- Armenia renewed its call for the Eurasian Economic Union to form an integrated energy market, a prospect opposed by Russia and other energy-rich members of the trade bloc.
- Prosecutors dropped charges against most suspects in a probe into alleged government corruption involving Synergy, one of Armenia’s leading tech firms. Former Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan and Synergy CEO Ashot Hovanesian remain charged.
- Armenia’s reliance on remittances from Russia, historically the top destination for the country’s labor migrants, has dropped sharply since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
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Who lost Artsakh?
In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian analyzes Secretary of Armenia’s National Security Council’s comments last week regarding the challenges Armenia faced last year. He also takes an in-depth look at what factors led to the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and the widespread displacement of Armenians. Furthermore, Hacopian helps apportion responsibility for the outcome to key players and outlines reforms to prevent future issues.
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Uncertainties mount in bordering Kirants amid border demarcation
After a period of anti-government protests in Armenia’s Tavush region, the sound of border construction is now heard again. In May, residents in Kirants village, bordering Azerbaijan, took to the streets to protest Yerevan’s border delimitation and demarcation process, which includes the handing over of vital roads, bridges, and farmland to Azerbaijan. The demarcation has already split part of Kirants village and has led to the evacuation of a number of residents. CivilNet is in the region to understand the impact of this process on people.
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Hungary lifts veto on EU military aid for Armenia, Azatutyun
By Mark Dovich The European Union is expected to disburse nearly $11 million in non-lethal military aid to Armenia after Hungary lifted its veto, Radio Azatutyun, RFE/RL’s Armenian service, reported Thursday, citing unnamed diplomatic sources in Brussels. It would be the first time the EU has assisted Armenia’s army. “EU foreign ministers are now expected to give the final green light to the military aid to Armenia at their next meeting slated for July 22,” the outlet wrote. CivilNet was unable to independently verify the information. The funds, whose approval requires unanimity among all of the bloc’s 27 countries, are […]
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Pashinyan’s Ruthless Dilemma: A Talk With Ronald Suny
Ronald Grigor Suny, Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Michigan, Emeritus Professor of Political Science and History at the University of Chicago, and Senior Researcher at the National Research University – Higher School of Economics in Saint Petersburg, Russia, sits down with CivilNet’s Eric Hacopian to talk about Armenia’s domestic and regional challenges. Professor Suny holds Russia responsible for betraying Armenia during the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, and criticizes the U.S. for not taking practical steps to prevent autocratic Azerbaijan’s aggression against the democratic Armenian enclave.
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Celebrating 100 Years of Armenian Ballet
By Vartan Esenyan The Opera-Ballet Studio in Alexandropol-Leninakan (now Gyumri) became a vibrant hub for the arts from 1923-1926. It attracted distinguished artists such as Sharar Talyan, Haykanush Danielyan, Alexander Melik-Pashaev, and Levon Isakyan. This period saw the staging of world-renowned classical operas and operettas, including Bizet’s “Carmen,” Gounod’s “Faust,” and Kalman’s “Silva,” alongside numerous children’s operas. The first Armenian ballet production, “Gayane,” written in 1939 by Aram Khachaturian, premiered in 1942. It’s famous for its “Sabre Dance.” Aram Khachaturian’s “Spartacus,” winner of the Lenin Prize for composition, is another significant work that has been performed internationally and remains a […]
