This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is taking place in neutral Switzerland, but politics are center stage. While debate continues over Israel’s participation amid the war in Gaza, Russia — banned from the contest since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — continues to cast a shadow over the event. This year,
Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a law on April 4 to formally begin Armenia's accession process to the European Union, Armenia's presidential press service announced.
Armenia has refused to pay its contributions to the budget of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for the past year, the country's Foreign Ministry said on March 31, after suspending its participation in the military alliance in August 2024.
The Armenian parliament passed a bill "On starting the process of accession of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union" in its second and final reading on March 26, the News.am news agency reported.
The intelligence agency referred to a fake document presented as a report from HUR to Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk, which has been disseminated in Armenian Telegram channels.
The charter establishes a framework for expanded bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Armenia in the areas of economic cooperation, security and defense, and democracy.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stressed that even if the bill is passed, the accession process can start only if the Armenian people support it in a referendum
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Jan. 7 called Armenia effectively a "fascist state," adding that Baku might have no other choice but to "destroy" its neighbor's so-called "fascist ideology."
Armenia's former defense minister, Major General Arshak Karapetyan, was detained in Moscow on Dec. 29 and later released, the Armenian Interior Ministry confirmed for the Novosti-Armenia news agency.
Yerevan on Sept. 18 accused five Armenian citizens and two former residents of Nagorno-Karabakh of undergoing military training in Russia in order to stage an armed coup in Armenia.
The European Union and Armenia formally began discussions in Yerevan on Sept. 9 on a visa-free regime between the two parties.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow appears to have learned to live with increasingly hostile relations with the West. Thousands of kilometers east of Ukraine, however, relations with one country in the South Caucasus have become increasingly cold, in the aftermath of an entirely different
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Aug. 31 during a press conference that Armenia has suspended its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) "at all levels," but that the decision could change.
Speaking on Russian state television, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said earlier in the week, "Who needs Armenians? Nobody. Let them develop their economy and rely on their own resources.
Putin arrived in Baku for talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev for the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Baku on Aug. 18 for a two-day visit for talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. The trip marks Putin's first visit to the capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The process of their withdrawal was completed with a formal ceremony, during which Edgar Hunanian, the newly appointed head of Armenia's border guard, thanked the Russian detachment for their service.
The Council of the European Union for the first time approved assistance under the European Peace Facility (EPF) to support the Armenian Armed Forces with 10 million euros ($10.8 million), according to the council's July 22 statement.
Armenia has long been close with Russia, but is now seeking to distance itself, repeatedly accusing Moscow of being an unreliable partner.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan discussed the security situation in Europe and the South Caucasus. The two also focused on ways to deepen bilateral ties and international cooperation between nations, "particularly in light of Ukraine’s future EU membership."
The news came as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien is scheduled to arrive in Baku on June 27, in what will be his third trip to the South Caucasus in two months.
The announcement did not say how many Caesar howitzers would be included in the deal, or when they might start arriving in the country.
Belarus delivered advanced weapons to Azerbaijan for years, despite being in a Russia-led security alliance with Armenia, Politico reported on June 13, citing a cache of leaked documents.
Several thousand Russian "peacekeepers" were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2020 following another escalation of the years-long Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over the region. The withdrawal began in April.
Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a note of protest to Yerevan after an Armenian delegation visited Bucha earlier in June, Russian state-run media outlet TASS reported on June 9.
In recent months, Armenia has taken an increasingly belligerent stance towards Moscow and, in March, threatened to leave if the military alliance fails to address Armenia's collective security concerns.
Russia has begun withdrawing its "peacekeeping" contingent from Nagorno-Karabakh, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on April 17, according to Russian independent media outlet Meduza.
Russian military authorities detained Russian citizen Anatoly Shchetin in Armenia for allegedly avoiding mobilization, the Institute for the Study of War's (ISW) report said, citing the international human rights organization Helsinki Citizens' Assembly in Vanadzor, on April 9.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Armenia of “distorting history” in an attempt to “break off” relations with Moscow, he said in an interview on March 28. Armenia has further sought to distance itself from Russia - repeatedly accusing Moscow of being an unreliable partner.
Bilateral trade between Russia and Armenia has flourished since 2022, providing ground for the accusations of alleged sanctions circumvention, media outlet Euroactiv reported on March 28.
The demands of the armed men are unknown. Some of the Russian media reports and propagandists claimed the Combat Brotherhood, a nationalist group, was behind the attack.
The reports come two days after several gunmen opened fire at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb, killing over 130 people and injuring at least 140.
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