S&P Keeps Armenia’s Credit Rating at ‘BB-’ With Positive Outlook, Possible Upgrade Ahead
S&P Global Ratings has kept Armenia’s sovereign credit rating at “BB-” with a positive outlook, leaving the door open to an upgrade as the country builds record foreign currency reserves and seeks to reduce geopolitical risks through a peace deal with Azerbaijan. The agency affirmed Armenia’s long-term foreign and local currency ratings at “BB-” and its short-term ratings at “B” in an assessment published Aug. 21. S&P said an upgrade could follow if Armenia continues to stren
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Armenia’s Tigran Avetisyan Wins European U15 Weightlifting Championship
Armenian weightlifter Tigran Avetisyan swept all three gold medals in the 75-kilogram division to become European U15 champion in Pristina, Kosovo. Avetisyan went three-for-three in the snatch, lifting 112, 119 and 122 kilograms. His 122-kilogram final attempt secured the snatch gold. He added another gold in the clean and jerk after successful lifts of 140 and 146 kilograms. With a 268-kilogram total, Avetisyan claimed the overall European title, completing a three-gold perf
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Pashinyan Says Beyond Hostages and Peace Deal, Armenia and Azerbaijan Must Build Lasting Relations
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia and Azerbaijan must move beyond a peace agreement, border delimitation, regional unblocking, trade and cooperation on captives and missing persons, arguing that lasting peace will require a fundamental change in relations between the two societies. Speaking at the National Assembly on Aug. 24 as he presented his government’s 2026-2031 program, Pashinyan said the “social and psychological” dimension of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations is
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Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Names Aramayis Avetisyan New Executive Director
The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has named Aramayis Avetisyan its new executive director, turning to a government official and nonprofit leader who helped oversee a $17 million fundraising campaign for the organization last year. The Fund’s Board of Trustees elected Avetisyan on Monday with 22 votes in favor, none against and two abstentions. Twenty-four of the board’s 29 members participated. He took office Aug. 24. Avetisyan has worked with the Fund since 2025 and coordinated
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Armenia’s Declaration of Independence Turns 36 as Pashinyan Pushes New Constitution
Armenia on Sunday marked 36 years since the adoption of its Declaration of Independence, the document that began the country's formal break from Soviet rule and laid out the foundations of the modern Armenian state. On Aug. 23, 1990, the Supreme Council of Soviet Armenia adopted the declaration in Yerevan, proclaiming the start of a process toward independent statehood. The vote came more than a year before Armenians overwhelmingly backed independence in a nationwide referend
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Armenian Lacrosse Coach Concludes 12-Day Bible Tour With Reading at Holy Etchmiadzin
Armenian Lacrosse co-founder and coach Johnny Mouradian concluded his 12-day Bible reading tour across Armenia on Saturday at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Vagharshapat. The final stop brought Mouradian to the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians. Mouradian read a passage from Paul’s Letter to the Galatians about humanity’s spiritual state before the coming of Jesus Christ. “As long as the heir is a child, h
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Armenian Director Mikael Nazarenko’s ‘BLACK & WHITE’ Premieres at New York’s Hip Hop Film Festival
Armenian filmmaker Mikael Nazarenko’s short film “BLACK & WHITE” premiered in New York on Friday as part of the 2026 Hip Hop Film Festival, bringing the Yerevan-born director’s latest work to an international audience. The 18-minute film screened Aug. 21 at LOOK Cinema as part of the festival’s short-film program. The Hip Hop Film Festival, produced by Harlem Film House, is being held Aug. 19-23 in New York. Shot in Russia, “BLACK & WHITE” follows an aspiring musician who mov
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More Than 500 Performers Celebrate Armenian Heritage Through Traditional Dance in Yerevan
Hundreds of dancers and musicians took over the Cafesjian Sculpture Garden at Yerevan’s Cascade on Saturday evening, filling the landmark with Armenian folk music, traditional costumes and dances passed down through generations. The Armenian Report was on the ground covering the Gutan Armenian National Traditional Song and Dance Festival, where more than 500 performers from 26 ensembles gathered for one of the country’s largest annual celebrations of traditional Armenian cult
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The Untold Story Behind ‘Monte’: How Seda Melkonian’s Blessing Opened the Door for the Film and Its Final Battle Scenes
Before Nono Sargsyan could make a film about Monte Melkonian, she needed the blessing of the person who knew him not as a commander or national figure, but as a husband. Seda Melkonian’s approval became the first and most important step in bringing Monte to the screen, Sargsyan said. She had been warned that obtaining it would be difficult. Others had approached Melkonian’s widow over the years, she was told, without success. Still, Sargsyan made the call. “I knew that if yo
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71 Years After Albert Azaryan, Artur Avetisyan Wins European Rings Title for independent Armenia
Armenian gymnast Artur Avetisyan has become the first athlete representing independent Armenia to win a European title on the still rings, ending a decades-long wait in one of the country’s most celebrated gymnastics events. Before Avetisyan, the last Armenian to win a European championship on the rings was Albert Azaryan in 1955. Azaryan, one of the most accomplished figures in Armenian sports history, competed for the Soviet Union at the time. Hrant Shahinyan, another Armen
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