Armenien

Masked Armenian police were thwarted by clergy and church supporters who blocked agents as they attempted to detain a senior Armenian Apostolic Church cleric as a standoff between authorities and the church escalates.

Armenian authorities on Wednesday arrested a prominent Christian cleric, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, along with 13 other people and charged them with orchestrating a plot to overthrow the government.

France on Monday called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to “quickly” sign a finalized peace treaty, after efforts to hammer out an agreement between the two arch-foes appeared to stall.

Russia’s top diplomat has blamed the war in Ukraine for affecting the supply of arms to Armenia, and has expressed concern that Moscow’s longstanding ally would now look to the West for military support instead.

Azerbaijan on Wednesday insisted that Armenia fulfil the country's "legitimate demands" before the two ex-Soviet republics can sign the peace treaty agreed upon last month. Baku has long called on Yerevan to amend Armenia's constitution to remove territorial claims to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which was seized by Azerbaijan from Armenian separatist forces in 2024. 

After decades of conflict, the two moved closer to a peace deal. But outside support, especially from Ankara, is critical to maintain momentum.

Azerbaijan and Armenia said Thursday that they had wrapped up peace talks aimed at resolving the Caucasus neighbours' decades-long conflict, both sides having agreed the text of a possible treaty. 

Armenia’s parliament adopted a bill Wednesday aimed at starting the process of joining the European Union. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in January said that the Armenian government wants EU membership, but pointed out that such a decision can only be made through a nationwide referendum.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is sending signals designed to place the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process back on the front burner.

Armenia's government on Thursday gave approval to a bill that calls for the country, once part of the Soviet Union, to launch a bid to join the European Union.