Ruben Vardanyan’s Wife Asks to Join Alen Simonyan on Possible Visit to Azerbaijan
The wife of imprisoned former Artsakh official Ruben Vardanyan has asked to join Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan on any visit to Azerbaijan, urging him to press Baku over the treatment and release of Armenian prisoners. Zonabend said she learned of the possible trip through media reports and welcomed Simonyan’s willingness to visit Azerbaijan. She said the trip could offer a rare opportunity to address the prisoners’ treatment and give their families direct contact
11 hours ago
Armenia Moves to Tighten Citizenship Rules With Residency Requirements, Tougher Ancestry Checks and Higher Fees
Armenia is moving to tighten access to citizenship, proposing new residency requirements, tougher checks on Armenian ancestry and steep fee increases under a government plan that would reshape who can obtain an Armenian passport. The changes would affect both foreign nationals and ethnic Armenians, who have traditionally had an easier path to citizenship. Applicants would be expected to show a meaningful connection to Armenia, including legal residence and time physically spe
12 hours ago
Armenian President Cites 4,800 War Deaths, Nearly 1,000 More Than Official Count
Armenia’s Investigative Committee has restated the official death toll from the 2020 war with Azerbaijan after President Vahagn Khachaturyan cited a figure nearly 1,000 higher than the government’s documented count. The committee said 3,833 people were killed during the 44-day war, including 3,755 servicemen and 78 civilians. Another 191 people — 172 servicemen and 19 civilians — remain missing. The figures were released after Khachaturyan, during an official visit to the Cze
12 hours ago
Armenia Files EAEU Complaint Over Russian Trade Barriers
Armenia has formally raised concerns within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) over trade barriers affecting Armenian goods, saying the restrictions run counter to the bloc’s rules and should be addressed through its existing legal mechanisms. Deputy Economy Minister Tigran Gasparyan said Armenia has filed a complaint with the EAEU and expects the organization to take steps to remove the barriers. “We have filed a complaint, and we hope — and are confident — that the mechanis
13 hours ago
Elina Avanesyan Sets Sights on Representing Armenia at 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
Elina Avanesyan has set her sights on representing Armenia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a goal the country’s top women’s tennis player believes is increasingly within reach as Armenia strengthens its national team. “Competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is one of our biggest dreams,” Avanesyan told reporters in Armenia. “It carries even greater responsibility because we would be representing Armenia at the Olympic Games.” Avanesyan, who switched sporting representat
1 day ago
Azerbaijan Begins Blasting at Its Occupied Artsakh Section of Armenia’s Sotk Gold Mine
Azerbaijan has begun blasting operations at the Zod gold deposit along its border with Armenia and is considering construction of a new ore-processing complex, moving ahead with large-scale development of a mine that has been at the center of years of military tension and cross-border fire. AzerGold, Azerbaijan’s state-owned mining company, said Sept. 7 that it carried out its first drilling and blasting operation at the deposit, known as Soyudlu in Azerbaijan and Sotk in Arm
1 day ago
Armenia’s Top Court Sends Criminal Case Against Catholicos Karekin II Back to Armavir
Armenia’s Court of Cassation has ordered a criminal case against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six senior clergymen back to a court in Armavir, rejecting an earlier attempt to move the proceedings to Yerevan. The Sept. 7 ruling settles a jurisdictional dispute that delayed the case for weeks and sent it between courts before reaching Armenia’s highest court of appeal. The case accuses Karekin II and six members of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Supreme Spiritual
2 days ago
Azerbaijan Levels Centuries-Old Armenian Cemetery in Occupied Shushi for Wastewater Facility
A centuries-old Armenian-Russian cemetery in Shushi has been completely leveled to make way for a wastewater and stormwater treatment facility, according to Caucasus Heritage Watch, which documented the destruction through satellite imagery. The cemetery on the eastern side of the city was destroyed between May 9 and 14, 2026, CHW said in a report published Sept. 5. The construction is part of a broader redevelopment plan for Shushi. The burial ground contained at least 40 hi
2 days ago
General Who Helped Build Armenia’s Army Gives Up Citizenship, Vows Never to Return
Lieutenant General Norat Ter-Grigoryants, one of the military commanders who helped build Armenia’s armed forces after independence, says he has given up his Armenian passport and will never return to the country, citing deep opposition to the government in Yerevan. Ter-Grigoryants, who lives in Russia, told Armenian newspaper Iravunk that he personally surrendered his passport at an Armenian consulate. “I went to the consulate and returned my Armenian passport,” he said. “Th
2 days ago
Israeli Activist Urges Jerusalem Mayor to Act Over Spitting Incidents Targeting Christians
An Israeli religious freedom advocate is pressing Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon to address repeated incidents of spitting at Christians and Christian holy sites, saying the city has failed to respond to a problem that has drawn growing international attention. Yisca Harani, director of the Hotline for Documenting Harassment of Christians at the Religious Freedom Data Center, raised the issue in a letter to the Jerusalem Municipality’s spokesperson’s office. Jerusalem-based Armen
4 days ago
