visible than in our relations with the European Union. The Strategic Agenda adopted in December 2025 provides a structured framework for cooperation across political, security, and economic dimensions. The launch of the visa liberalisation dialogue opens a door that matters not only to governments but to the daily lives of Armenian citizens. Just during the last couple of days, heads of state and government from across Europe, spanning from Dublin to Tbilisi, gathered in Yerevan for the European Political Community summit, alongside with the first-ever Armenia-EU summit. 

Excellencies, friends,

To conclude: Storms may never be fully tamed. New uncertainties will always emerge to replace the ones we have already overcome. 

But the lesson we draw from our experience is not one of fatalism. It is about freedom to choose and power to act. With strategic vision and proper action, small nations can find their way through storms and shape their sovereign, peaceful and prosperous futures. 

So, the storms, ladies and gentlemen, are always there. Let us ride together then. 

Thank you and welcome to Yerevan Dialogue!”

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas has lauded the progress in the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process as a ‘historic opportunity.’

“The progress on the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia represents a historic opportunity, and it’s important to sustain momentum. The EU has a range of tools to support this, from supporting confidence-building measures to demining, where we’re already the biggest donor,” Kallas, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan after visiting Armenia, said, according to the APA news agency.

“Strengthening connectivity between the EU, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia is in our shared strategic interest and we’re open to discuss a more structured partnership with Azerbaijan,” she added.