This week on #InsightswithEricHacopian, Baku’s regime-linked “civil society” figures arrive in Yerevan, the Nubarashen landfill fire exposes deep governance gaps, and the PM’s visit to Hovanavank raises new questions about priorities and distractions in Armenian politics.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

📍 The opening of Armenia’s border with Turkey is only a matter of time, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.📍 Torgom Asatryan, an Armenian mixed martial arts fighter, was sentenced by a Yerevan court to five years and six months in prison over his role in the mob beating of Ararat Mirzoyan, who was parliamentary speaker at the time and now serves as Armenia’s foreign minister.📍 OPINION: Armenia’s decision to shorten the length of mandatory military service, approved by the country’s government today, could signal a move toward a more modern, professional army, but only if backed by deeper structural reforms.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

CivilNet joins a group of students taking part in the Trees Under the Microscope project in Jrvezh Forest Park, where founder of EcoSchool, Nelli Yeghoyan, is leading a different environmental education initiative. We speak with her and the participating students and teachers from the Abovyan N. Vanyan Primary School No. 5 to see how this program combines hiking and hands-on laboratory work. The project, which has expanded to include hundreds of children since its 2023 pilot, aims to spark a lifelong scientific curiosity and foster a generation of informed environmental stewards for Armenia. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

📍 Armenia will step up its efforts toward membership in the European Union in 2026, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.📍 Armenia is preparing to launch a reverse mortgage system to boost economic activity among seniors.📍 A CivilNet investigation has revealed potential embezzlement and mismanagement at Armenia’s state-owned High-Voltage Electric Networks, a company responsible for transporting electricity from power plants to regional substations. https://www.civilnet.am/en/news/982722/millions-missing-from-armenias-state-power-grid-company-no-one-charged/ #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

📍 Transport links passing through Armenian and Azerbaijani territory must open simultaneously for regional connectivity plans to function, Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said.📍 Neither Azerbaijani nor Georgian lawmakers are attending the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly forum in Yerevan. Both countries said the venue is not the problem.📍 Armenia plans to encourage wider use of non-cash payments by introducing a 2% cashback on all transactions except for gambling starting next year.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

On May 30, at the very beginning of the current phase of confrontation between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the country’s ruling party, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made his infamous Facebook post: “Reverend, go on and keep banging your uncle’s wife – what do you want from me?”

What initially seemed like a worrying verbal attack by the prime minister – marked by elements of sexism and violation of privacy – soon evolved into a large-scale campaign against the Church through the weaponization of law enforcement and the judicial system.

Pashinyan’s vulgar Facebook post took on new significance on October 24, when a Telegram channel named “Armenian WikiLeaks” published several short videos allegedly showing Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, in intimate situations with a woman. The videos, filmed in a bathroom and a living room, were accompanied by a claim that the woman was the archbishop’s uncle’s wife.

📍 The Hovhannavank monastery in Armenia’s Aragatsotn region served a liturgy, attended by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The Armenian Apostolic Church declared the service illegitimate because it was led by a priest the Church recently deposed for siding with the government in its conflict against the ecclesiastical leadership.📍 Azerbaijan will allow the transit of goods between Russia and Armenia through its territory, a senior Russian official announced.📍 Parliament has approved bills cutting public funding for the Church’s TV channel and easing income declaration requirements for most Armenian citizens.📍 Armenia’s New Income Declaration System: Step-By-Step Guide https://www.civilnet.am/en/news/820105/explainer-armenias-new-income-declaration-system-step-by-step-guide/ #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

📍 GTB Holdings, an Armenian construction and metal company, pledged to invest nearly $52 million after winning a bid to complete the unfinished Cascade complex in Yerevan.📍 Senior Armenian and Russian officials signaled progress in potentially loosening the requirements that Armenian citizens face when entering Russia, as Armenian truck drivers say the current setup is threatening their livelihoods.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

📍 Georgia has begun cracking down on a key passenger link with Armenia, small private vans that transport groups of travelers between Yerevan and Tbilisi. 📍 Parliament approved in the first reading a bill that would end public funding for Shoghakat, the Armenian Apostolic Church’s television channel.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

Partner contentCivilNet deep dives into the From Data to Change project, led by Hyphen4 and in partnership with AGBU Armenia, TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia, and GEOVIBES. The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation through the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia. We speak with Hyphen 4 founder Siuneh Arakelian, international experts from MIT and UCLA, and the Armenian university students at the heart of this initiative. The students explain how they are tackling the lack of open spatial data by empowering local youth to map their own communities; from stork nests in Areni to abandoned buildings in Berd. This grassroots effort has already collected over 17,000 data points across six regions, creating a transparent foundation for community development plans and giving citizens a voice in their own future. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ