Politics

On the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations, in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation New York Office, convened a roundtable entitled “From Ambition to Action: Strengthening Biodiversity Governance and Financing.”    The discussion brought together representatives of Member States, the United Nations system,…

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he “welcomes” U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest announcement about deploying 5,000 troops to Poland.    NATO’s military commanders will work through details, Rutte said, during remarks to reporters ahead of the alliance’s foreign ministers’ meeting in Sweden, DW reported.   Trump said he plans to send 5,000 troops to…

Reuters.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday (May 21), that military drills involving nuclear forces were always a signal.     Moscow is conducting some of its biggest nuclear exercises in years, involving 64,000 people to drill its forces in “the preparation and use of nuclear forces in the event of aggression.”   “As part…

Reuters. Former Cuban President Raul Castro has been indicted in the United States on murder charges, U.S acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday (May 20), in a major escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against the island’s government. The indictment against Castro, returned in federal court in Miami on April 23, charges him with one…

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Wednesday directly to the Cuban people in a video recorded in Spanish, criticizing the country’s elite for being corrupt and offering a “new path,” including a proposed $100 million influx of food and medicine. The message came as former President Raúl Castro and five others were indicted by…

The Pentagon on Tuesday said that it was reducing the number of US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) in Europe from three to four, DW reports.   The chief Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, said in a statement that the US was reducing the number of its soldiers on the continent as a result of a…

Reuters. Thick black smoke was seen rising in the sky following a car bomb explosion that killed one Syrian soldier outside a Defence Ministry building in Damascus on Tuesday (May 19), the ministry said in a statement carried by state media.   Soldiers had discovered a different bomb near the building in the capital’s Bab…

Reuters. President Donald Trump posted on social media on Monday (May 18) that he was holding off on a planned military attack on Iran scheduled for Tuesday, while efforts continue to reach a deal, adding that the United States was ready to resume attacking if one is not reached.   President Donald Trump said on…

Iran is ready to hand over its enriched uranium to Russia instead of the United States, according to Tehran’s updated draft conflict settlement agreement with Washington, quoted by the Al Hadath television.   The document, revised by Iran, says that the Islamic Republic is ready “to transfer the enriched uranium to Russia instead of the…

Two senior Polish defense ministry officials are on their way to Washington to get more information on why the U.S. suddenly canceled the deployment of 4,000 soldiers on a planned rotation to the country, Politico reports.   Paweł Zalewski and Cezary Tomczyk — both deputy defense ministers — will try to get details on what…

The Trump administration does not like a united European Union because the bloc is a geopolitical force that Washington has to reckon with, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday, urging EU member states not to weaken the bloc by striking bilateral deals with the US, Politico reports.   Kallas noted that it…

Moscow and Washington are in very intensive contact, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.   According to Sergey Ryabkov, the negotiations are taking place through several channels. He also considered talks between Sergey Lavrov and Marco Rubio possible, but did not specify a date. Նյութերը գեներացվում են տարբեր կայքերից արհեստական բանականության միջոցով

Against the backdrop of reports about Yerevan’s rapprochement with the West, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk stated that Russia will treat any choice made by Armenia with understanding.   “Armenia is a very close country to us. It is an ally and part of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Commonwealth of Independent…

The United Arab Emirates tried unsuccessfully to persuade fellow Gulf states to join a coordinated attack on Iran shortly after the US and Israel launched their campaign against the Islamic Republic, Bloomberg reports.   According to the news site, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed spoke over the phone with other leaders in the region,…

Another batch of grain from Russia will be sent to Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan on May 15. Azerbaijani media outlets reported this.   A total of 14 railway wagons carrying 977 tons of grain will be dispatched to Armenia. Նյութերը գեներացվում են տարբեր կայքերից արհեստական բանականության միջոցով

The United States welcomes the announcement of the lifting of restrictions on bilateral trade between Armenia and Türkiye, the US embassy in Yerevan said in a statement.   “This step demonstrates both countries’ commitment to expanding economic connectivity, and promoting lasting peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus region. We commend Armenia and Türkiye for…

Russian officials have publicly repeated the same condition three times in the past seven days, demanding that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the entire Donbas region. The demand was framed as a prerequisite for a ceasefire and continued peace talks, according to The Moscow Times on May 13.   The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov delivered…

The UK has said it will contribute drones, fighter jets and a warship to a joint mission aimed at safeguarding shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, BBC reports.   Defence minister John Healey announced the package at a virtual summit of defence ministers on Tuesday. It includes autonomous systems to detect and clear naval mines,…

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (May 12) that the war in Ukraine is very close to ending and he believes there will be a settlement between Russia and Ukraine, Reuters reports.   “The end of the war in Ukraine I really think it’s getting very close,” Trump told reporters as he left the…

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres underscored Africa’s vast potential and noted that it continues to be held back by an international system set up by and skewed in favour of the victors of the Second World War.   This has left the continent’s nations crippled by high borrowing costs, insufficient climate financing and underrepresentation in global…

European Union foreign ministers reached an agreement on Monday (May 11) on new sanctions targeting violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, as well as leading Hamas figures, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, Reuters reports.   The sanctions package, which targets three settlers and four settler organisations whose identities have yet…

Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds resigned on Sunday following a recent incursion by two Ukrainian drones into the Baltic country’s territory, Euronews reports. Latvia’s Prime Minister, Evika Silina, had called for Spruds’s resignation, writing on X that he had “lost (her) trust and that of the public.”   Silina said anti-drone systems had not been…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Ankara does not want the conflict between the United States and Iran to spread further across the region.   Erdogan made the remarks during a meeting in Istanbul with Masrour Barzani, prime minister of Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.   The two…

Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that trilateral negotiations aimed at resolving the war in Ukraine have been temporarily paused.   “No one has mentioned the negotiations; for now, a pause has been taken,” Ushakov said, adding that no agreements had yet been reached regarding the timing of the next round…

US President Donald Trump said Friday that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners, adding that such a halt to hostilities could be the “beginning of the end” of the long war between them, AP reports.   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and…

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would give the European Union until July 4 to implement trade deal commitments before he raises tariffs on EU goods including cars to “much higher levels,” Reuters reports.   Trump said in a Truth Social post that he issued the new deadline ​during a “great call” with…

Reuters. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday (May 7), at a time of increasing tension following President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on the Catholic leader over the Iran war.   Rubio’s meeting with Leo was a sign of a “strong” relationship between the Vatican and the…

Reuters/CCTV. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States is closing in on a deal with Iran, expressing optimism about reaching it to end the war next week.   “I think it’s got a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn’t end, we have to go back to bombing the hell…

At the 11th ECOSOC Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Paruyr Hovhannisyan, delivered remarks during the Ministerial Session on “Strengthening the science-policy nexus to drive sustainable development.”   Ambassador Hovhannisyan emphasized the importance of strengthening the science-policy interface…

The Iranian authorities have announced the formation and implementation of a new system for vessel passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the state television of the Islamic Republic reported.   According to its information, vessels intending to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, “after notifying the Iranian authorities, must receive an electronic message from them,…